How To Obtain an Accident Report in St. Louis

Missouri law requires you to call the police after any crash that causes injury, death, or at least $500 in damage. With such a low damage threshold, this means you will call the police after almost every car accident in St. Louis, MO.

An accident report is generally not admissible in court. But it can help your St. Louis personal injury lawyer find valuable evidence like eyewitness testimony and traffic citations issued to the other drivers involved in the crash. This is why it’s important to know how to obtain an accident report in St. Louis.

If you need help getting a copy of your crash report or filing a claim, contact Schultz & Myers Personal Injury Lawyers at (314) 444-4444 for a free initial consultation.

How Schultz & Myers Personal Injury Lawyers Can Help After a Car Accident in St. Louis, MO

How Schultz & Myers Personal Injury Lawyers Can Help After a Car Accident in St. Louis, MO

Schultz & Myers Personal Injury Lawyers was founded in 2010 to help injured clients in St. Louis, Missouri, recover financial compensation for their injuries.

Our St. Louis car accident lawyers have over 100 years of combined experience representing injured victims.

We can help you after your car accident by providing:

  • A free consultation to discuss your legal situation
  • Contingency fee representation, so you don’t pay us unless we win or settle your case
  • Our record of successfully recovering over $100 million in compensation for accident victims like you

Car accidents can result in airbag injuries, seatbelt injuries, and any other type of serious injuries that disable you from caring for yourself and your family. Contact Schultz & Myers Personal Injury Lawyers for a free consultation to discuss your crash and the compensation you can pursue for your injuries today.

Our law firm handles all types of car accident cases involving:

How Many Accident Reports Get Written in St. Louis, MO?

According to the Missouri Traffic Safety Compendium, St. Louis had 15,049 traffic accidents in 2021. These accidents included motor vehicle crashes as well as pedestrian accidents and bicycle accidents.

Crashes in 2021 included:

  • 64 fatal crashes
  • 3,948 non-fatal injury crashes
  • 11,037 property damage only (PDO) crashes

Since Missouri requires drivers to report all fatal and non-fatal injury accidents, this means that police prepared at least 4,012 accident reports in 2021. Visit our statistics page to learn more.

But the state’s laws also require drivers to report all crashes that cause at least $500 in property damage. This low threshold means that drivers reported many of the 11,037 PDO crashes as well.

Missouri law does not specify when the police must investigate a PDO crash. But it does specify that the driver must file an accident report if the police did not investigate it. As a result, almost all of the 11,037 PDO crashes had an accident report filed by either the police or the drivers involved in the accident.

The Contents of an Accident Report

An accident report includes:

  • Drivers’ names and contact information
  • Vehicle owners’ names and contact information
  • Insurers for each vehicle involved
  • Names of passengers, pedestrians, and cyclists
  • Names of bystanders who witnessed the collision
  • A diagram of the accident scene
  • A narrative explanation of the facts uncovered during the accident investigation
  • A list of citations issued by the police for traffic violations that led to the crash

Most of an accident report’s contents constitute hearsay. As a result, a judge will not admit the accident report into evidence. But your lawyer can still use the accident report to prepare your case.

For example, suppose that the other driver received a citation for tailgating after hitting you in a rear-end crash. Your lawyer can use that information when cross-examining the other driver, investigating officer, and eyewitnesses.

Getting an Accident Report in St. Louis

To get an official, complete copy of your crash report, you must fall in a category of people entitled to receive the report. 

These categories include:

  • People involved in the crash
  • Owners of property damaged in the crash
  • The parent of a minor involved in the crash
  • An attorney or insurer for someone involved

If you do not fall into any of these categories, you can only obtain an unofficial, redacted version of the accident report. 

The police agency that investigated your crash will determine how to obtain an accident report in St. Louis.

Missouri State Highway Patrol

The Missouri State Highway Patrol is responsible for investigating crashes on interstate and state highways. If the highway patrol investigated your crash, you can request a copy of your report through the agency’s online portal. You can also fill out a request form and file it in person or by mail at a highway patrol troop headquarters.

St. Louis County Police Department

The St. Louis County Police Department has jurisdiction over the entire county, including unincorporated areas outside the city of St. Louis. You can request accident reports written by the county police by visiting or mailing a notarized request form to the Bureau of Central Police Records.

St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department

The St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department handles car accidents within the city limits. You can get a copy of a metro police department accident report by visiting the records department or submitting a request online through the records request portal.

Schedule a Free Case Evaluation With Our Car Wreck Lawyers in St. Louis

An accident report can provide the evidence you need to win or settle your case. The dedicated team at Schultz & Myers Personal Injury Lawyers has helped victims like you pursue justice since 2010. Contact us at (314) 444-4444 for a free consultation today.

Additional St. Louis Car Accident Resources

Learn more about car accident FAQs: