Reporting Car Crashes in Michigan
Michigan, like all states, has specific steps that you are required to follow immediately after an accident. Part of this includes notifying the nearest police department or to the nearest police officer, and part includes stopping at the scene and exchanging information after making sure no needs medical attention. Failing to do so could be considered a hit and run which is punishable by a significant fine and serious jail time.
If you are in an accident on a public road or way you are required to report the crash if –
- Someone is injured
- Someone is killed
- Damage amounts to $1,000 or more
Though the at-fault driver may not want to notify police, it is important that you do because the accident report could become the foundation of your case. The police report will contain contact information for all involved parties plus their insurance carriers as well as a detailed description of the accidents and the events leading up to it.
If you and the other driver agree that the damage is minimal and no one is injured, you might be tempted to just swap insurance information and go on your way. But if the at-fault driver changes their story, it will be much more difficult to file a claim. If you want to see the type of information that is collected on an accident report, you can see a report at https://mdotjboss.state.mi.us/TCPS/util/Trfc_Crsh_Rpt.pdf.
How to Request Your Traffic Report
Accident reports can be ordered from the Michigan State Police Traffic Crash Purchasing System (TCPS) at https://mdotjboss.state.mi.us/TCPS/login/welcome.jsp. The Traffic Crash Reporting System is a central database for all traffic crash data in the state.
To find your specific report you will need the driver license number, date of birth, date of crash for one of the involved drivers, or you can search by crash number (found on the incident report or traffic crash report form (UD-10)), date of birth, and crash date. There is a small fee to purchase the report, and reports for crashes that occurred more than 10 years ago may not be available for purchase. You will need access to a printer, as the reports are not issued via mail.