Accident help
After a crash in New York, check on everyone and call 911 if anyone is hurt. Trade names, insurance and plate numbers. Take photos of the cars, the street and any signs. See a doctor even if you feel okay. Which state's rules apply depends on where the crash happened, not where you live. A free case check organizes what happened, a licensed attorney reviews it, and it does not decide anything.
Free. Not legal advice. Starting a case check does not mean we represent you.
Where this comes from
We checked these original sources on September 5, 2026. Each link opens the source so you can read it for yourself.
Original links
Order and Access Motor Vehicle Crash (Accident) Reports
File a Motorist Crash (Accident) Report
New York State Driver's Manual, Chapter 12: If You Are in a Traffic Crash
Get a Copy of an Accident Report
Non-Injury Vehicle Collisions
Request for Copy of Police Accident Report (TA-W4310)
General rules where the crash happened
Because the crash happened in New York, New York traffic and fault rules are the first ones to check. Other state law may also matter depending on where people live, vehicles are registered, policies were issued, employers operate, and companies are based. A lawyer must decide which law controls the particular case.
A secondary state-by-state chart classifies New York as a no-fault jurisdiction. Under that general framework, available benefits in the policy you actually have may cover certain medical expenses without first deciding who caused the crash, and current local law may limit some claims against another driver. The facts, current law, and the policy you actually have determine what applies; an attorney must review them.
A secondary state-by-state chart indicates that New York generally requires uninsured motorist coverage on applicable auto policies, subject to policy type and legal exceptions. That does not confirm that the policy you actually have includes the coverage or that it will pay a particular loss. Check that policy and its declarations page for uninsured motorist or UM; application and payment depend on its terms and the facts.
Other states can matter too, depending on where the people live, where the vehicles are registered, where the policies were issued and which companies were involved. A lawyer decides which law applies to your facts.
Check any other stateNew York State Department of Motor Vehicles
Police crash reports in New York are filed with the state DMV. You can search for and buy a copy online, or ask for one by mail. Here is how it works.
01
Have the crash date, the county, and any DMV case number or local police code. A plate number, a VIN, or a driver license number also works. The DMV search asks for at least one of these before it can look for your report.
New York State Department of Motor Vehicles02
Open the DMV Order Crash Reports Online portal and sign in with an NY.gov ID. You pay a search fee and a report fee listed on the page, then download the report as a PDF. The DMV gives you a short window to open reports you already bought.
New York State Department of Motor Vehicles03
If troopers wrote your report, the New York State Police send it to the DMV electronically and point you to the DMV for a copy. Their page says reports are generally available within about a month, though some take a few weeks longer.
New York State Police04
If you cannot use the portal, mail DMV form MV-198C, Request for Copy of Crash Report, to the address printed on the form. The DMV also lists crashes it does not sell online, including crashes with no injury and small property damage, and e-bike and e-scooter crashes.
New York State Department of Motor VehiclesAgencies change their forms, portals and fees. Open the linked page before you pay for anything, and keep a copy of every request you send.
A driver reporting duty, not a claim window
New York also asks the driver to file a report with the DMV, apart from any police report. DMV form MV-104 is required when a person is hurt or killed, or when damage to one person's property passes the amount printed on the form. The New York State Driver's Manual says, "You must file a report with DMV within 10 days of the event." That is a reporting duty owed to the DMV. It is not a window for making a claim, and it does not tell you anything about a claim.
New York State Department of Motor VehiclesFederal fatal-crash counts, 2022 to 2024
| County | Fatal crashes | People who died | Share of the state |
|---|---|---|---|
| Suffolk County | 410 | 442 | 12.9% |
| Queens County | 205 | 216 | 6.4% |
| Nassau County | 199 | 212 | 6.3% |
| Kings County | 193 | 197 | 6.1% |
| Erie County | 161 | 173 | 5.1% |
| Bronx County | 144 | 151 | 4.5% |
These are crashes in which at least one person died within 30 days, as counted by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. They are not a count of all crashes, injuries, insurance claims or lawsuits, and most crashes are not in this file at all.
The counts are not adjusted for population, road miles or how much people drive, so they cannot say one place is more dangerous than another. A crash appearing here does not show who was at fault, whether anyone was insured or whether anyone has a claim.
Closer to where it happened
Each page names the department that usually holds the report there and how to ask for it.
Questions
Police crash reports in New York go to the state DMV. You can search and buy a copy in the DMV online crash report portal using an NY.gov ID, or mail form MV-198C instead. Have the crash date, the county, and a plate or license number ready before you start.
New York asks drivers to file their own report with the DMV on form MV-104 when a person is hurt or killed, or when damage to one person's property passes the amount printed on the form. The police report is separate. The DMV page tells you where to mail the form.
There may be no police report at all. NYPD says collisions with only property damage do not have to be reported to police, and drivers just trade license, insurance and registration. In that case your own MV-104 to the DMV and your photos may be the only written record of the crash.
Yes. You can start a free case check from anywhere in New York in English or Spanish, and you can call or text. Vetted Cases does not have an office in New York. Gregory S. Hach looks at what you send as the initial attorney reviewer.
Where the crash happened usually drives which state's rules apply and which agency holds the report, not where you live or where your car is registered. Say the exact road, city and state when you start a free case check so the right records office is the one you contact.
Keep reading
A quick reality check
This page cannot decide fault, medical cause, insurance coverage, legal deadlines, case value or whether you have a claim. Those questions depend on the complete facts, records, state law and a licensed attorney's review.
Last updated
We opened every New York agency page linked here on this date and rewrote anything that had changed.
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