Expert: Richard Hixenbaugh - 12/5/2010

Question
Is it possible to refute a police accident report?  I was involved in a traffic accident where I was in the process of making a left-hand turn onto a side street.  A car driving at a high rate of speed attempted to pass me on the driver's side onto the oncoming lane,hit my bumper, knocked it off, pushed my vehicle to the right and told the police I slammed into him when in fact he was driving so fast/was so distracted he couldn't stop and let me make my turn.  I was given a verbal warning for illegal lane change. The other driver was not cited and drove off in his car.  Mine had to be towed.  Please advise.  

Answer
Hi Carole,

It is possible to try but it is unlikely to have any affect. You would ned to call the police officer and explaine your side of the story to see if he would be willing to re-write his report. He may refuse. If so, you would then have to file suit against the other driver to see if a judge would believe your storey over the other drivers. Without any real proof or independent witnessess it would likely not make any difference.

I hope this helps
Richard Hixenbaugh