Getting the police crash report for a Fuquay-Varina crash

For a crash a Fuquay-Varina officer worked, the town gives two routes to the report: an online copy through CRASHDOCS by Carfax, named in its police FAQ, and a request to NCDMV, which its Records & Reports page says is typically available within five days. The police records unit takes questions.

What does the Fuquay-Varina Police Department tell people to do?

The department's Records & Reports page says people looking for a motor vehicle wreck report may contact NCDMV directly. It adds that these reports are typically available within five days.

The town's police FAQ gives a second route. It says a copy of a traffic collision report can be obtained online through CRASHDOCS by Carfax, under a partnership the department has with that service, and it puts the price of the online copy at $3. The Records & Reports page lists a $3 fee for all copies, however they are requested.

Police Records answers questions at 919-552-1422. Requests at the station are taken between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. at 401 Old Honeycutt Road, and the town says most requests are processed within five business days. Requests by mail are accepted too, and the town asks that checks be made payable to the Town of Fuquay-Varina.

To file a report in the first place, the town's FAQ tells people to contact the police department by phone at 919-552-3191 or in person at the station. Before calling about a report already made, the department asks you to have the case incident number in hand. If you do not have it, the date, approximate time and location of the crash are what it asks for instead.

How does an NCDMV request work for a Fuquay-Varina crash?

The same NCDMV request covers a report from the town police and a report from a trooper. The Highway Patrol states that crash reports from all of North Carolina's law enforcement agencies are forwarded to NCDMV, so a crash on a Harnett County road just outside town lands there as well.

NCDMV takes requests on Form TR-67A, the Request for Motor Vehicle Information for crash reports. The form NCDMV currently posts carries a July 1, 2024 revision date. On it you enter the driver's name and the date and county of the crash, along with a driver license number. For a crash just outside the town limits, the county on the form can be Harnett rather than Wake.

• By mail. The form goes to the Traffic Records Branch, Crash Reports Unit, 3106 Mail Service Center, Raleigh, NC 27697-3106. Checks are payable to NCDMV, and the form says cash is not accepted for mailed requests. NCDMV says mail requests take up to 10 business days after receipt.
• In person. NCDMV accepts the form at Raleigh Central Services, 4121 New Bern Ave., and at the Huntersville License Plate Agency, 12101 Mt. Holly-Huntersville Road.

An individual cannot order through NCDMV online and receives a copy with names and addresses redacted. The fee for an NCDMV copy is set by NCDMV.

The report you receive is written on the state's crash form. NCDMV publishes that form for officers under the name DMV-349 Crash Report Form.

What does North Carolina law say about the report?

North Carolina puts the duty to report on the driver first. G.S. 20-166.1 has the driver of a vehicle in a reportable crash notify law enforcement right away, the town police for a crash in a town and the Highway Patrol or the county sheriff for a crash outside one. The statute then directs that agency to investigate the crash.

Under the same statute the officer who investigates a reportable crash writes a report within 24 hours. The local agency has 10 days from receiving it to forward it to NCDMV.

The statute also covers a later death. When an injured person dies from the crash within 12 months, the officer files a supplemental report.

Reports by law enforcement officers are public records under the same section. The general public can inspect them at all reasonable times.

What do you look for once the report arrives?

Check that the names, the date and the place on the report match what happened. A crash placed on the wrong side of the town line sends any follow-up question to the wrong agency.

In North Carolina, insurers look for any opportunity to raise the doctrine of contributory negligence. The page on contributory negligence covers that doctrine in plain terms.

The Fuquay-Varina crash attorney page explains how I represent people from the town from my office in Graham. The Wake County page covers how Raleigh, Cary, the Highway Patrol and the Sheriff's Office handle report requests.