Our North Carolina car accident lawyer knows that after a motor vehicle accident, a crash report can be crucial for showing who is at fault and for identifying witnesses. Our North Carolina personal injury attorney says that reporting an accident and getting a copy of the crash report is an important step in making sure that your car repairs and medical bills are covered. For more information on how car accident claimants can report a vehicle accident to the police and on what to do right after an accident, contact our personal injury attorneys in Raleigh. Also, feel free to download a copy of the NC DMV-349 key to read your NC crash report once received.
If a police officer arrived at the scene of your accident, they should have given you a driver exchange form which can help locate your crash report once it is ready. The driver exchange form will have information such as the crash report number, the name of the police department, and the car insurance information. After a car accident, it usually takes three to five days for the full crash report to be finalized. However, it can take longer for large accidents with multiple vehicles involved and for accidents with several witnesses or any fatalities. To see if your crash report is complete, you can call the North Carolina DMV (NC DMV) at (888) 920-8180.
Once your crash report is ready, there are several ways you can obtain it. Depending on which police department arrived at your accident, you may be able to download your crash report easily online. Several police departments in North Carolina publish crash reports automatically to their online database where you can download them for free. These include the following agencies:
- North Carolina State Highway Patrol Crash Reports
- Raleigh Police Department Crash Reports
- Cary Police Department Crash Reports
- Garner Police Department Crash Reports
For police departments that do not publish their crash reports online, you can get a copy from the NC DMV in person or through the mail. To request a copy in person, you can visit the NC DMV headquarters at 1100 New Bern Avenue in Raleigh. To obtain a copy through the mail, you must submit a TR-67A crash report request form which you can access by clicking here. Fill out the form with your name, driver’s license number, date of the accident, and location of the accident. Then mail the completed form and a check for $5.50 (made payable to NCDMV) to the following address:
Traffic Records Branch
Crash Reports Unit
3106 Mail Service Center
Raleigh, NC 27697
If you were injured in a car accident, contact our North Carolina car accident lawyer at (888) 920-8180 to find out more about ways to protect your rights.