How to Get a Police Report After a Car Accident in North Carolina
If you are injured or suffer vehicle damage in a car accident, you will need a copy of the police accident report to file with an insurance claim. If your accident claim is disputed or you have a disability claim due to injuries sustained in the accident, the police report will be the first piece of evidence needed to document the accident and support your claim.
It is important that you summon police to any car accident you are involved in and that you ask the investigating officer how to obtain a copy of the accident report and when it will be available. When the car accident attorneys at The Law Offices of John Drew Warlick, P.A. assist a car accident victim, we will inquire about the accident report and whether the client has a copy.
We can help you obtain the police accident report. But you can expedite the process by taking the steps necessary to get a police report after a car accident in North Carolina as soon as you are able.
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Call the Police to Report a Car Accident in North Carolina
Under North Carolina law, drivers are required to summon local police or the Highway Patrol to the scene of any reportable crash. A reportable crash is a car accident that results in an injury, death, or $1,000 or more in property damage or any amount of damage to a vehicle that had been seized by law enforcement authorities.
After responding, police or Highway Patrol troopers must file a car accident report, which is to be forwarded to the North Carolina Division of Motor Vehicles (DMV) within 10 days.
When reporting car accidents, all law enforcement officers in North Carolina use Crash Report Form DMV-349. When completed, it contains information about:
- Drivers involved in the crash (names, addresses, driver’s license numbers, injury status)
- Passengers, pedestrians, cyclists involved in the crash (names, addresses, injury status)
- Whether alcohol or drug use was suspected and testing conducted
- Whether a ticket was issued or charges were filed
- Vehicles in the accident
- Location
- Road conditions
- Weather and visibility conditions
- Vehicles and their damage
- Whether emergency vehicles responded to the accident
- Estimates of vehicle speed at the time of the accident
- The sequence of events involved in the crash
- Sketched diagram of the accident and accident scene
- Narrative description of the car accident and the officer’s opinion as to its cause.
What Information Is In a North Carolina Police Report and Who Can Use It?
The Federal Driver’s Privacy Protection Act (FDPPA) and N.C. General Statute 20-43.1 require that personal information in the Division of Motor Vehicles records be closed to the public. This refers to photos, Social Security numbers, driver’s license numbers, names, addresses, telephone numbers, and medical information. However, there are numerous exceptions to the law that make traffic crash reports and the personal information on them available to insurance companies, lawyers, judges, private investigators, researchers, and others.
Insurance companies will use the police report from your accident to investigate your claim. They may periodically search accident report records to determine whether policyholders have been involved in accidents and to adjust auto insurance premiums.
If our attorneys handle your car accident case, we will use the police report as well as what we learn from speaking with you to initiate our investigation.
Police reports are strong evidence if a claim goes to court. The accident report offers an independent assessment of what occurred. The police officer or trooper who completed the report may be called to testify about the details of the report.
Obtain a North Carolina Police Report in Person or by Mail
To get a copy of the police report about a car accident you were in, you may contact the N.C. Division of Motor Vehicles (DMV) or the local police department that responded to the accident.
The DMV requires you to complete a TR-67A form and will provide certified copies of police reports for $5.50 each. You may:
- Visit DMV Headquarters in person at 1100 New Bern Avenue in Raleigh.
- Mail your request and a completed TR-67A form to:
NCDOT-DMV Traffic Records Section
3106 Mail Service Center
Raleigh, NC 27697-3106
Local police departments will have their own policies for providing records to the public.
The Jacksonville, N.C., Police Department says you can request a police report by mail or go to the police department in person to get a copy. Ordering a police report by mail requires a self-addressed and stamped envelope. The address is:
Jacksonville Police Department
206 North Marine Boulevard
Jacksonville, NC 28541
Police Department records division hours are 8 a.m. to midnight daily.
There may be a fee for copies of police reports from the Jacksonville police. For three pages or more, the cost is $0.15 per page or $0.35 for color.
You must be a person involved in the crash or a representative of the affected party to receive a copy of a police report.
Talk to a Jacksonville, NC, Car Accident Lawyer
If you’ve been injured in an auto accident in Onslow County, contact The Law Offices of John Drew Warlick, P.A., today. We can review your case for free and answer any questions you might have about your legal options. Our attorneys work on car accident claims every day. We know what types of evidence it takes to seek the full compensation you need for the injuries and other losses you have sustained. We are ready to help you move forward after a serious accident caused by someone else’s negligence. Call us now at 910-586-3655.
