How Long Do You Have to Report a Car Accident?

On This Page

1. Pennsylvania Requires You to Report Most Car Accidents
2. Understanding the Importance of Reporting a Car Accident
3. A Police Report Can Strengthen Your Case
4. Pursuing Your Pittsburgh Car Accident Case with Our Team
5. Accident Reports Can Help Support Your Claims for Compensation
6. Talk to Berger and Green About Your Car Accident Today

REVIEWED BY

C. William Kenny

Board certified by National Board of Trial Advocacy

Pennsylvania allows you to report a car accident to law enforcement within five days of the accident. However, in most cases, you will want to call the police while on the scene of the crash to file a report.

The responding officers can assess the scene, get statements from drivers, passengers, and witnesses, document other evidence, and determine the cause of the accident. They may even assess fault and issue tickets for a violation of any traffic laws. The officers will include any citations in the report. Our experienced car accident lawyers in Pittsburgh work to ensure every consequence—physical, emotional, or financial—is covered by your compensation. 

Pennsylvania Requires You to Report Most Car Accidents

Under Pa. C.S.A. § 3744, the state requires drivers to report a traffic accident if:

• There is an injury or death; or
• Damage to the vehicles prevents the involved parties from driving away from the scene.

In addition, a police report will be helpful if you need to file an insurance claim for car repairs or medical care. In most cases, the drivers involved in the crash call police, and the responding officers submit a report while everyone is still at the scene of the accident.

If you are involved in an accident with an uninsured driver or another vehicle that flees the scene, you will need a police report to make a claim for any uninsured motorist benefits you may be entitled to.

Occasionally, though, motorists do not believe they suffered injuries or property damage in an accident, but it later becomes apparent they did. If that happened to you, you have five days from the date of the accident to file Form AA-600, Driver’s Accident Report.

How Long You Have to Obtain a Copy of Your Police Report

According to the Pennsylvania State Police (PSP), a person involved in the car accident, their lawyer, their insurer, or any government agency can submit an application (SP 7-0015 – Application to Obtain Copy of Police Crash Report) to obtain a car accident report 15 days after the incident.

If you already have a physical copy and want a digital copy, you can search for your report by providing the Incident Number. If you don’t have any form of the report, search for your name and the date of the accident. You can purchase a copy for $22 and have it emailed to you.

Understanding the Importance of Reporting a Car Accident

If you need to file an insurance claim or personal injury lawsuit related to your Pittsburgh crash, a police report will be helpful. In this report, police assess what happened and document any evidence to support their conclusion. If they file a report from the scene, it may include witness statements and responses, documentation of the damages, and other information about factors that contributed to the accident.

If you are involved in an accident with an uninsured driver or another vehicle that flees the scene, you will need a police report to make a claim for any uninsured motorist benefits you may be entitled to.

The police report also helps to document factors that could contribute to the accident that may not be evident to a survey team who visits the site later. Weather, skid marks, and overgrown shrubs obscuring traffic signs are just a few examples.

A Police Report Can Strengthen Your Case

A police report can help bolster our argument against an at-fault motorist. It can be especially critical when there is a disagreement about what led to an accident and who caused it.

When law enforcement files a police report at the scene of a car accident, it lends credibility to the argument and elevates it above a “he said, she said” situation. If the police report backs our client’s side of the story, it is often much easier for us to negotiate an insurance settlement or win a payout in court.

In some cases, the police report is incorrect. If that is the case for you, we can launch an investigation into the accident to establish exactly what happened and why the report is inaccurate.

Pursuing Your Pittsburgh Car Accident Case with Our Team

Our car accident team will review your case for free and explain if we believe you have a valid claim. If we decide to work together, we will:

Gather and Analyze All Types of Evidence

The accident report provides essential evidence to prove your case when it comes time to file an auto insurance claim or injury lawsuit. In some cases, it will be the only proof of some evidence, such as skid marks or debris in the road.

However, we can look to see if there are any other forms of evidence that can further back up your claims, such as:

• Your medical records that contain your doctor’s testimony, imaging scans, and medical bills
• Eyewitness accounts
• Your own photos of the car accident scene and your injuries
• Any video available of the car accident in action

Your account of the accident and how your life has changed since will also be assets to the validity of your claim.

Demonstrate Who Is Responsible for the Accident

The police report, as well as other forms of evidence, can point to who caused the accident. To determine liability, we must show that the other party owed you a duty of care, breached that duty, and caused your accident and damages.

This liable party could be the other driver involved, a government agency, a parts manufacturer, or another road user.

Manage All Back-and-Forth with the Insurance Company

After we establish a liable party and assess your damages, we will negotiate a settlement with their insurance provider.

At first, one of their representatives might try reaching out to offer you a settlement that doesn’t cover all your accident-related expenses. If that happens, direct them to one of our personal injury lawyers, and they will take over communication and negotiate with them until we can agree on a settlement amount.

We Can Also File a Lawsuit Against the Other Driver

If you want to file a personal injury lawsuit, acting quickly is crucial. Pennsylvania’s statute of limitations usually gives you two years to file a personal injury lawsuit for a car accident. Remember that we must obtain your prognosis, gather evidence, and perform several other tasks, all before the two years is up.

If the deadline expires before we get all the mandatory paperwork, the court won’t let you seek compensation from the other driver.

Accident Reports Can Help Support Your Claims for Compensation

It’s important to make your accident report as soon as possible to follow state guidelines and show proof of your accident. This report can also help bolster your demands for compensation—eyewitness accounts, police officer statements, and notes on the accident scene act as forms of proof about your losses, injuries, and the other driver’s negligence.

Along with other forms of evidence, your accident report can support your requests for compensation, including:

• Medical expenses. This includes immediate treatment costs and any long-term care needs resulting from the accident. By reporting the accident swiftly, you provide a solid foundation for linking your injuries directly to the incident, which is vital for these claims.
• Lost wages. This is another critical area of compensation. If your injuries prevent you from working, either temporarily or permanently, an accident report serves as key evidence to support your claim for lost earnings and potential future income losses.
• Property damages. This can include damages to your vehicle and any personal belongings damaged in the accident. Claiming these also hinges on a timely accident report. This report offers concrete evidence of the accident’s impact and helps in accurately assessing the extent of damage.
• Pain and suffering. This covers the physical and emotional distress caused by the accident. A detailed accident report, alongside timely documentation of your injuries and their impact on your life, strengthens your case for these non-economic damages.

These are not the only damages you can seek in an auto accident, and an accident attorney can help calculate these and other losses to ensure you receive what you are owed.

Talk to Berger and Green About Your Car Accident Today

At Berger and Green, our car accident lawyers can order a copy of your police report, determine liability, and explore your options for compensation with you. Don’t deal with insurance companies alone. Call our team today for your free case review.