When motor vehicle accidents in Las Vegas involve substantial property losses or physical injuries, the law requires the police to appear at the scene and make a report. Part of their report involves something known as the vehicle damage rating. This is an assessment of the severity of the impact.
These reports can have an impact on the outcome of insurance claim settlement negotiations. Our Las Vegas car accident lawyers are here to protect your rights to maximum compensation during the process.
What is the vehicle damage rating?
Any time the police make an accident report, part of that documentation includes the extent of the damage to the vehicles. This does not always involve the use of a formal damage rating system.
There are three aspects to a vehicle damage rating, and each of them is potentially important to your injury case.
- Direction of force. This value establishes the direction in which the vehicle was struck. Various numbers are used to establish the area of the car that was struck by the other vehicle.
- Damage description. These letter codes establish the nature of the damage. For example, the code “F” indicates a head-on collision.
- Severity of damage. These codes represent the extent of the damage to a vehicle using a numeric scale. Damage coded as “1” is the least severe, while damage coded as “6” is the highest level of destruction.
Can the damage rating cost me my financial compensation?
Ultimately, this rating is based on the opinion of the reporting officer. While these ratings might be relied on heavily by insurance adjusters, remember that nothing in the police report represents the final word in your damages claim. You and your legal representative have the right to present your own evidence to dispute the conclusions of the police vehicle damage report, if you feel there is cause to do so. This evidence can include photographic or video evidence of the crash scene, professional repair estimates, and more.
Talk to an attorney about your accident today
If you were seriously injured in an accident, the police vehicle damage ratings report can be an important piece of evidence demonstrating the overall severity of the crash. It may also provide valuable clues as to the nature and circumstances of the crash, and who caused it. This evidence can then be used to establish the liability of the other driver in a personal injury lawsuit seeking full compensation for the losses you sustained as a result of the accident, including not only damage to the vehicle, but also medical expenses (both now and in the future), lost wages, reduced future earning capacity in the case of long-term disability, loss of quality of life and more.
Valiente Mott is ready and able to provide the tough, professional, effective legal representation you need after a motor vehicle crash. Schedule your free consultation with a Las Vegas car accident attorney.