How to Get a Car Accident Police Report in Long Island
If you have been involved in a car accident in Long Island, obtaining your car accident police report is an essential step in the process. Victims of car accidents are entitled to compensation from the person or company who caused their injuries. An essential part of proving that the other party caused your accident is to obtain the police report. Police reports contain information about the vehicles’ locations and who may be considered at fault for the accident.
Where Do I Request a Long Island Car Accident Police Report?
You can request a copy of your police report from the county where the accident occurred. There are four counties in Long Island — Queens, Kings, Nassau, and Suffolk. If your car accident happened in Suffolk County, you would need to request a copy of the police report from the Suffolk County Police Department.
For most people, the easiest way to obtain a car accident police report on Long Island is through the website of the police department in the county where the accident happened. You can also seek a car accident police report through the mail or in person. Whichever method you choose, remember that you will need to keep a copy of proof that you paid for the report so you can submit it to your insurance carrier for possible reimbursement.
Obtaining a Long Island Car Accident Report Online
You also have the option of requesting a copy of your police report from the New York City Police Department. However, you will need to make your request within 30 days of the car accident date. You may be able to obtain a copy of your police report from the New York Department of Motor Vehicles regardless of who responded to your collision. This includes many of the village police departments that serve the New York State Police.
The Suffolk County Police Department directs users to request an online motor vehicle crash report from a website called BuyCrash.com. To obtain a copy of the police report, you will need your driver’s license number, date of birth, and license plate number for the vehicle involved in the accident. The report should be accessible online between seven and 10 days after the accident.
BuyCrash.com charges a convenience fee for the report in addition to the cost of the report itself. Parties who are involved who do not want to pay the convenience fee can still come to the Suffolk County Police Headquarters, located at 30 Yaphank Avenue, Yaphank, NY 11980, and pay for only the cost of the report. The Suffolk County Police Department Central Records Section is open Monday through Friday from 9:00 am to 3:45 pm and they are closed on Saturday and Sunday and on holidays.
Obtaining a Police Report From the New York DMV
After 30 days from the date of the accident, you will need to request the police report from the New York State Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV). The DMV allows people to request accident reports for accidents that took place in the last four years, except for rare cases. You can order a certified accident report online after paying for a search. The search fee is currently $7 online or $10 by mail. If you order the report, you will need to pay an additional $15 fee for each copy of the report.
Before you pay a fee, you can do a free limited search to ensure that the DMV has your car accident report. Once you are sure that they have your report, you can do a page search using the license plate number or DMV accident case number. Once you have located your report and ordered it, you can access the report you purchased online. The website will let you download your car accident report in PDF format. You will have seven days to access the report, so we recommend printing it out as soon as possible. In order to print out your copy of the car accident report, you will need to provide your email address and the report confirmation number, which was displayed during the purchase transaction and emailed to you.
When Will My Car Accident Report be Available?
In most cases, it takes between 14 and 60 days for a car accident report to become available in the system. The time depends on the location of the car accident who filed the report, whether it is a motorist or a law enforcement officer. If the law enforcement officer filed the police report in one of the five boroughs of New York City, it would be available online at least 14 days after the accident. If someone files a paper police report, it will be available at least 30 days after the accident. Finally, if a motorist reported the accident from anywhere in New York state, it will be available at least 60 days after the accident.
Obtaining a Car Accident Report By Mail
You can complete an Application for Public Records Form to request a motor vehicle accident report through Suffolk Country via mail. You will need to complete the form and mail it to the Suffolk County Police Department. You can also choose to complete the request online and then physically go to the police headquarters in person to pick up a paper copy when it is ready.
About Harrison Law Group, P.C.
The Harrison Law Group, P.C. is a well-known, and respected personal injury law firm who is exclusively dedicated to handing a wide range of personal injury cases which include but are not limited to motor vehicle accidents, slip and fall accidents, dog bites, traumatic brain injuries, serious and catastrophic injuries, soft tissue injuries, construction accidents, and many other injury cases.