How To Request a Car Accident Report in West Virginia

The most recent data published by the U.S. Department of Transportation Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) shows that there were 815 serious injuries and 264 fatalities stemming from motor vehicle accidents in West Virginia in 2022. While this may not seem like many, if you account for car crashes that resulted in minor to moderate injuries or no one getting hurt at all, it’s likely that there were significantly more incidents reported.

Although wrecks are quite common in West Virginia and nationwide, fortunately, it’s not a frequent occurrence that motorists have to deal with. In fact, many motorists may only experience one or two collisions during their lifetimes. This makes it hard to know what to do when one occurs.

One task you’ll definitely want to take care of after becoming involved in a crash is to summon law enforcement to the scene to document what happened. You’ll then want to secure a copy of that report. How do you go about doing that, though? Below, we’ll discuss how to request a car accident report in West Virginia.

Reporting Your Wreck Isn’t Always Necessary

West Virginia law, and more specifically, §17C-4-7, spells out when motorists must report their auto accidents.

It’s necessary to have the police come to the scene and make a report when:

• The collision injures someone or results in death
• The wreck results in $1,000 or more in property damage

Car accidents that result in at least $500 in property damage must be reported to the West Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles if they elect not to have law enforcement come to the scene.

Why To Ensure Your Wreck Is Reported

Aside from it being the law to report crashes, you’ll also want to do it because this is one of the most critical pieces of evidence when pursuing a car accident claim. This report details where the crash occurred, any contributing factors that the responding officer believes may have caused the collision, whether they issued any citations, and other information that can help with liability determinations.

In other words, if you suffered injuries or a loved one died in the crash, you can not only expect any attorney you hire but also the insurance company adjuster representing the motorist who struck you to carefully review that report. They’ll be looking to use any information that can discredit your claims and justify their rejection of a settlement offer or a low-ball payment. Without this report, negotiations in cases like these often become contentious and end up with a favorable outcome for victims.

Accessing West Virginia Car Crash Reports

Obtaining a WV accident report can be a bit complicated unless you know what the responding law enforcement agency was.

Determining that may seem easy to do if you know where your collision occurred. However, between colleges and universities, unincorporated areas and towns to cities and then county and state agencies, determining who responded, especially if you were rendered unconscious or a loved one died at the scene, can take a bit of legwork. This is something a Charleston car accident attorney should be able to help you with, though.

If you wish to try to get your hands on the crash report yourself first, though, and you know the wreck happened on a state highway or interstate, reach out to the West Virginia State Police Traffic Safety Section at (304)746-2128 or attempt to request the report online.

Should that option not prove fruitful and you believe the crash occurred on a major roadway in our state not within city limits, you may want to reach out to the appropriate county records office where the wreck occurred. Some of the county offices where our state’s larger cities are located include:

• Kanawha County Sheriff’s Office: In person at 301 Virginia St. E. in Charleston, WV, by phone at (304)357-0200, by fax at (304) 357-0239, or online by using the county’s Incident or Crash Report Request Tool
• Monongalia County Sheriff’s Office: In person at 116 Walnut Street in Morgantown, WV, by phone at (304)291-7260, or using their online CrashDocs accident report crash tool

If a crash happened in a specific West Virginia municipality, then it’s likely that a member of the city police force came to the scene and prepared your report. Thus, you’ll want to contact them to see if the report is ready. Some city law enforcement agencies we regularly assist our clients in obtaining reports from include:

• The Huntington Police Department (HPD): This is who you’d contact for crashes in Huntington and in other parts of Cabell County. Their records division is reachable at the following phone number: (304)696-4470, or you can make a request using the HPD’s ReportBeam online request tool.
• The Charleston Police Department: You can call the City of Charleston Police Department’s records division at (304)348-6400 to inquire about an incident or crash report or visit their respective office along the Court Street side of the City of Charleston City Hall building, located at 501 Virginia Street in Charleston, WV.

If a crash you can attribute to someone else’s negligence has left you seriously injured or taken the life of a loved one, consider reaching out to us for help in locating your accident report. Our legal team at Hendrickson & Long, PLLC can likely help.

When To Request Your Accident Report

The West Virginia laws cited above outline how law enforcement officers are allowed 24 hours after a collision occurs to question them regarding what happened leading up to the crash. State law then gives the responding officer another 10 days to complete their report.

Why do we share these time frames with you? We do so to help you avoid spending unnecessary time calling to see if the report is ready or to ensure you don’t make a payment online, only to receive a notice that the report cannot be located because it’s too soon after it to make such a request.

How Our Car Accident Attorneys Can Help You If a Motor Vehicle Collision in West Virginia Injured You

While it’s not completely necessary to have a crash report in hand to consult with a car crash lawyer in Charleston, WV, like ours, it can be extremely helpful. Given how it’s your responsibility as an injury victim or surviving family member to establish the elements of negligence to prove your case and make a financial recovery and how insurers place a lot of value on the information contained in this report, it’s also important that your legal team sees what it says.

If you are hurt or have lost a family member in a serious car accident in West Virginia, reach out to us for help now. We’re ready to discuss your rights with you and, if you hire us, roll up our sleeves and get to work for you.