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How to Get a Police Report for a Car Accident in The Bronx

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    If you were hurt in a car accident, you should get a copy of the police report from your crash.  This report cannot be entered into evidence in your case without the help of a police officer who helped form the report, but it can still provide excellent information for your attorney, including the names and contact info of the defendant and potential witnesses.

    To get a police report for your Bronx car accident, you can usually use the NYPD’s online portal for car accident reports.  However, these reports are only available to citizens of NY, Massachusetts, or Connecticut.  If you live outside those states, you may be able to get a report through the NY DMV’s website or in person at the local police precinct.  You can also request copies by mail.

    For help getting a police report and handling your car accident injury case, call the Bronx car accident lawyers at The Carrion Law Firm today.  For a free case evaluation, call us at (718) 841-0083.

    How to Get a Police Report Online Through the NYPD Portal for a Bronx Car Accident

    New York police departments typically make their reports accessible through a program called BuyCrash.  However, the NYPD makes their reports available online through their own web portal as well.  This means that if you were involved in a Bronx car accident, you should be able to get your report through that NYPD portal – but there are some things to know about this option.

    First, this NYPD portal is only available to citizens of Connecticut, Massachusetts, and New York.  That means if you live in Pennsylvania or New Jersey – or were involved in a crash while visiting NYC from anywhere else – you cannot use this portal.  Instead, you’ll have to get a copy of your police report from the precinct directly or through the NY DMV.

    Typically, police reports are available on this site within 7 days of the crash.  That leaves this as one of the fastest options for getting a police report for your Bronx car accident case.  If you’re waiting to talk to a New Brunswick car accident lawyer until after you have a copy of your crash report, this is probably the best way to get a copy.  If you need to, visit your local library to get computer and printer access to get your copy online.

    How to Get a Police Report from the Local Precinct for a Bronx Car Crash

    If you cannot use the portal online, you can also get a paper copy from the local police precinct that responded to your accident.  However, to get the report by mail, you will still need access to the internet and a printer to print a copy of the form to request a copy of the police report, found on the NYPD website.

    To request the report by mail, simply mail that form to the correct precinct.  However, you may be able to get a copy in person instead.

    Police precincts usually hold onto police reports for 30 days before sending them to the DMV.  This means that any time within 30 days (leaving adequate time for them to finish the report), you should be able to go in person to ask for a copy of the report.  Although some precincts might offer paper copies on site, others may require you to bring a copy of the form with you.

    How to Get a Police Report Online Through the NY DMV Website for a Bronx Car Accident

    If you cannot get a copy from the police for whatever reason, you should also be able to get a copy of a collision report through the NY DMV.  The DMV website lists instructions for how to get a copy through their web portal or by mail.  There are typically 4 steps to get your police report through the DMV, the first and last of which you can skip if you are doing the search by mail.

    Run a Free Search (Online Only)

    First, you can run a free search from the DMV website to check if the DMV has a record of your report.  It typically takes at least 14 days from the accident for the DMV to have a digital version of the report, so if they do not have your report, check again later.  It’s also possible either you or the police officer who input the data made typos or mistakes, and the record might not show up as searched.

    Run a Paid Search (Mail or Online)

    Once you see that the DMV has a record of your crash, you can request to view the record for $7.  Running this search charges you $7 even if you made a typo or error inputting the information, so double check your input!  Requesting this search by mail costs $10.

    Request a Copy of the Report (Mail or Online)

    To get a copy of the police report for yourself or your Brentwood car accident attorney, you need to pay $15 for a copy.  If you do this request online, you can view the report for 7 days.  If you do this request by mail, they should mail you your copies – but each additional copy you need will cost another $15.

    Print and Save Your Copies (Online Only)

    If you did the request online, you can view your copies for up to 7 days.  During that time, you should save a digital copy of the report so you can access it later if needed.  You should also print paper copies for your records while you have access, just in case there are any issues with the file.  If you wait too long, you will have to repeat this process to get access again.

    Call Our Bronx Car Accident Lawyers for Help

    If you were hurt in a car accident in the Bronx, call The Carrion Law Firm today for a free case evaluation.  Contact our Bronx personal injury attorneys at (718) 841-0083.