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How to Get a Police Report After a Car Accident in Gwinnett County

Kevin A. Adamson, P.C. |
Duluth car accident attorney

There are several ways to get a police report after a Gwinnett County car accident. You can ask for a report from the local police department, submit a request to a third-party website, use the Georgia Open Records Act, or get help from an experienced car accident lawyer.

How Do I Obtain a Police Report from the Local Police?

You can get an official crash report from your local police department by following these steps:

  • Find the right location – First, determine which police department responded to the accident and go to that specific police department office, sheriff’s office, or Georgia Highway Patrol post to request the crash report.
  • Call ahead – You might find it helpful to call ahead to ensure you have found the right location and know their hours of operation before you make the trip.
  • Visit the appropriate office – Visit the appropriate office in person. The office will likely request some identifying information, such as your name, the date and location of the accident, or a report number. You might also need to pay a small fee.

Remember, it will take a few business days for the police to make your accident report available.

How Do I Get a Police Report from BuyCrash.com?

Obtaining a police crash report online is an easy and convenient option, especially when you’re still dealing with painful crash injuries. The Georgia Department of Transportation (GDOT) contracts with a third-party website, BuyCrash.com, to provide crash reports for jurisdictions across Georgia.

To access a report after an accident, go to the BuyCrash website, select “Georgia,” then select the appropriate jurisdiction if you know it. You can search all Georgia agencies if you do not know which jurisdiction has the report. Then, submit the following information:

  • Your last name
  • The date of the crash
  • The report number, your vehicle identification number (VIN), or your driver’s license number

Once you find the relevant police crash report, you will need to pay a small fee. At this time, the fee for Georgia crash reports is $11 on BuyCrash.com.

How Do I Get an Accident Report Using the Georgia Open Records Act?

Under Georgia’s Open Records Act, you can submit an Individual Crash Report Request form, which GDOT makes available on its website. On this form, you must provide the driver’s name, the requestor’s name (if you are not the driver), and an attestation that Georgia law entitles you to receive the crash report due to one of the following:

  • You were the driver of a vehicle involved in the accident
  • You own or lease a vehicle or other property that sustained damage in the accident
  • You suffered an injury in the accident
  • You witnessed the accident
  • You insure a vehicle, party, or property involved in the accident
  • You are an attorney representing a party or witness involved in the accident
  • You are a prosecutor or law enforcement officer
  • You are gathering information as a representative of a news media organization

You can submit this request by mail or fax, along with a $5 payment.

What Sort of Information Is on the Police Report?

A Georgia motor vehicle crash report contains several pages of detailed information about a given accident, including the following:

  • The time and location of the accident
  • Names, contact, insurance, and vehicle information for each driver involved
  • The results of any alcohol or drug tests that were administered
  • The first and most harmful event in the accident
  • Operator, vehicle, or roadway contributing factors
  • A narrative of events occurring in the crash
  • A diagram of the accident
  • Witness information, if applicable
  • Vehicle occupant information, if applicable

These crash reports are difficult to read and understand for people who haven’t done so before. They use an array of codes that are only familiar to law enforcement, lawyers, and insurance companies. A personal injury lawyer can help you analyze and interpret the contents of a crash report after an accident in Georgia.

Are the Police Required to File an Accident Report?

The Georgia Department of Public Safety requires police officers to respond immediately after learning of a motor vehicle accident. The responding officer must complete a crash report when:

  • An accident results in injury or death to any person.
  • An accident causes $500 or more in apparent property damage.
  • The driver or owner of a vehicle involved in the crash requests it.

Can the Accident Report Help Me When Filing an Insurance Claim?

Yes, an accident report can be quite helpful when filing an insurance claim after a car accident in Gwinnett County. It provides essential evidence that insurance adjusters use to determine who is at fault and, therefore, financially responsible for the accident and accident-related losses. The insurance company could undervalue or deny your compensation claim without this evidence.

What Is a Georgia Personal Report of Accident Form?

If law enforcement does not respond to the accident, you should complete a personal report of the accident and keep a copy for your records. The form includes some of the same information you would find on a police officer’s crash report without confusing jargon or codes. A personal report of an accident form could become valuable evidence in an accident claim.

Contact a Georgia Car Accident Lawyer for Help Today

Getting a crash report might sound simple, but nothing is easy when you are hurting physically, financially, and emotionally. If you suffer an injury in a Gwinnett County car accident, attorney Kevin A. Adamson can handle every aspect of your accident claim, including obtaining a crash report. Once he’s secured a copy of your report, he can use the information contained in it to demand fair compensation for the losses you’ve suffered, such as your medical bills, lost wages, and property damage.

Ready to pursue the money you deserve for an accident that wasn’t your fault? Then contact Kevin A. Adamson, P.C., today for legal help after a car accident in Gwinnett County, Georgia.