What is a Vehicle Incident Report?

A vehicle incident report is a record of information that was done by a law enforcement officer stating the details about the scene of a vehicle accident. It is also known as the police report. It consists of account of events during and after the incident. The vehicle incident report letter is usually available after 2-5 business days later. There are many reasons why vehicle incident reports are made. It can be a good document if there will be an investigation about the incident. Most especially if the incident involves a crime like if the police will later find out that the vehicle is just stolen. Also, the report is a good measure for the whole community to avoid future accidents. The owner of the vehicle has also different benefits from the report. They can use it as an evidence for claims or for lawsuits. It is essential that the car accident report form will be filled up immediately and that everything will be taken care of just after the accident. Whether the vehicle is a car, truck, or forklift, everything about the incident should be reported in a quick manner. It is a standard procedure for every police to make a vehicle damage incident report as it happens. It will not take them a long time before they will make a report. As soon as a vehicle incident happens, they are ready to record everything that has happened.

Benefits of a Vehicle Incident Report

Why is a vehicle accident report incident report form important to be filled up? Why do we need to submit a report? Read the following benefits that you can get from a vehicle incident report:

You can get insurance faster. Your car is broken from the accident. Luckily, it has insurance. But you have to submit a proof that can make you to have your claims. The police vehicle incident report is a good evidence for every car insurance claims. You can get the money faster because of this proof. Then, you can have something that can help you to fix your car. It is also true in all kinds of vehicle. Maybe in the workplace, there is a forklift that suffers an accident. The driver has been hurt a little and the driver wants to make claims on insurance. The report is what can make the claims possible.Future accidents will be avoided. If through the report we can be aware of faulty roads that can cause accidents, then the motor vehicle incident report is a good thing that we should make. We will be warned of the exact places that are prone to accidents and we will be careful when we are driving in these kind of roads. The authorities will also provide proper measures to make that roads safer. We can avoid any possible future accidents if we will learn from the past accidents.You can claim for damages. Through the vehicle damage report form, you can officially state what has happened in the accident. If it is not your fault and you need to ask for damages from the driver who has hit your vehicle, it is better if there is a report. The one who hit you cannot deny the truth that it is his or her fault that the crash has happened. You can ask payment for damage if there is a proof about the incident. So, it is necessary that any incident should be reported immediately so that the one who is at fault cannot run from you.It is an evidence for lawsuit. The worst thing that can happen in accident is death of persons that are inside the vehicle. In times like this, sometimes there is a culprit that is the cause of the crash. The vehicle accident incident report wil be an evidence that can be used in lawsuit as we will make the culprit convicted for the crime. So, the police report is necessary so that we can show some form in court that can be a basic proof of the incident.

Tips on Vehicle Incident Report

Whenever there is a car accident incident, we have to be careful on everything we put in the vehicle incident report. Not only should we be careful, we must also be good in handling the incident. Here are some tips that you can use in times like this:

You should take photos. Pictures of the scene will be a big help in describing the incident. Take photos of the incident. You can have many photos as you like to describe the scene better. It can help anyone to get the big picture on the incident. There will no need for you to explain the incident always every time someone asks for it.Give protection to the scene. You have to protect the people that are present in the incident. Make sure that no one will be harmed again. If the place is dark, use a flashlight to give light to everybody. Do all the necessary measures to keep everyone safe. Put safety first.Seek medical help. Maybe someone is injured from the incident. You have to be quick to call for help if this is the case. You can call for paramedics or call to the nearest hospital. Help the persons who are involved in the crash. Have the initiative to do it. You must do that above everything else. You are the person who are responsible for that thing. Give some help.You must protect rights. You have to remember that the persons that are involved in the incident has their respective rights. Be sure to protect their rights. Do not do anything that will promote injustice.

How to Write a Vehicle Incident Report

Do you need a vehicle incident report template or vehicle accident incident report template that can guide you to make a vehicle incident report? Well, maybe you can try the following steps that can guide you to write a vehicle incident report:

Step 1: You should respond quickly.

When you have learned that an incident has happened, do not think twice in attending to the situation. Get the vehicle incident report form or vehicle collision incident form, and be ready to have a police report. Remember that you need to be in the actual scene as soon as possible. The persons involved may need some help if anyone is injured.

Step 2: Collect the data.

Gather the information from the drivers that are involved with the incident. Get their names and the information about their insurance. Check if there are any injuries. If there is any, you should get help first before getting their information. Get the driver’s license of the person who is at fault. You should also have the home address, the birthdate, and the gender. If the driver cannot give identification, you should report this so that the matter will be handled. Then, write down the data about the vehicle. Record the year, the brand of the car, the model, and the color of the vehicle in the report. Be specific if there is any damage with the vehicle. Tell the part that is broken. Get the license tag number and VINs (vehicle identification number). The owner may need it when making claims in insurance.

Step 3: Have statements from witnesses.

You must get identification from the witness of the incident. Ask for contact information. Ask if there is any who is willing to give a witness statement and ask if you can contact him or her later. Take notes on the possible time when the witness can be called. Gather an official statement from the people who have seen the incident. Have an audio recording of their statements. You can also take a video if possible. Then, take some pictures of the incident. Have a photo on the actual scene. Take photos on the damage. Make many photos as possible using your camera or mobile phone. Photograph the debris that has been made because of the accident. Have photos of the vehicle using multiple angles. If anyone is injured, you can also take photos of them.

Step 4: Record the incident.

Now, it is time to record the important details of the incident. If you do not know how to write a car incident report, you must be sure to know the following elements that are needed in the report:

Step 5: Give a chronological description of the incident.

Aside from the basic information that you have recorded, you should give a description of the incident. You should describe what has happened. Write a chronological order of things. You can get this from the witnesses who are there in the scene and saw what has happened. You can also get a detailed description from the drivers and the passengers. It is better that the one who will read the report will completely understand why the event has took place. Make a short story about what has happened. It can tell the reasons why the incident occurred and can pinpoint who is at fault with the crash. A chronological event is also better to be an evidence that can be used in lawsuit.

Step 6: Tell the actions given after the accident.

You should state in the report the measures that has been done for the accident. Have you called 911? Is there any paramedics who came because somebody is injured? Provide an approximate time for all the events that took place after the incident. Tell whether the persons that are involved in the incident are brought into a hospital. An exact description of event will make your report accurate.

Step 7: Make a diagram of the incident.

Visuals are always good. You should sketch the scene. Draw the streets and draw an angle of the crash. Make your drawing oriented. Be sure to capture the right intersections of streets and indicate right directions. Draw the vehicle on where it crashed. Put arrows that can explain your sketches further. The diagram will be a good proof also of the incident.

Step 8: Read and sign the report.

Use the best vehicle incident report format when you make your report. After doing the necessary things, read the whole report. Be sure that what it contains are all true. Affirm that it has all the right objectives. Put a date on the report and sign it. Keep a copy for yourself. Then, submit it to authorities.

FAQs

Do I Need a Lawyer to Get a Vehicle Incident Report?

Most of the times, no. You just have to get the report at the police station. Request it from them and they might give it to you. But if you want a lawyer to obtain a vehicle incident report, you can do so. A lawyer can help you to investigate further about the incident. It can be a good help to you. You can also ascertain that you can get the report and that you can have it faster.

Is the Vehicle Incident Report Helpful?

Yes. A vehicle incident report can be used when you are having claims for insurance. It is very important because you need it because your car has been broken because of the crash. Or maybe you are injured and you need to cover the cost that you have spent in the hospital. The report will be a great help to you. It is a proof that can be presented to the insurance officer. It can also be used as an evidence in court if ever one of you wants to file a case.

Can I File a Case Because of a Vehicle Incident?

Yes. If you will have an evidence that the other driver is at fault in the incident, you can sue that driver. That is why a vehicle incident report is necessary. You can have an evidence to use to state the truth of the scene. You can use it in court to win your case.

A vehicle incident is not an ordinary thing in the road. Yes, it happens. But it may take some time before it happens again in the same road. But to avoid it to happen again because an incident is a bad thing, we have to record what has happened. Through it, we can provide the proper measures to prevent future incidents. Do you need a vehicle incident report sample or vehicle incident report example? This post can help you with that. It has 16+ SAMPLE Vehicle Incident Report in PDF. You can use any of these if you like. Download now!