After being involved in a car accident in New York, you will receive an accident form drafted by the police officer who investigated your accident. The accident form is officially called a “New York State Department of Motor Vehicles Report of Motor Vehicle Accident.” In total, this form is two pages long; only the first page will be your accident report, followed by another page of dense notes explaining the various codes used in the accident report. To the average New Yorker, this form can be extremely confusing, but putting in the time to thoroughly understand it can be crucial to how much money you receive for your accident.
To help you interpret your report, we have included a sample accident report form below, as well as tips for understanding it. However, if you still need help understanding your specific report, we encourage you to contact our firm today at (718) 917-9474 to discuss your report and your options for recovery.
UNDERSTANDING YOUR REPORT
PAGE ONE
On Page One of the accident report, you will find nearly everything you need to know about your car accident. It is important that you verify every detail contained on this page because even the smallest mistake could jeopardize your ability to be fairly compensated.
Check every detail. Don’t give insurance companies any reason to deny your claim.
NUMBER OF VEHICLES INVOLVED; PERSONS INJURED & PERSONS KILLED
At the top of the first page of your accident report, you will see three small boxes indicating how many vehicles were involved in the accident, as well as how many people were injured or killed. Pay close attention to the numbers the investigating officer wrote in these boxes, because if these numbers do not accurately reflect what vehicles and people were involved in the accident, insurance companies might question if you or others were also hurt in your accident.
DRIVER & REGISTRANT BOXES
These first two large sections of the report will give you all the essential details about you and your accident, including your name, your driver’s license number, your address, and the date and time of the accident. It will also include the names and contact information for any other drivers involved in the crash, as well as the registration information for all other vehicles involved. Be sure to verify all of this information.
VEHICLE DAMAGE CODES
In the “VEHICLE DAMAGE” box, you will find an accident diagram drawn by the officer to document the collision. Additionally, in this section, the officer will list vehicle damage codes that will correspond to the vehicle and property damage that resulted from your accident. The codes are explained in more detail on Page Two. Insurance companies closely scrutinize this information when deciding how to compensate the accident victims, so be sure you agree with the investigating officer’s assessment of your accident. If you do not, contact Shalom Law immediately, and we will help you set the record straight.
ACCIDENT LOCATION
In this box, the investigating police officer will enter the county, locality, and cross-streets or exact address of where your accident occurred. In the event that a permanent landmark is nearby, such as a business, school, shopping mall, water tower, or other landmark of some kind, it will be identified in this box.
ALL INVOLVED
This section of your accident report is very important. This section should list all persons involved in the accident, as well as codes for what vehicle (if any) they occupied and for the level of severity of any injuries the officer observed the individuals having. These specific codes are also explained on Page Two. This section will also document what kinds of safety equipment was used and/or deployed in the collision. As with all the above, be sure to verify all of this information.
INSURANCE
This is the final large section of the police report, and it will contain information about the insurance policies held by any property owners who had property damaged in your accident. This section will also detail the effective dates of all relevant policies.
PAGE TWO
Many of the codes used Page 1 can be found on this page. Unfortunately, this page can be difficult to understand due to all the arrows and boxes on the page, so please do not hesitate to contact our firm if you have any doubt about what certain codes mean on Page 1 of the accident form. If any of the codes used on Page 1 and described on this page do not accurately reflect the events of your collision, you should contact Shalom Law as soon as possible to clarify the inconsistencies and secure you owed payout.
Shalom Law, PLLC is here to help.
Getting in a car accident is an awful experience that no one should have to go through. Fortunately, you do not have to try to recover from that awful experience alone. Each of the Personal Injury lawyers here at Shalom Law want to help you get back on your feet again and secure both the compensation and justice you deserve. Call us today for a free consultation: (718) 917-9474.
To access a sample police report, use this link: https://dmv.ny.gov/forms/mv104.pdf
This memorandum relates to general information only and does not constitute legal advice. Facts and circumstances vary. We make no undertaking to advise recipients of any legal changes or developments.
SHALOM LAW, PLLC.
105-13 Metropolitan Avenue
New York 11375
(718) 971-9474
www.shalomlawny.com
