Police reports cover the critical details that car accident injury victims require to succeed with an insurance claim or lawsuit. They are necessary to ensure that victims aren’t left out in the cold to deal with their medical bills and lost wages.
To get a copy of your police report, you should determine which government department was responsible for filing it. If a Toms River police officer responded to the scene, you should contact the department either in person, via mail, or by email. If a state trooper was responsible for filing your report, you can find it on the state’s online portal. If no officer was present to report your accident, you can and should file a report yourself.
For all issues or concerns you may have about your police report and how it can help you recover compensation after a car accident left you injured, we urge you to contact the dedicated New Jersey car accident attorneys at Legal Care New Jersey. We can offer a free initial evaluation of your case when you call today at (732) 838-9769.
Getting a Car Accident Report from the Toms River Police Department
If you are trying to get access to your official police car accident report filed by an officer from the Toms River Police Department, you must go through the Records Division. The Records Division is located on site at the department headquarters and is open Monday through Friday from 9:00 am to 4:30 pm. You can submit your request for a copy of your police accident report either in person at the department or via email or traditional mail.
Going to the department in person is the preferred option for many who live nearby. The Toms River Police Department is located at 225 Oak Avenue, 08753. You should have some form of official identification with you when you arrive to submit your request.
There is a mail option available for those who are inconvenienced by actually going to the department. Your mailed request should include your official request form, a cashier’s check or money order for $5.00 made payable to “Toms River Township,” and a self-addressed, stamped envelope for return. You should take care to note that a mailed request should not be delivered directly to the Records Division at the address of headquarters. Instead, send your mail-in request materials to the below address:
Toms River Police Department
Records Division
PO Box 876
Toms River, NJ 08754
We also recognize that many are concerned about utilizing the currently backlogged mail system for this important procedure. For this reason, the Toms River Police Department also accepts email requests. You should email your request to PoliceRecords@trpolice.org and attach a photocopy of your driver’s license or another form of official identification. Email requests might not be granted in every case, particularly if there is also a concurrent criminal investigation into the same accident that the report covers.
What if the Officer that Filed My Report Wasn’t with the Toms River Police Department?
When preparing your official request for your car accident report, you should think carefully about which officer responded to the scene of the accident. For most accidents in Toms River, the law enforcement officer will be a member of the Toms River Police Department. However, if your accident occurred on a toll road, such as the Garden State Parkway or the New Jersey Turnpike, the officer who files your report might be a state trooper.
If a New Jersey State police officer responded to your accident and filed your report, you won’t have any luck trying to find it at the Toms River Police Department. Instead, you will have to go through the New Jersey Department of Transportation (NJDOT), which uses an online portal for all car accident report requests.
To use the portal, you will need certain identifying information for your accident, such as the name of the party, the vehicle’s license plate, and the date and location of the accident. You can also use the report number, which the officer should have provided to you at the scene. It may take up to two weeks from the date of the accident for the report to be made available on the portal.
What If the Police Didn’t File a Report for Your Car Accident in Toms River, NJ?
According to New Jersey state law, all vehicular accidents that result in death, injury, or at least $500 in property damage must be reported. Usually, this is the job of the police officers that respond to the scene, so we recommend that you always call 911 immediately when you have been in an accident, regardless of the severity.
However, we realize that the police may not be called to the scene for various reasons. In these instances, you are responsible for filing your own version of a car accident report. You must complete Form SR-1 to the best of your ability and submit it according to the instructions contained on the form. Self-reports for car accidents in New Jersey must be submitted within 10 days of the accident date.
You should take special care to ensure that your accident is reported, not just because it is a legal obligation but also because you will struggle to succeed in an insurance claim for your accident if no report is available. This seemingly minor step can be the difference between costly medical bills and financial comfort.
Legal Care New Jersey Can Help You Use Your Police Report to Get Compensated for Your Car Accident Injuries
Regardless of the severity of your injuries, you should treat your recovery seriously, and so should your lawyer. Call Legal Care New Jersey at (732) 838-9769 to hear how our New Jersey personal injury attorneys can help you.
