How Do You Get Mississippi Car Accident Reports?

After a car accident, there are so many things you have to take care of—talking to the police, exchanging insurance information, talking to witnesses, and taking pictures of the scene all while trying to figure out if you’re hurt and planning your trip to the hospital. Even when you complete all of that, you’re likely thinking about your next steps and what you need to do.

One of those steps is hiring a car accident lawyer to represent you in your claim against the party who caused your wreck. When you’re meeting with that attorney, you’ll want all your documentation with you from the crash, which includes your car accident report. Here’s how to get your car accident report after a collision in Gulfport, or any city in Mississippi.

Getting Your Mississippi Crash Reports

Having thorough documentation when you meet with your car accident attorney for the first time is important. One of the documents that will offer you the most support in your claim could be a Mississippi crash report. You have a few options for how you can obtain these in our state, which will cost you between $15 and $20. These options are:

• Online
• Mail-in
• In-person

The easiest and quickest way for you to request this report will be online. You can do this through the Mississippi Department of Public Safety’s website, where you’ll need to enter some information, including the police department name, state or local case number, and your vehicle ID. This report costs $20 and has a $5 handling charge.

In order to do the online method, you must be an involved party to legally request the crash report. Next of kin, insurers, representative of the party’s estate, and legal representatives are also allowed access to car accident reports in Mississippi.

Mail could take more time, but some might prefer this way. You’ll need to contact the state’s Driver Records Division by phone at 601-987-1224 to ensure they have your report on file. From there, they’ll instruct you what information and payment method you’ll need to send to their office at P.O. Box 858, Jackson, Mississippi, 392015. This report costs $15.

You can request your report in-person by going to your local Mississippi Highway Patrol office or local police department of the area where your collision happened. You’ll need your information about the crash to ensure they can get you your report. Similar to mail-in, this report costs $15 as well.

If you have any trouble obtaining your report, then you should inform your car accident lawyer. They’ll be able to help you either correct your process or determine why your requests aren’t being processed.

Why You Might Want a Car Accident Report

Having your Mississippi Highway Patrol accident report is important because it gives you firm proof that not only the accident happened, but also draws a firm line connecting the collision to your injuries and other damages.

Legally, you’re required to file a crash report for any accident that causes more than $250, which means if the police arrived on the scene and made a report, at minimum, there are funds that can be recovered from property damages. When you add injuries into that mix, it’s even more important to have a crash report because that could include even bigger price tags that you want to recover since you weren’t at fault.

Your report is evidence of your car crash and adds proof to who caused your wreck. In Mississippi traffic accidents, fault is important. We’re an at-fault state, which means the negligent party can be held accountable for what they’ve caused in damages. That’s why you need a copy of your police report—it’ll have details of what happened and who the police determined to be responsible.

If you still have questions about what makes your car accident report so important, you should talk to your Gulfport, MS car accident lawyer. We’ll be able to answer your questions and ensure your case has all the evidence you need.

Information Included in Mississippi Highway Patrol Accident Reports

Other than what the report does for you, you might be wondering what information is included in your Mississippi crash report. It’s a detailed document about all aspects of your collision, which is what makes it so important—it gives the specifics that you need to make your claim against another driver or whoever was at fault.

While some reports might be more detailed than others, depending on the officer and the situation, they all still contain the same basis of information. The details in every car accident report are:

• Names and contact information of drivers involved
• Date, time, and location
• Witness names and contact information
• Statements from drivers, passengers, and witnesses
• Vehicle damage descriptions
• Injury descriptions
• Photos of the damages and the scene
• Narrative of how the police officer interprets the accident occurred
• Who the officer believes was at fault
• Whether or not the officer issued any citations
• Diagram of the scene

All this information will prove crucial to your Mississippi car accident claim. When that incident happened in Gulfport, you can trust our attorneys to represent you.

Our Gulfport, MS Car Accident Lawyer Will Help You

A car crash can leave you feeling pretty rattled. When someone else was the cause for your situation and subsequent damages, you might feel like you want to get justice, but don’t know where to start. That’s where Corban Gunn, Attorney at Law comes in.

Our lawyers are here to answer all of your questions and ensure you feel supported through every step. We know it can be hard but that’s why we’ll handle the legal side of things. Reach out to our office today so we can schedule a free consultation for your claim.