If you were in a serious accident in Fresno don’t leave your fate in the hands of insurance agents. Their job is to get you to accept as little in compensation as possible or nothing at all.
Talk to a Fresno Car Accident Lawyer with decades of experience in these types of cases.
Contact us before you speak with anyone representing the other driver. We offer a free, no-obligation evaluation of your case and we have information for you that insurance agents don’t want you to know.
How To Get a Car Accident Report From The Fresno Police Department
If you have an attorney working for you, he or she will obtain your accident report for you. If your insurance company is involved, they may also take care of getting the report.
If you must secure the report yourself, you can do so online or in person at the Fresno Police Department Records Division at 2323 Mariposa Street.
Records (559) 621-2534
Monday – Friday, 8:00 am to 2:00 pm.
Getting your report in person is free.
For an online request, go to the BuyCrash site that assists the police department in record-keeping. It helps if you have the report number from the crash, the date of the crash, and the street names where it happened. There will be a $12 fee for the online request.
You can find more information about how to request an accident report on the FPD website.
Who Can Request a Fresno Police Accident Report?
It’s important to remember you will need to show ID and prove that you were involved in the crash or someone in your family was.
These are the parties that can generally obtain these documents:
- A party involved in the incident (driver, passenger, non-motorist, witness, or owner of damaged property, including a damaged vehicle)
- The legal guardian or conservator of a party involved in the incident, or a parent if the party is a minor
- Lawyer for a party involved in the incident
- The insurance provider for a party involved in the incident
Getting a CHP Accident Report After a Collision on a Fresno Highway
If you suffer a collision on a local highway, like Route 99 or The Sequoia-Kings Canyon Freeway, it may be a California Highway Patrol Officer (CHP) who responds to your accident.
You’ll be working with the CHP to get a copy of your crash report. There are a couple of ways to do this.
You can request a copy online, or you can print out a request form and mail it off, or bring it by in person.
A CHP Accident Report By Mail or In Person
To send off your request or drive it down to a CHP office, you’ll be required to print out and fill out a CHP 190 document. Then you’ll need to determine the closest Highway Patrol Office to you. You don’t have to go to the CHP office where your accident occurred. If you fill out a CHP 190 form, you can make your request at any office.
You can also find the closest CHP office on their website. It will likely be one of two locations in Fresno County:
(435) Fresno
Fresno, CA 93725
559-705-2200
(401) Central Division
Fresno, CA 93722
559-603-7740
How Do I Get a CHP Accident Report Online?
The California Highway Patrol website gives accident victims the opportunity to obtain a report without leaving their homes.
Complete this collision report request form online.
Your eligibility to have access to the report will be checked. Have your driver’s license or identification information handy. Generally, you need to have been the driver, passenger, or victim involved in the crash to request a document. The owner of the car and the parent or legal guardian of a victim involved could also get the accident report.
In a property damage-only case, your insurance agent may also obtain this document. If you’ve hired an attorney, your Fresno car accident lawyer would handle requesting this report for you.
Do I need a lawyer?
For accidents involving property damage or minor injuries, you may not need an attorney. However, if you were seriously injured, an experienced Fresno Car Accident Lawyer can often find ways to greatly increase the amount of compensation you get and alert you when an insurance company isn’t treating you fairly.
You didn’t cause your accident and you should never be held responsible for your medical bills and other costs of recovery.
