How the North Dakota Highway Patrol Investigates Car Accidents and What It Means for Your Case

After a North Dakota car accident, the North Dakota Highway Patrol (NDHP) is often the first on the scene. Officers will secure the area, investigate the cause of the accident, and file a crash report. Their investigation is important; however, it does have its limits. The NDHP’s primary responsibility is public safety and law enforcement. They don’t necessarily gather all the evidence that could help you in a Minot car accident claim.

What does the NDHP do at an accident scene?

The NDHP is responsible for responding to the car accident scene. They’ll typically follow a standard procedure to assess the situation, which includes managing traffic, making sure that the injured receive medical attention, and noting any immediate dangers, like fire or hazardous materials. Next, they gather evidence, which can include taking photos, measuring skid marks, checking for debris, and documenting the road and weather conditions.

Based on this evidence, the NDHP might issue a citation for traffic violations. Then, they’ll file a crash report, which includes details about the accident. This report contains relevant information like the vehicles involved, diagrams, the weather and road conditions, and whether any traffic citations were issued. This process can be quite useful, but it’s not as thorough as a full accident reconstruction (like your lawyer could perform), and it doesn’t focus on the deeper issues that could affect your personal injury case.

What DOESN’T the NDHP do at an accident scene?

The NDHP’s investigation is limited in a variety of ways. As we stated earlier, their role is to enforce traffic laws and maintain public safety, not to conduct an analysis of all possible contributing factors. Here’s what they typically don’t investigate.

If a dangerous road condition contributed to the crash, like a lack of warning signs, poor lighting, missing guardrails, or an improperly designed intersection, the NDHP generally doesn’t document these issues in detail. Their reports focus more on driver actions and not whether the road itself was a factor. At Larson Law Injury & Accident Lawyers, our car accident attorneys can investigate whether poor road conditions or design played a role in your accident. If they did, you might have a claim against the government agency responsible for the road. We can explain more about this process in a free consultation.

Was the accident caused by defective brakes, a blown tire, or a faulty steering system? The NDHP doesn’t perform detailed inspections of vehicle components unless there’s an obvious failure, like a tire coming off at the scene. We can work with mechanics and other experts to determine whether vehicle defects or poor maintenance played a role in your accident. If so, you may have a case against the truck manufacturer or trucking company.

Further, the NDHP typically only conducts full accident reconstruction in cases of very serious injuries or fatalities. For most accidents, they simply document what happened and move on to the next accident.

However, private accident reconstruction experts use advanced tools like 3D modeling to recreate the circumstances of your accident. Accident reconstruction experts can provide valuable insight that touches on areas beyond the NDHP’s findings. This can help establish liability and support your claims for losses and damages.

How does the NDHP report affect my case?

The NDHP crash report is quite useful, but it doesn’t have to be the final word on what happened. Insurance companies may consider these reports to assign blame, but because the NDHP investigation is limited, the report might not tell the whole story of what happened. If you think your NDHP crash report is inaccurate or incomplete, we can help you challenge it. We can collect additional evidence, like dashcam footage, surveillance videos, or black box data from commercial trucks), bring in expert witnesses like accident reconstruction specialists, medical experts, and engineers, and interview additional witnesses who may have been overlooked.

As you can see, while the NDHP report is an important piece of evidence, it’s not the only evidence. Our firm’s thorough legal investigation can uncover details that the Highway Patrol may have missed – strengthening your case for compensation.

If you’ve been injured in a car accident, you deserve a full investigation — not just the basic report provided by the NDHP. At Larson Law Injury & Accident Lawyers, we dig deeper to find the real causes of your accident and hold the responsible parties accountable. Whether it’s defective vehicle parts, unsafe road conditions, or overlooked evidence, we work to ensure that nothing is missed. Call us today for a free consultation, and let us help you get the compensation you deserve. Simply call our offices or fill out our contact form to schedule a free consultation in Fargo, Minot, or Bismarck.