Requesting A Copy of your DMV-349 Crash Report

North Carolina’s DMV-349, more commonly known as the crash report, accident report, or police report, is a document that memorializes a motor vehicle accident. It is generated by the police officer that responds to the scene of the accident. The officer will gather information, complete the form, and provide it to the North Carolina Department of Motor Vehicles. The completed form will include information such as driver and passenger information, vehicles involved, insurance providers, contributing circumstances, and a host of other factors.

The crash report is highly important because in a personal injury or property damage claim, the crash report is used by the insurance adjuster in order to determine liability. Since the crash report is relevant to the outcome of your claim, you will need to obtain your own copy of the crash report in order to review its contents and ensure its accuracy. If you feel that your crash report is inaccurate in any way, you may take steps to have it amended.

It will likely take anywhere from two days to two weeks for your crash report to be completed and provided to the North Carolina Department of Motor Vehicles, depending upon the number of vehicles involved, the severity of the accident, and the presence of any intricate or unusual circumstances. Once your crash report is ready, there are a few ways to obtain a copy:

In person

You can appear in person to request your crash report at the DMV Raleigh Headquarters at 1100 New Bern Avenue in Raleigh. You’ll want to go to the Annex Building, Room 112. Be aware that the DMV requires a five dollar ($5) fee for requesting crash reports and accepts cash, money orders, and personal checks.

By mail

You may request your crash report via mail by sending a request to the following address:

N.C. DMV Traffic Records Section
3105 Mail Service Center
Raleigh, NC 27699-3105

Be sure to include your five dollar ($5) payment in the form of cash, money order, or personal check. If you are requesting by mail, you’ll also need to complete a Crash Report Request Form (DMV TR-67A). We’ve included a sample Crash Report Request Form that has been completed so you can see what it should look like: TR67-A Sample.

Online

Some police departments or other law enforcement agencies that may come to the scene of an accident make their crash reports available online. You will need information including the date of the accident, your last name, and/or the street name upon which the accident occurred. Knowing the crash report number can also be very helpful. Be aware that some police departments may require a fee to provide you with your crash report.

When your report is obtained

Once you have the crash report, review it carefully. It’s very important that the crash report be as accurate as possible. Because responding officers are responsible for securing the scene, gathering information, and resuming a normal flow of traffic, they are often rushed and may make a mistake on the documentation. In addition, responding officers often have limited information to draw from due to unclear mechanics, lack of witnesses, or the account of only one involved driver. For these reasons, it’s somewhat common for a crash report to misidentify vehicles and drivers or misstate the mechanics of the accident. Again, if you find that your crash report is inaccurate or potentially misleading, you may have to take steps to amend your crash report.