After a serious car accident, one of the first things people want to know is what the police report says. Did the officer blame somebody? Was a ticket issued? Does the diagram match what happened?

Those are fair questions. An Illinois crash report can be an important piece of evidence. But after handling accident cases for years, I would never treat the police report as the entire case. Sometimes it is accurate. Sometimes it is incomplete. And sometimes another piece of evidence changes the way you look at the crash altogether.

The report gives us a place to start. The investigation tells us where to go next.

The officer usually did not witness the collision

Most responding officers arrive after the impact. By then, cars may have been moved, people are shaken up, witnesses may be leaving, and the drivers may be giving completely different accounts. The officer has to gather what is available and put together a report.

That does not make the report unimportant. It simply means we have to understand what it is: an initial account prepared after the event, often by someone who did not see the collision happen.

What if something in the crash report is wrong?

We see errors. A name may be misspelled. Insurance information may be incorrect. A witness may not be listed. A diagram may not accurately show a complicated collision. A client may read the narrative and say, “That isn't what I told the officer.”

When that happens, I do not assume the case is over. I want to know what independent evidence exists. Does a witness support our client's account? Are there photographs? Was there a camera nearby? Does the damage to the vehicles make sense with the story being told?

What we look for beyond the report

The answer depends on the crash, but a serious Illinois car accident investigation can involve much more than ordering the police report. We may need to look for:

• Independent witnesses who saw the crash or what happened immediately beforehand.
• Photos and cellphone video from the scene.
• Surveillance footage from nearby businesses, homes, apartment buildings or parking facilities.
• Dashcam footage from another vehicle.
• Vehicle damage and other physical evidence.
• 911 or dispatch records when they are relevant.
• Electronic, camera, GPS or telematics evidence when a truck or company vehicle is involved.
• Accident-reconstruction or other expert analysis when the facts and severity of the case justify it.

Video is one reason timing matters

Think about how many cameras are around Chicago and the suburbs on any given block: gas stations, restaurants, apartment buildings, doorbell cameras, parking garages, delivery vehicles and dashcams. Any one of them might have captured part of a collision.

But a camera recording does not necessarily sit there forever. Retention varies by system and owner, and some footage is overwritten. That is why I do not like waiting until an insurance company has spent weeks debating fault before anyone asks whether video exists.

Commercial vehicles add another layer

If the collision involved a semi-truck, delivery truck, work van, bus or another commercial vehicle, there may be an entirely different universe of evidence. The company may have camera footage, GPS or telematics data, driver records, dispatch communications, maintenance information or its own internal investigation.

That is why a trucking or commercial-vehicle case should not be treated as an ordinary two-car crash with a bigger vehicle.

The questions that matter

When I look at a serious crash, I am not interested only in asking, “What does the police report say?” I want to know: What evidence exists? Who has it? Does it support what people are saying? Is there evidence that may disappear? What do we need to preserve?

Those questions are often where the real investigation begins.

Injured in a Chicago or Illinois car accident?

If you were seriously injured and believe the police report does not tell the whole story, contact Duran Law Offices at 312-300-0473 for a free consultation. We can review the Illinois crash report, identify the unanswered questions and determine what additional evidence should be investigated or preserved.