calm-crane-9215/12/2026

Got rear-ended at a red light, cop somehow blamed ME — how is that even possible?

Still fuming about this and honestly need to vent to people who might get it.

So last Tuesday I'm sitting at a red light — fully stopped, had been stopped for probably 10-15 seconds already — when this pickup behind me just plows into my bumper. Not a tap, a real hit. My neck immediately felt wrong and my trunk is crumpled.

Here's where it gets wild. The driver who hit me tells the officer that I had been "brake-checking" him the whole block and that I stopped "too suddenly" at the light. A RED LIGHT. That was red. I stopped at a red light and somehow that's erratic driving?

The officer barely talked to me, spent like 15 minutes with the other driver, and then comes over and says the report is going to reflect "shared responsibility" because of the brake-checking allegation. I tried to explain that there's literally a traffic camera on that intersection and he just shrugged and told me to take it up with my insurance.

I have a dashcam but it faces forward, so it caught the light being red and my car being stationary — it does NOT show what was happening behind me. The other driver knows this and I feel like he tailored his story accordingly.

My neck is stiff, I've got a mild headache that won't quit, and now I'm terrified my own insurance is going to come after me for this.

Has anyone successfully fought a police report that seemed completely wrong? Do I even have options here? I'm so lost.

8 replies

Most helpful first

sharp-wren-4995/12/2026
Oh man, I feel this in my soul. Almost the exact same thing happened to me — stopped for a school bus, got rear-ended, and the other driver told the cop I "stopped without warning." For a school bus. With the lights flashing. It took me weeks of fighting but the traffic camera footage from the city actually saved me. Definitely look into whether that intersection camera you mentioned is accessible — sometimes you can request footage through a public records request before it gets overwritten.
hearty-marten-3185/12/2026
Do NOT just "take it up with your insurance" the way that cop suggested. The moment you call your own insurer and start explaining yourself, adjusters are trained to listen for anything they can use to reduce their payout. Get your dashcam footage secured RIGHT NOW, like today, and don't give a recorded statement to anyone until you understand your rights. Both insurers are going to try to pin as much on you as possible.
- spry-kestrel-2985/12/2026
  Please go get checked out if you haven't already. Neck stiffness and a lingering headache after a rear-end collision are classic signs of whiplash, and symptoms can actually get worse over the 24-48 hours after impact, not better. Don't brush it off. And from a practical standpoint, having a medical record from right after the accident is important if this turns into a bigger legal or insurance fight later.
- silent-raven-3485/12/2026
  This sounds so stressful and unfair. You did everything right and now you're the one dealing with the fallout. Please don't try to handle all of this alone — talk to someone who knows this stuff before you sign or say anything to insurance.
swift-heron-9545/12/2026
Worked claims for years. Here's the honest truth: the police report matters less than people think when it comes to insurance liability decisions. Adjusters do their own investigation. Your dashcam showing you stationary at a red light is genuinely significant evidence — that combined with any intersection camera could completely flip how liability gets assessed internally, even if the report says shared fault. Request that city camera footage immediately, those systems usually overwrite within 2-4 weeks.
- keen-heron-7435/12/2026
  Not legal advice, but — a police report is not a legal finding of fault. It's one piece of evidence among many. The dashcam footage you described, witness accounts, and especially any municipal traffic camera could all outweigh what's written in that report. If your injuries persist, it might be worth a free consultation with a PI attorney before you talk to either insurance company. Many will look at something like this at no cost to you.
clever-bison-6465/12/2026
Three things, in order: 1) Back up that dashcam footage to the cloud or a hard drive right now. 2) File a request for that intersection camera footage today — call the city traffic department or whoever manages it. 3) Write down every single detail you remember about the accident while it's fresh. Timestamps, what you saw, what was said. Do all three before you do anything else.
warm-tern-4615/12/2026
Quick question — did any witnesses stop or were there other drivers around who saw what happened? In bumper-to-bumper situations there are usually people nearby. Even one person who saw you sitting still at that light changes the whole dynamic. Also curious whether you asked the officer specifically about the traffic camera during your conversation with him.