If you’re injured in a serious car crash in New York City, call for emergency services as soon as possible. When they arrive, they can provide any immediate, necessary medical care. Additionally, a police officer will be there to file an accident report. In NYC, the report is the MV-104AN, which is an official and detailed account of the wreck. In the moment of the crash, you may not even know this report exists, but it may actually become pretty vital to your personal injury case down the line. The MV-104AN plays a crucial role in establishing liability and helps attorneys like Shaevitz & Shaevitz build a case to represent your interests.
What Is the MV-104AN?
The MV-104AN is the NYC-specific crash report form. Every state has its own form, and even New York State has a slightly different form than New York City. To help keep track of which form is for what, let’s break it down.
| Form | The Form Breakdown |
|---|---|
| MV-104 | If your crash involves death, injury, or $1,000 or more in damage to property, file an MV-104 with the DMV. This is your responsibility, and not filing this form in the next 10 days after the accident can result in a suspension of your vehicle registration or driver’s license. |
| MV-104A | In most of New York State, a police officer will complete an MV-104A after a crash if it results in death, injury, or over $1,000 in property damage. This form is a record of the collision that the officer makes while at the scene. |
| MV-104AN | In New York City, a police officer will file an MV-104AN following a crash. This form is tailored to NYC-specific location coding and is only for crashes that occur inside NYC. |
Requesting Your Crash Report
The MV-104AN establishes a detailed record of the accident, which helps insurance companies determine fault and helps personal injury lawyers build your case. While you won’t automatically have access to the file, you can request it from the police records.
Requesting the form in person is typically free and requires you to go to the local precinct that responded to the accident. Requesting the form online is simpler, as you can just order it from the NYPD online records portal. However, the online form does have a fee.
If more than 30 days have gone by since the report was filed, the MV-104AN is transferred to the New York State Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV). Then you’ll need to request it either by mail with an MV-198C form or online through the DMV’s online crash report ordering service, which charges both a search fee and a fee per report.
What Does the MV-104AN Include?
The MV-104AN from your crash may include important information such as:
Details about the date, location, and timing of the crash- The names and contact information for any drivers, passengers, and witnesses
- The vehicle details of any vehicles involved, including license plate numbers, make and model, and visible damage
- The insurance details of each driver
- Any injuries reported at the scene
- Where each individual was sent for treatment and if they went by ambulance
- The officer’s narrative of how the crash occurred
- A diagram depicting vehicle positions, impact points, lanes, and signals
- Any contributing factors like speeding, distraction, disregard of the right of way, and road or weather conditions
- Any citations, charges, or alcohol/drug testing results
The form itself can be confusing to read. To better understand the report, we recommend contacting a personal injury attorney! As your lawyer, we can help you make sense of your report, provide legal advice, and use the MV-104AN to build your case and fight for fair compensation.
How We Use the MV-104AN in Your Case
The MV-104AN details what happened in the crash and who was involved. This information can be crucial to your case and can help us better understand who is at fault.
The report also includes a diagram that the reporting officer makes at the scene. The diagram is a visual sketch of the crash that includes the scene layout, any intersections or road signs, each vehicle’s direction of travel, and the points of impact.
Not only does the diagram give us a better understanding of what occurred, but it also helps guide the next steps we can take. For example, if the diagram identifies a particular intersection, direction of travel, or point of impact, we may review the correct intersection camera footage to help clarify what occurred.
Additionally, we use this report to negotiate with the insurance company of the car that hit you. While they will try to shift the blame to you to lower your compensation, we will use the crash report to show the other party’s fault. If the report clearly shows the other driver is at fault, the insurance agent will have a harder time shifting the blame your way.
With the report on our side, we can actually demonstrate how the other driver’s negligent actions led to your injury, potentially making them liable in a personal injury case. We will negotiate with their liability insurance to fight for fair compensation on your behalf. And, if necessary, we will take your case to court.
After a Crash, Trust Attorneys Like Shaevitz & Shaevitz to Handle Your Case
When someone else’s negligence causes you injury in a car crash, you may be eligible for compensation. The MV-104AN is a vital aspect of your case that we use to collect evidence. With this report, we’re able to show how the other party is responsible for your injuries and establish their liability. To start your journey towards fair compensation, book a free consultation with us at Shaevitz & Shaevitz in Queens, NY! We have more than 65 years of experience helping clients like you and their families.
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