I received a traffic ticket as a result of an accident. Is the police officer required to give me copies of the witnesses statements prior to court?
Get Legal Help Today
Compare Quotes From Top Companies and Save
Secured with SHA-256 Encryption
I received a traffic ticket as a result of an accident. Is the police officer required to give me copies of the witnesses statements prior to court?
The witness who called in the accident stated to me that I had the green light, I received a ticket for failure to obey red.
Asked on June 18, 2009 under Accident Law, Virginia
Answers:
L.M., Member, California Bar / FreeAdvice Contributing Attorney
Answered 15 years ago | Contributor
You are entitled to obtain a copy of the complete police report from the police department. They usually charge a small fee, but the report is a matter of public record. The witnesses' statements should be contained within the police report. If there was an accident here, I assume insurance companies have been notified. They, too, will typically take statements from the witnesses. If your insurance carrier did, ask them for a copy of the statement, as well. If you are going to traffic court to fight the ticket, you can contact the witness yourself and even bring the witness with you to court.
IMPORTANT NOTICE: The Answer(s) provided above are for general information only. The attorney providing the answer was not serving as the attorney for the person submitting the question or in any attorney-client relationship with such person. Laws may vary from state to state, and sometimes change. Tiny variations in the facts, or a fact not set forth in a question, often can change a legal outcome or an attorney's conclusion. Although AttorneyPages.com has verified the attorney was admitted to practice law in at least one jurisdiction, he or she may not be authorized to practice law in the jurisdiction referred to in the question, nor is he or she necessarily experienced in the area of the law involved. Unlike the information in the Answer(s) above, upon which you should NOT rely, for personal advice you can rely upon we suggest you retain an attorney to represent you.