(WSVN) - She was hit by another car, and that person got the ticket, but in the report, the officer wrote that she hit herself. Impossible, you say? Yes, but as a South Florida woman discovered, it was also impossible for her to get the police report corrected. It’s why she brought in Help Me Howard with Patrick Fraser.
Stress. We all face it at work, at home.
The key, of course, is learning how do deal with it.
Lisa has.
Lisa Berry, police report was wrong: “Get something to relax. You know, listen to some music, or when I can, go for a walk.”
Lately, Lisa has been listening to a lot of music and doing a lot of walking to relieve her stress after being in an accident.
Lisa Berry: “And my friend looked and said, ‘Hey, look out!’ And she just smacked me. She ran the light.”
The driver smashed right into Lisa’s door, and according to the officer that day, the other driver got ticketed for it.
Lisa Berry: “He told me, he said, ‘Vehicle 1 got the citation. You didn’t get the citation.'”
But what the officer said and what the officer wrote in the police report were two different things.
Lisa Berry: “In the narrative, he has me at fault and have me hitting myself, so I’m like, ‘How can I do that?'”
Specifically, the officer wrote that Vehicle 2, which is Lisa, hit Vehicle 2, which is Lisa.
Lisa Berry: “And I’m like, ‘That’s impossible.'”
Lisa then contacted the officer to ask him to fix the typo and change vehicle two hitting vehicle two to one hitting two. He wouldn’t do it.
Lisa Berry: “I kept getting the run around every time I would call or when I went down there.”
Since the other driver’s insurance company thought Lisa was at fault, they refused to repair her car, leaving Lisa with a door that won’t close and rainwater that wont stop pouring in.
Lisa Berry: “My car gets rained in on the inside. I don’t care how much plastic or whatever I stuff up in there in the cracks, it comes in.”
When the officer wouldn’t change the typo, Lisa contacted his supervisor.
Lisa Berry: “He’s like, ‘I’ll have him change it tomorrow.'”
But he didn’t change the typo, leaving Lisa soaked in her car and steaming outside of it.
Lisa Berry: “Stressed, frustrated, ticked off, but you know, ’cause it’s really aggravating.”
Well Howard, if a police officer makes a mistake on a report, legally, do they have to correct it?
Howard Finkelstein, 7 News Legal Expert: “No. Legally, an officer does not have to fix a mistake they make on a report, but let’s be blunt. We all make mistakes in our job. The best and honorable thing to do is admit and fix it, and that’s what this officer should do.”
We contacted Miami-Dade Police. They were great and quickly corrected the report, showing the other driver in Vehicle 1 hit Lisa in Vehicle 2.
The updated report was then turned over to the other driver’s insurance company. They have not agreed to repair Lisa’s car yet, but legally, they have to, and we are working with Lisa to get it done.
Lisa Berry: “I was happy. I was happy.”
The police report is corrected. The car will soon be repaired, and hopefully, Lisa’s stress level will go down.
Lisa Berry: “Thank you, Help Me Howard.”
Glad we could get the police to fix that report, meaning Lisa didn’t have to file with her insurance company and didn’t have to pay her deductible.
Now, if you have the same problem and can’t get the report corrected, your best bet? Sue the other driver in small claims court to force their insurance company to pay for your repairs.
A problem left you a wreck? Ready to report it? Contact us and let us give you a crash course on your legal rights.
CONTACT HELP ME HOWARD:
Email: helpmehoward@wsvn.com
Reporter: Patrick Fraser at pfraser@wsvn.com
Miami-Dade: 305-953-WSVN
Broward: 954-761-WSVN
Copyright 2024 Sunbeam Television Corp. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.