If you’ve been in a car accident in California, you need to know how to read the police report. Our experienced San Bernardino car accident attorneys at LA Century Law explains this report which can appear confusing at first glance
What is a police report for a car accident in California called?
A car accident report or what is referred to as a “Traffic Collision Report” in California is called a CHP 555 Traffic Collision Report. CHP stands for California Highway Patrol.
Note: If the collision involves a criminal investigation, such as a drunk driving charge, there may be a police report narrative in addition to the Traffic Collision Report.
Reading a CHP 555 Traffic Collision Report
A CHP 555 Traffic Collision Report generally has four sections:
Page 1 – Location, time, and place information, identification of drivers, owners, and vehicles. Generally speaking, although not a stead fast rule, the reporting officer will place the “at fault” driver in the “Driver 1” spot of the report.
Page 2 – Characteristics of the accident, factors involved. This area can include weather conditions, lighting, traffic signals, etc.
Page 3 – Identification of anyone injured, witnesses, and passengers. This area will also sometimes contain statements from the parties involved as well as witnesses
Page 4 – Diagram of the collision, investigating officer’s identification. Officers receive training on how to properly diagram the incident so that if necessary it can be used in your car accident lawsuit.
Additional pages may be added if needed.
Key Sections of a Police Report and What They Mean
Header
The topmost header of the CHP California car accident police report identifies the form. (Rev.) followed by a number refers to the version of the form used since the form has likely been revised several times. The top right corner should say how many pages are in the report.
Under the header
Directly under the header, the report summarizes the number injured or killed and whether the collision involved a hit and run. The local report number is the number assigned to the collision report. This section should list the judicial district that the collision falls under.
Special conditions box
There are several different reasons that the “special conditions” box may have an entry. An entry in the box may indicate additional investigating or statistical compilations needed for law enforcement purposes.
Location
Location information details where and when the accident occurred. It might list a milepost, GPS coordinates, or an intersection.
Parties + vehicle information
Those directly involved in the collision are assigned a party number: 1, 2, 3, etc. A person may be named as a party if they are a driver, pedestrian, bicyclist, or owner of a parked vehicle. This section also lists vehicle identification numbers, location of vehicle damage, and prior mechanical defects.
Factors
Page two lists the many factors that may have impacted the accident. It is a checklist for the investigating officer to detail potentially relevant facts. These categories include:
- A primary collision factor (the officer’s opinion of the leading cause of the accident and other contributing factors). Where it says “A VC SECTION VIOLATED,” the officer may state a specific section of the law that was violated.
- Weather conditions
- Light (day or night), operating street lights
- Road surface (dry or wet)
- Traffic lights and signs
- Type of collision (rear-end, sideswipe, etc.)
- Whether a train, bicycle, animal, or something else was involved
- Cell phone use, distracted driving
- Hazardous material
- Airbag deployment
- A person ejected from a vehicle
- Seat belt, helmet, car seat use
- Traffic patterns, vehicle defects, obscured vision, or unfamiliarity with the road
- Alcohol, drugs, other impairment
Check marks next to an item will appear if the officer believes the characteristic was present at the time of the crash. An indicator doesn’t necessarily mean that the factor played a role in the crash.
Sketch
The officer will draw a diagram of how they believe the collision occurred. They may sketch obstructions on the roadway. The drawing should be proportional, with proper lane widths and objects like signs, fences, and trees.
Miscellaneous
Miscellaneous space may be used for administrative data requirements, or when officers need to record things not covered elsewhere.
Injured/witness/passengers
Page three details who is involved, including people injured, witnesses, and other passengers. Each person is listed, with a designation for whether they are injured and the extent of their injuries. Other details like seat position, airbag deployment, and use of safety equipment are recorded. This section is repeated for each person involved.
Factual diagram
Page four provides additional space to diagram how the crash occurred.
How to read the CHP incident report?
The CHP incident report is a statement of the investigating officer’s observations and accident information. It is not a conclusive determination of fault or the appropriate compensation. To read a CHP incident report, look at each item in the report. Review it for accuracy, completeness, and inconsistencies that may be relevant to a fault and your accident claim.
Who is at fault in a CHP incident report, party 1 or party 2?
Numbers assigned to parties are not an indicator of fault in a CHP report. The officer determines the primary collision factor, which indicates their belief as to fault. However, whether someone is listed as party 1 or party 2 does not, by itself, state who is at fault in a CHP report.
It is also worth noting that a party is also entitled to request revisions to the report or to add a party an officer may have missed. This can be done at the police station of the reporting officer.
How To Interpret Officer Notes and Observations
There are several things to consider when interpreting a California car accident police report:
- Law enforcement officers are trained in accident investigation and report writing.
- There may be errors in a car accident report.
- A car accident report shouldn’t contain an opinion. However, there are places where the law enforcement officer makes judgment calls.
- To the extent that a car accident police report contains opinion, it is not binding on the court or a determination of fault.
- You may ask the law enforcement officer to correct clerical errors.
- Asking a law enforcement officer to correct a determination of contributing factors would likely require the presentation of evidence. It may be worth presenting this information to the law enforcement officer, but they do not determine your right to compensation.
- You may have a lawyer at all stages of a case, including reviewing the car accident report.
Resources
California Highway Patrol, Collision Investigation Manual—a law enforcement guide for report writing.
Contact an Experienced San Bernardino Car Accident Lawyer
If you or a loved one has been in a car accident, we invite you to contact an experienced San Bernardino car accident lawyer at LA Century Law. We can help read a police report after a car accident in California. We’re currently taking new cases. Contact us now.