Getting a police report after your crash can help fill in information you might not have gathered at the crash site. Especially if you were injured enough that you had to go straight to the hospital and could not collect information about the accident, the police report should contain the name of who hit you and a lot of the other evidence you need to start investigating your case.
To get a police report for your crash, you can usually do so online through the South Carolina Department of Motor Vehicles (SCDMV). The SCDMV compiles reports and makes them available online, by mail, or in person for a $6 fee. We have more details below about how to make the request for a copy of your report and why you might want to get a copy of the police report.
For help with your case, call our Greenville car accident lawyers at (803) 219-4906 at Rice, Murtha & Psoras.
Getting a Copy of a Crash Report in Greenville, SC Online
The SCDMV website has an online system for getting a “collision report” online. This requires you to put in your driver’s license number, Social Security Number, and date of birth, so make sure to have that information handy when you go into the form. Instead of a driver’s license number, you can also use a “customer number” if you have one, but people with out-of-state driver’s licenses have to call, mail in a request, or go in person to the SCDMV instead.
If you are having any doubts about whether this website is legitimate or whether the report that you are looking for can be found through this particular system, our Greenville car accident lawyers can help you obtain a copy of your report.
Getting a Police Report in Person
You can also get a copy of the report in person by simply going to the DMV. On the same webpage above, there is a form you can fill out on your computer and print, then bring that form to the DMV so everything is ready to go when you arrive. If you’d rather print it and fill it out by hand, you can do that as well.
Getting a Police Report by Mail
If you prefer to get your report by mail, you can fill out the same form and mail it to the SDDMV at the address on the same website listed above. Keep in mind that you need to mail two copies of the form as well as payment – which we will discuss below. Payment cannot be in cash when you mail it.
How Much Does a Car Accident Report Cost in Greenville, SC?
Crash reports cost $6 for the “research fee.” When you go in person to the SCDMV, you can pay with cash, check, money order, or a card. When you pay online, you can use a card, and when you mail in your request for a report, you have to use check or money order only.
Be wary of any other alternative websites or third parties trying to charge you for a police report. Many of these services are not officially partnered with the Greenville PD, and you should not use them without confirming their affiliation. In many cases, these sites do not provide full reports and only provide you with a redacted copy that is missing information. Those reports are frankly not that helpful.
Can You Get a Police Report Straight from the Greenville PD in Greenville, SC
The Greenville Police Department’s website – as of the writing of this article – does not appear to have any information about how to get a police report from them. Many departments do participate in partnerships with third-party companies like Carfax or LexisNexis to make police reports available online, but the Greenville PD does not list any third-party sites to obtain a police report.
The department might provide you with a copy if you call or go in in person, but this might be a bigger hassle than just getting a copy of the report online, especially if you have injuries, children, and work to attend to during business hours.
Why Should I Get a Copy of the Police Report After My Greenville Car Accident?
If you are planning on filing an injury claim, having more evidence of what happened is always better. A copy of the police report can help show your lawyers and any insurance companies involved in the case that the accident really happened, and it will provide a lot of information they will ultimately want. However, getting a report on your own is not always necessary.
First off, our lawyers can help you get a report if you need it. Your insurance company might also pull a copy of the police report on their own without you needing to get it yourself. However, having a report first and foremost before you call a lawyer or work with an insurance company for compensation can help in a few ways.
If you were injured at the scene of the crash and had to go straight to the hospital, it is possible that the police might contact you in the next few days to let you know who else was involved in the crash. They might give you that driver’s contact info and insurance info so that you can start a claim, or they might at least give you any information you need to get a copy of the police report.
In many cases, we cannot use the info in the report as actual evidence in court. However, it still contains a lot of information – such as the names and contact info for anyone involved and any witnesses, info about where the crash happened, info about the damage and injuries noted at the scene, and so much more. This can help us find out what information we need to collect.
Call Our Car Accident Lawyers in Greenville, SC Today
For a free case review, call Rice, Murtha & Psoras at (803) 219-4906 for a free case analysis with our Greenville personal injury attorneys.