After a car accident in Virginia Beach, some form of documentation gets created, whether a crash report, an exchange-of-information form, or another record filed by a driver or the responding officer. You are not legally required to call the police after a minor accident with no injury, death, or significant property damage, but it's still a good idea. The responding officer effectively becomes a neutral witness, and a claim backed by a corroborating police report is far stronger than one without. If you were injured in a crash, a Virginia Beach car accident lawyer can help you obtain that report and use it to build your case.
Our firm has represented injured clients throughout Virginia and North Carolina since 1985, and we handle injury cases exclusively. You can read more about our background at Shapiro, Washburn & Sharp. Understanding what the report contains and how to get it will help you protect your claim from the start.
What a Police Crash Report Is
When an officer responds to a crash scene, they complete a document called Form FR300P, the Virginia police crash report. Virginia law requires an officer to prepare this report whenever an accident results in injury, death, or property damage exceeding $1,500, and to file it with the Department of Motor Vehicles, generally within 24 hours of completing the investigation.
The form captures the key facts of the crash, including:
- The location of the accident
- The date and time
- The number of vehicles involved
- The names and contact details of the other driver or drivers
- Vehicle identification information
- Auto insurance information
- The road and weather conditions at the time
- The names and contact details of any witnesses
The officer will also photograph the scene, sketch a diagram of how the crash occurred, and record an opinion about what caused it, including whether any driver was issued a citation.
Why the Report Matters to Your Claim
A police crash report is one of the most valuable pieces of evidence in a car accident claim. The details it records give insurance companies, and if necessary the courts, the information they need to understand how the crash happened and who was responsible. An officer's opinion on cause and any citation issued can carry real weight in negotiations.
Request a copy right away, because these reports sometimes contain errors that can hurt your claim. A wrong detail about the direction of travel, the point of impact, or which driver was at fault can undercut your case if you don't challenge it. Reviewing the report early gives you and your attorney time to contact the responding officer and request a correction before that mistake hardens into an accepted fact.
How to Obtain Your Crash Report
The Virginia DMV maintains the official record of every reportable crash in the Commonwealth and keeps those reports on file for at least 36 months. You can get a copy in a few ways.
To request one from the DMV, submit either a written request or a completed Information Request Form (CRD-93) along with an $8 payment per report. The DMV charges the $8 fee even if it cannot locate a matching report. Your request needs to include:
- Your role in the accident, such as driver, injured passenger, or vehicle owner
- The date and time the accident occurred
- Where the accident took place
- The name of one of the drivers involved
- Your driver's license number, if you were one of the drivers
You can mail the completed form, with a check or money order, to the Customer Records Work Center, Room 514, Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles, P.O. Box 27412, Richmond, VA 23269. You can also submit it by fax to (804) 367-0390 or in person at a DMV Customer Service Center. If a local police department prepared the report rather than the State Police, you can often request it directly from that department's website.
How We Can Help
A police report is a starting point, not the whole case. Our approach pairs the report with the rest of the evidence, the photographs, the witness accounts, the vehicle damage, and the medical records, to build a complete picture of what happened and what your injuries have cost you. When the report contains an error, we work to get it corrected before it can be used against you.
Our results reflect that work. In one matter, we secured a $675,000 settlement for a driver seriously injured in a collision while exiting Interstate 64 in Virginia Beach. Results depend on the specific facts of each case, but an outcome like that reflects the care we bring to proving fault and documenting a client's harm.
Injured in a Virginia Beach Crash? Contact Us Today
If you were injured in a car accident that was not your fault, a Virginia Beach car accident lawyer at Shapiro, Washburn & Sharp can help you obtain your police crash report, file your claim on time, and negotiate with the insurance company on your behalf. Contact us at 833-997-1774 for a free consultation with one of our dedicated Virginia Beach car accident attorneys. We have offices in Virginia Beach, Portsmouth, Suffolk, Hampton, Norfolk, and Chesapeake, and we are ready to put our experience to
