My friend's brother was involved in a fatal motor vehicle accident recently in NJ. Now, my friend is trying to obtain the full accident report from the State Police, but they are telling him that he can only get a copy of the report with the personal information redacted.
The representative stated that because my friend was not involved in the accident and doesn't own the vehicle involved, he cannot get the full report due to privacy reasons. He reiterated that his brother was killed in the accident and is acting on his behalf to obtain the full report. The rep stated that he would need an attorney to obtain the report. (The deceased was only 24 years old, and had no "estate" to speak of, and the family did not hire any attorney to handle any matters.) The full report was given to the deceased's girlfriend, however, because although she wasn't involved in the accident, he was driving her vehicle at the time.
I inquired further for my friend, and it was apparent that the rep was pretty much just reading from her guidelines, and was unsure about any exceptions. She then told me that a parent/legal guardian can get a copy, but then said that since the deceased was not a minor, that wouldn't apply.
I feel that my friend, or his parents, should be able to obtain the full report, since his brother is deceased. Who is right?
The representative stated that because my friend was not involved in the accident and doesn't own the vehicle involved, he cannot get the full report due to privacy reasons. He reiterated that his brother was killed in the accident and is acting on his behalf to obtain the full report. The rep stated that he would need an attorney to obtain the report. (The deceased was only 24 years old, and had no "estate" to speak of, and the family did not hire any attorney to handle any matters.) The full report was given to the deceased's girlfriend, however, because although she wasn't involved in the accident, he was driving her vehicle at the time.
I inquired further for my friend, and it was apparent that the rep was pretty much just reading from her guidelines, and was unsure about any exceptions. She then told me that a parent/legal guardian can get a copy, but then said that since the deceased was not a minor, that wouldn't apply.
I feel that my friend, or his parents, should be able to obtain the full report, since his brother is deceased. Who is right?