Accident Report
When does an accident have to be reported to the police?
Basically accidents are either reportable or non-reportable. Reportable accident are required to be reported to the police. It is always a good idea however to report an accident when it occurs, even if the law does not require it. Reporting the accident will result in a report with everyone's information on it and a narrative of what happened which can be obtained by your insurance company.
REPORTABLE ACCIDENTS: Pennsylvania requires accidents to be reported to police if they occur on any road open to the public and any of the following conditions occur as a result of the accident:
- Any involved person is injured or killed
- Any involved vehicle is damaged so severely it cannot be driven in its customary manner without further damage to the vehicle or roadways
Non-reportable accidents, do not require a police report and include minor crashes when:
- No one was injured or killed
- No vehicles needed to be towed
Who is entitled to a copy of an Accident Report?
Persons authorized by Section 3751(b) of the Pennsylvania Vehicle Code include any person involved in the crash, their attorney, insurer, the Federal Government, Branches of the Military Service, Commonwealth Agencies, Officials of Political Subdivisions, or Agencies or other States and Nations and their political subdivisions.
Officers have 15 days by law to complete accident reports. Non-reportable accidents are typically available in a shorter time frame. Reportable Accidents are typically available after 15 days.
Fees
The fee for a copy of an accident report is $15.00
** Accident reports are currently NOT available via CarFax Crash Docs due to the SARPD transition to a new reports management system. Carfax accident reports will be available again soon!
