The Shoulder
The Shoulder
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Car accidentshumble-owl-814

Police report blames my blind mom for the crash — but she had the right of way??

Posting on behalf of my mom because she's still pretty shaken up and doesn't really do forums.

She was in a pretty bad intersection collision about two weeks ago. The other driver ran a stop sign — my mom had no stop sign on her side, and she has a dashcam that clearly shows it. She was taken by ambulance, kept in the hospital for a couple days for some internal bruising and a mild concussion. She's home now but still not herself.

Here's where it gets infuriating: we just got a copy of the police report and somehow she's listed as the at-fault driver. We have no idea how that conclusion was reached. She was still disoriented at the scene and the officer apparently just... didn't take any real statement from her. She's also visually impaired (legally blind in one eye) and was confused about what was happening — I don't think the officer understood that.

She hasn't been contacted by anyone explaining the fault determination. Her insurance is already acting weird and asking a lot of questions I'm not sure she should be answering alone.

A few things I'm trying to figure out:

  • Can a police report fault determination actually be challenged?
  • Should she talk to the other driver's insurance at all right now?
  • Is there a real deadline to get a lawyer involved or is that just something people say?

I'm not looking for legal advice, just trying to understand what we're dealing with. Any experience with something like this would mean a lot right now. 🙏

— Worried Daughter

11replies

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11 replies

  • 22
    brave-swift-345

    Not legal advice, but a couple of things worth knowing: first, the fact that your mom was disoriented and may not have been able to communicate clearly at the scene is actually relevant context — that can sometimes be documented in a way that explains why a statement wasn't properly taken. Second, dashcam footage showing the other driver running a stop sign is exactly the kind of objective evidence that can shift a fault determination. Most PI attorneys offer free consultations and honestly, given what you're describing, it's worth a call. — not legal advice, just my take.

    • 2
      mellow-road-soul277

      Adding this: keep copies of every email. It mattered for me.

    • 3
      hopeful-driver870

      Curious whether you did this on your own or had help with it.

  • 22
    wise-raven-535

    Just want to flag — a mild concussion and internal bruising sound 'not that bad' when you're relieved she survived, but please make sure she's following up with a doctor, not just the hospital discharge instructions. Concussion symptoms can show up or worsen days later, and having that documented medical history matters both for her recovery and for any claim. Don't let her brush off symptoms because she feels guilty about being a 'burden.'

    • 6
      quiet-kestrel-487

      Sending you and your mom so much support. This is an incredibly stressful situation to navigate, especially when you're also just relieved she's alive and trying to help her recover at the same time. You're doing the right thing asking questions. Take it one step at a time. 💙

    • 8
      curious-passenger428

      This is exactly what I needed to read today. Thank you.

  • 16
    gentle-raven-007

    Please please PLEASE tell your mom not to give a recorded statement to the other driver's insurance. They will absolutely use anything she says — even just sounding confused or uncertain — to lock in that fault narrative. You can politely decline until she has some guidance. They may push back and act like it's required. It's not.

  • 15
    candid-dove-693

    Three things: back up that dashcam footage to the cloud RIGHT NOW if you haven't already. Don't let your mom talk to anyone's insurance alone. And call at least two or three attorneys for free consults this week — not because you're in a crisis, but because knowing your options costs you nothing and ignorance can cost a lot.

  • 10
    careful-kestrel-816

    Former adjuster here. Police reports carry weight but they're not legally binding on liability decisions — insurers do their own investigations. That said, if the report goes unchallenged, a lot of adjusters will just lean on it because it's easy. The dashcam footage your mom has is genuinely valuable. Get that preserved somewhere safe and don't let the file get closed before someone reviews it.

  • 9
    careful-fox-172

    I went through almost the exact same thing after my accident two years ago. The report had me at fault even though I had a green light and a witness who saw everything. Police reports are NOT the final word — we successfully got the fault finding overturned once my attorney submitted the dashcam footage and a statement from the witness. Don't let that report discourage you. It feels devastating but it can be fought.

  • 7
    spry-wren-034

    On your question about deadlines — yes, there are real statutes of limitations for personal injury claims and they vary by state, but most are at least one to two years from the date of the accident. That said, the earlier you loop in an attorney, the better, because evidence like dashcam footage, surveillance from nearby businesses, and witness memories all degrade fast. The 'you only have X days' panic is sometimes overstated, but don't sleep on it either.