How to get your Fort Wayne accident report

Car Accident Lawyer Fort Wayne is a free referral service, not a law firm, and not a police agency. It cannot pull, change or deliver crash reports. What follows is general information from Indiana law and the Indiana State Police, with links to the official pages.

When there is a crash report at all

Not every bump produces a report. Indiana Code 9-26-2-1 requires a law enforcement officer to investigate each crash that results in injury or death, or total property damage to an apparent extent of at least $2,500. Crashes below that line, with no one hurt, may end with the drivers simply exchanging details.

The driver’s own duty to report comes first. When anyone is injured or killed, Indiana law requires the driver to give notice as soon as possible, by the quickest means, to:

• Local police, when the crash happened inside a city or town, such as inside Fort Wayne city limits.
• The county sheriff or the nearest state police post, when it happened outside a city or town. The Indiana State Police has a District 22 post for Fort Wayne (Indiana State Police).
• A 911 operator, anywhere.

Calling 911 from the scene is one of the ways the law lists, so you do not need to work out the right agency yourself. Note which agency responded and the officer’s name before you leave: it is the first thing you need when you look for the report.

What happens to the report after the officer leaves

Once an officer finishes investigating, Indiana Code 9-26-2-2 requires the officer to forward a written report of the crash to the Indiana State Police within 24 hours of completing the investigation. The Indiana State Police maintains the central repository of all crash reports for the state.

So whichever agency responded, whether city police, the Allen County Sheriff or a state trooper, the report ends up in the same statewide collection. That is why one statewide service can sell copies of reports written by many different departments.

What the report contains

By law the officer’s report includes:

Section	What it records
People	Names and addresses of the vehicle owners, the drivers, anyone injured and witnesses
Vehicles	A description of each vehicle involved
Time and place	When and where the crash happened

Your copy may hold more than that minimum. Read every line of your copy. If a name, a plate, an insurance company or the location is wrong, contact the agency that wrote it and ask how to request a correction. Disagreements about who caused the crash are a different matter: the report is the officer’s account, and an attorney can explain how it fits into a claim.

Is a crash report public?

Yes. Under Indiana Code 9-26-2-3, a crash report filed by a law enforcement officer is not a confidential record and shall be made available for inspection and copying under Indiana’s public records law. The statute is published by the Indiana General Assembly: Indiana Code title 9.

How to get a copy of a Fort Wayne accident report

You can usually buy a copy of an Indiana police crash report online through BuyCrash, the service the Indiana State Police uses. The State Police says electronic crash reports are available for a nominal fee through the BuyCrash website at www.BuyCrash.com (Indiana State Police crash reports).

1. Gather what you know. The date of the crash, the county (Allen), the agency that responded, and a last name of a driver involved. A report number, if the officer gave you one, makes it quicker.
2. Search on BuyCrash. Start from the Indiana State Police crash reports page so you land on the official service.
3. Check it is the right report. Match the date, the location and the names before you pay.
4. Save the file. Keep the PDF with your photos, medical bills and insurance letters in one folder.
5. Not there yet? A report can take a little time to reach the repository after the investigation ends. Try again in a few days, or ask the responding agency.

Some people also ask the agency that wrote the report for a copy in person. Ask that agency directly about its own process; this site does not list prices or waiting times because they could not be confirmed from the agencies themselves.

Who asks for the report, and why

Insurance companies

Adjusters on both sides read the report to see who was involved, what the officer recorded and whether anyone was hurt. Having your own copy means you know what they are reading.

The Indiana BMV

The BMV requests proof of insurance after an auto accident for which it receives an accident report. Insurance information you give a police officer is not passed on to the BMV. Instead the BMV mails a request for financial responsibility verification, and your insurance provider must file a Certificate of Compliance electronically. The certificate must be received and processed within 90 days of the BMV’s mailing, or driving privileges are suspended (Indiana BMV). The Indiana Department of Insurance describes the Certificate of Compliance as a form your auto liability insurance agent files after an accident (Indiana Department of Insurance).

Attorneys

An attorney looking at a crash will often want the report first, then the photos, witness details and medical records. If you call the referral line, have the report or at least the agency name and report number at hand.

Fort Wayne police report or crash report?

People often search for a Fort Wayne police report when they mean the crash report. A crash report is the officer’s report of a crash, and it is the one sent to the State Police’s central collection. Other police reports, such as for a break-in or a stolen car, are separate records: ask the department that wrote one how to request it. If your crash was also reported as a hit and run or involved an arrest, ask the responding agency what other records exist and how to request them.

Hit and run crashes

When the other driver leaves, the report matters even more: it records that the crash happened, when and where. Indiana law makes knowingly leaving the scene an offense. For the insurance side, look at the uninsured motorist coverage in your own policy and ask your insurer how it treats a hit and run; each newly written Indiana auto liability policy includes that coverage unless it was rejected in writing. Report the crash to police and to your insurer, and keep the report number.

Talking with an attorney about the report

If the report gets something wrong, leaves out a witness, or the other insurer leans on it to blame you, that is a common moment to talk with a lawyer. The free referral line on this page connects you with a participating independent attorney’s office. If you would rather choose a firm yourself, the Fort Wayne car accident law firms directory lists local firms with their own office lines; those firms are listed free and are not the attorneys on the referral line.

Still at the start? The Fort Wayne car accident guide covers the scene, the doctor and the insurance calls in order.

Questions people ask