In most cases, you can obtain a Georgia accident report from the law enforcement agency that investigated the crash, through Georgia’s online BuyCrash system, or by requesting a copy through the appropriate state agency. Reports are often available within several business days, although serious or complex crash investigations may take longer.
When Is a Georgia Accident Report Available?
The law enforcement agency that investigated the car accident maintains records relating to its investigation, and in metro Atlanta that is not always easy to determine. A collision on the Downtown Connector, for example, may involve both a city police officer and a Georgia State Patrol trooper, with each agency maintaining its own records.
Local police and sheriff reports typically appear in Georgia’s crash records system within a few business days. Georgia State Patrol reports can take longer, particularly when the crash involves a fatality, serious injuries, reconstruction, or a continuing investigation. Georgia officers use the GDOT-523 crash-report form, and the Georgia Department of Transportation manages the statewide crash-report database.
How to Get a Georgia Accident Report Through BuyCrash
BuyCrash is the online portal used to obtain crash reports from participating Georgia law enforcement agencies.
To search, select Georgia and the investigating agency, then look up the report using the report number or identifying information such as your name, the crash date, and location. Once the report is available in the system, you can purchase and download it.
Can You Get an Accident Report Directly From Law Enforcement?
Submitting a request to the agency that investigated the crash may also be an option. Possible sources include:
- The records division of the city police department that responded
- The county sheriff’s office when the collision happened outside city limits
- The nearest Georgia State Patrol post or the Georgia Department of Public Safety
- The Georgia Department of Transportation’s crash-reporting unit
Georgia restricts access to individual crash reports. Under O.C.G.A. § 50-18-72(a)(5), access is generally available to people whose identifying information appears in the report and others who can demonstrate a qualifying need under the statute. That can include people injured in the crash, witnesses, insurers, persons alleged to be liable, attorneys representing interested parties, and others with a qualifying personal, professional, or business connection to the collision.
What Information Do You Need to Request a Report?
Before calling, mailing a request, or searching online, gather:
- Your full name and contact information
- The date and approximate time of the collision
- The city or county where it happened
- The names of the drivers involved
- The report number, if available
Having accurate identifying information can make locating the correct report easier.
How Much Does a Georgia Accident Report Cost?
Cost depends on where and how the report is requested. BuyCrash, local law enforcement agencies, the Georgia Department of Public Safety, and other agencies may charge different fees.
Costs for requesting a report directly from a local police department or sheriff’s office vary by agency. Under O.C.G.A. § 50-18-71, Georgia law governs the fees agencies may charge for searching, retrieving, redacting, and producing records.
What if the Accident Report Contains Errors?
A Georgia accident report can sometimes be corrected or supplemented by the investigating agency. Objective mistakes such as a misspelled name, incorrect address, vehicle information, or other factual data should be brought to the attention of the reporting officer or agency, along with documentation supporting the correction.
Subjective conclusions are different. An officer may decline to change a conclusion about how the collision occurred, particularly when the disagreement concerns fault rather than a clerical error.
Photographs, surveillance or dash-camera video, witness statements, event data, vehicle inspections, and other evidence may ultimately establish a different account of the collision even if the report itself is not changed.
Does a Police Report Determine Fault?
No. A police report does not legally determine who was negligent or responsible for a collision.
It records information gathered during the investigation, but different portions of the report may receive different evidentiary treatment in court. An officer’s observations, measurements, diagrams, witness statements, and opinions are not automatically admissible simply because they appear in the report.
Liability ultimately depends on the admissible evidence.
Insurers may still rely heavily on the report because it is often one of the first documents available after a crash. A report that omits important facts or reaches an incorrect conclusion can therefore affect an insurer’s early evaluation even though it does not determine legal responsibility.
Why Accident Reports Matter in Serious Injury and Wrongful Death Cases
A spinal cord injury or severe brain injury can create decades of medical treatment, attendant care, lost earning capacity, equipment needs, and other losses requiring extensive medical and financial proof.
The accident report can be an important starting point because it may identify drivers, witnesses, vehicles, roadway conditions, citations, and other information that leads to additional evidence.
But a serious injury case should not be built around the police report alone. When fault is disputed or the narrative is incomplete, the investigation may require photographs, video, vehicle data, physical evidence, witness testimony, inspections, and accident reconstruction.
Georgia Accident Report FAQ
How Long Does It Take for a Georgia Accident Report to Become Available?
Many reports become available within several business days. Serious or complex crashes may take longer depending on the investigation and when the report is completed and submitted.
Can You Get a Report Without the Report Number?
Yes. BuyCrash and individual agencies may allow a report to be located using identifying information such as the crash date, location, and names of the people involved. Having the report number generally makes the search easier.
Can Someone Else Obtain Your Report?
Yes, if that person qualifies for access under Georgia law or is acting as an authorized representative. An attorney representing an interested party may request the report on the client’s behalf.
What Other Evidence Should You Obtain After a Serious Crash?
The police report is only one part of a crash investigation. Other evidence may provide information the responding officer did not have when preparing the report, including:
- Police body-camera and dash-camera footage
- 911 calls and dispatch/CAD records
- Traffic-camera and intersection-camera footage
- Surveillance video from nearby businesses or residences
- Photographs and video from witnesses
- Vehicle event data and other electronic information
- Cell-phone records when relevant
- Vehicle inspections and physical evidence
- Measurements, photographs, and other evidence from the crash scene
- Witness statements and testimony
Some of this evidence may be overwritten, deleted, or otherwise become unavailable if it is not requested promptly. In a catastrophic injury or wrongful death case, identifying and preserving potentially important evidence should begin as early as possible.
What Should You Do if the Report Is Inaccurate?
Contact the reporting officer or agency with documentation supporting the correct information. If the disagreement concerns a subjective conclusion such as fault, other evidence may be necessary to establish what actually happened.
Contact Our Georgia Personal Injury Lawyers
If you or a loved one was seriously injured in an accident, the accident report may be an important starting point for understanding what happened and who may be responsible.
At Goldstein Hayes Trial Lawyers, we have built a nearly $1 billion track record representing people and families in catastrophic injury cases across Georgia. Our attorneys compare the accident report with the medical records, scene evidence, electronic data, witness testimony, and other proof needed to establish liability and damages in a serious injury case.
Call (404) 869-8600 or contact us online to request a confidential case review.
Goldstein Hayes Trial Lawyers – Atlanta
400 Galleria Parkway SE, Suite 1470, Atlanta, GA 30339
(404) 869-8600
