A crash report can identify what an officer recorded, but it does not contain every fact or determine a claim outcome.

Identify the request accurately

  • Date, approximate time, location, responding agency, report number, rider and vehicle identifiers, and other information already known
  • The agency’s request confirmation, the original report, date received, and any version or supplement clearly labeled
  • Information that may exist outside the report, including photographs, video, witnesses, medical records, or separate communications
  • A discrepancy, missing detail, or uncertainty recorded as a question rather than corrected from memory

Follow the current request process

The N.C. Division of Motor Vehicles’ Crash Reports page explains the current process for requesting available reports. A request does not create a report that was never made, and separate records may be held by other sources.

Questions arising from a bicycle crash may be considered in a North Carolina bicycle-accident claim, which requires a fact-specific review.

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