Injured in an accident?
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Short answer: In most states you must report a crash that injures or kills someone to the police right away, "by the quickest means of communication." Some states also want a written report from the driver, due anywhere from 24 hours to 30 days after the crash. Your insurer has its own rule: tell it as soon as you can.
Each state also sets which crashes count (usually any injury or death, or property damage over a dollar limit). The state pages linked below give the limit and the official source.
This is general information, not legal advice. Ask Legal Matters is a free case-review request service, not a law firm.
Deadlines in 34 states
| State | When to report | Law |
|---|---|---|
| Arizona | Immediately, by the quickest means | A.R.S. § 28-666 |
| Arkansas | Police: immediately. SR-1 report: within 30 days | Ark. Code § 27-53-202(a); SR-1 per the Department of Finance and Administration |
| California | Within 10 days (report to the DMV) | Cal. Veh. Code § 16000(a) |
| Florida | Police: immediately. Driver's own report: within 10 days | Fla. Stat. §§ 316.065, 316.066(1)(e) |
| Georgia | Immediately | O.C.G.A. § 40-6-273 |
| Hawaii | Police: immediately. Report to the chief of police: within 24 hours | HRS §§ 291C-16, 287-4 |
| Idaho | Immediately, by the quickest means | Idaho Code § 49-1305 |
| Indiana | Immediately, by the quickest means | IC 9-26-1-1.1 |
| Iowa | Police (injury or death): immediately. Written report: within 72 hours | Iowa Code § 321.266 |
| Kansas | Immediately, by the quickest means | K.S.A. 8-1604(b) |
| Kentucky | Within 10 days | KRS 189.580; KRS 189.635 |
| Louisiana | Immediately (72 hours under an evacuation order or declared emergency) | La. R.S. 32:398(A) |
| Maine | Immediately, by the quickest means | 29-A M.R.S. § 2251 |
| Maryland | Within 15 days | Md. Code, Transp. § 20-107 |
| Minnesota | By the quickest means, after stopping and helping | Minn. Stat. § 169.09, subd. 6 |
| Mississippi | Immediately | Mississippi DPS Driver's License Manual (rev. Dec 2024) |
| Missouri | Within 30 days (crashes with an uninsured motorist) | RSMo 303.040 |
| Nebraska | Within 10 days | Neb. Rev. Stat. 60-699 |
| Nevada | Within 10 days | NRS 484E.070 |
| New Jersey | Police: by the quickest means. Written report: within 10 days | N.J.S.A. 39:4-130 |
| New York | Within 10 days | N.Y. Vehicle and Traffic Law § 605 |
| North Carolina | Immediately, by the quickest means | N.C. Gen. Stat. § 20-166.1 |
| North Dakota | Immediately | N.D. Cent. Code § 39-08-09 |
| Ohio | At the scene; within 24 hours in some cases (off-road crashes, damaged roadside property) | Ohio Rev. Code 4549.02, 4549.021, 4549.03 |
| Oregon | Within 72 hours | ORS 811.720, 811.725, 811.745 |
| Pennsylvania | Police: immediately. PennDOT report: within 5 days | 75 Pa.C.S. §§ 3746, 3747 |
| South Carolina | Police: immediately. SCDMV report: within 15 days | S.C. Code §§ 56-5-1260, 56-5-1270 |
| South Dakota | Immediately, by the quickest means | SDCL 32-34-7 |
| Tennessee | Within 20 days | Tenn. Code Ann. § 55-12-104 (as cited on the department's form) |
| Texas | Immediately, by the quickest means | Tex. Transp. Code § 550.026 |
| Vermont | Within 72 hours | 23 V.S.A. § 1129 |
| Virginia | Forthwith, after stopping at the scene | Va. Code §§ 46.2-894, 46.2-896 |
| Washington | Within 4 days | RCW 46.52.030 |
| Wyoming | Immediately, by the quickest means | Wyo. Stat. § 31-5-1105 |
Other states: we haven't yet confirmed the rule from an official source for Alabama, Alaska, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Illinois, Massachusetts, Michigan, Montana, New Hampshire, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Rhode Island, Utah, West Virginia and Wisconsin. Call the police at the scene if anyone is hurt, and check your state's DMV or state police site. Each state's page on our blog lists its official crash-report resources.
What "report" means
- Police notice: a call to 911 or the local police from the scene. This is the "immediately" rule.
- Driver's written report: a form you send to the DMV or state police yourself, even if an officer came.
- Your insurer: separate from the law. Policies usually require prompt notice, and Georgia's insurance regulator advises telling your insurer as soon as possible, even if someone else caused the crash.
After you report
Get the report number and the officer's name and badge number, then request a copy of the crash report; each state page explains how. If you were hurt, the report is one of the first things an attorney or adjuster asks for. Read what not to say to an insurance company before you call them.
If you were injured and want an attorney to look at your situation, you can request a free case review. It's free and there's no obligation.
Find the right local record source
Use the state hub for statewide agencies and the community directory to locate the place where the incident happened. The agency that responded may differ from the nearest city.
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