How To Secure a Police Report After a Car Accident in Scranton, PA

Scartelli Olszewski P.C.

According to the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation, roughly 115,000 car accidents occur annually in the Keystone State. About 2% occur in Lackawanna County, where Scranton, PA, is located. If you’re ever in a crash in Scranton, it helps to know how to secure a police report after a car accident.

You may need an accident report for your auto insurance claim in the aftermath of a car crash. You’ll also need it if you plan to take legal action against another driver involved in your accident.

See below how to secure a police report after a car accident in Scranton, PA.

Visit the Scranton Police Department’s Website

It wasn’t all that long ago that securing a police report after a car accident required you to take a trip down to the Scranton Police Department’s headquarters. These days, you can acquire an auto accident report online through the SPD website.

Shortly after a police officer from the SPD is finished writing up a report, you can find it through the department’s online services page. If you can’t locate it here, there’s a chance your accident occurred in a Pennsylvania city other than Scranton. You’ll need to visit the website of that city’s police department to receive instructions on how to secure a report.

Request a Copy of an Auto Accident Report From the SPD

Once you land on the SPD’s website and make your way to its online services page, click on the “Request a Copy of Incident & Auto Accident Report” box. It’ll take you to a form you can fill out to gain access to the police report you’re looking for.

You’ll need to spend a few minutes providing the SPD with information about your accident before they release it to you. You’ll be asked for:

Your name
Your contact information
Information about your incident

Make sure all the information you enter into the form is correct. Otherwise, you might experience delays when submitting the form and waiting for your police report.

Ask a Car Accident Attorney for Assistance, If Necessary

Are you going to use a police report after a car accident to file a personal injury claim through a local lawyer? If so, your attorney will likely gather any additional evidence needed for your claim, like photos, contact information of any witnesses, property damage reports, videos from intersection cameras, etc.

While you can certainly fill out the form for securing a police report in Scranton, a law firm can also do so on your behalf. If you’re confused about how to obtain a police report, don’t be afraid to ask your car accident attorney if they can do it. They likely have more than enough experience in this area and will know how to procure a police report quicker than you can alone.

Contact Us for More Information on Securing a Police Report After a Car Accident in Scranton

Some cities and towns, especially in more rural parts of Pennsylvania, make it challenging for those involved in car accidents to access police reports in their aftermath. Scranton, PA, isn’t one of these places.

You can secure a police report after a car accident fast so that you can start using it to file auto insurance claims and possibly even take legal action in your case. The law offices of Scartelli Olszewski, P.C. can deliver the help you need if this is your plan. Call us at 570-230-6420 or contact us online to kickstart the process.