When in doubt, it is always best to call the police to make a report.

Once a police officer arrives, their job is to be a neutral third party and to document as much evidence as possible, including date, time, weather conditions, vehicle damages, injuries, identifying information for the individuals involved, witness statements, and video evidence (when available).

Based on the evidence collected, officers will typically assign contributing factors to determine who is at fault or majority at fault.

Unfortunately, officers can make mistakes on these reports.

We have seen them all and they do occur more often than you may think. If the law enforcement officer got some objective information wrong, details about your vehicle, your insurance coverage, or the location of the accident, for example, you can probably get the report changed or amended as long as you provide documentation in support of the correction.

Critical errors, such as an officer attributing fault to you because of a misunderstanding, the officer siding with the other driver, assigning contributing factors to the wrong party or not obtaining a statement from an involved party, may require more effort on your part to have corrected, though, not impossible.

It is not always easy to get a police officer to change a report.

If you simply don't agree with something that is in the report, such as an account of the accident given by a witness, or the officer's finding that you violated a traffic law, you'll have a much tougher time getting any change made.

In that situation, the best you can probably do is write up your own version of the detail you are disputing and hope that it be included as a supplement to the report. In most cases, whether it is added to the report or not will be up to the law enforcement agency.

Contact the police officer or police department responsible for making the report.

Once you have gathered your facts and details, it is time to contact the police officer or department to request the report be updated or changed. Remember:

• Stay calm and be polite, patient, and professional.
• Be sympathetic and tell them you understand their job isn't easy.
• Don't take the issue to a supervisor unless absolutely necessary.
• Understand the officer may be in a contested situation in which both drivers want the report changed.
• Calmly provide your facts and information in an organized manner.

If you find you are not getting anywhere with the police officer or department, it may be time to consult with an attorney regarding your personal injury case.