In Illinois, if a driver is involved in a vehicle accident that results in bodily injury, death, or more than $1,500 of damage to property (when all drivers are insured), each driver must file an accident report. If any driver involved in the crash does not have insurance, the property damage minimum drops to $500. If a police officer does not visit the crash scene while you are still present, you must file an accident report with the Illinois State Police, the sheriff’s office, or the local police department. These crash reports help investigators piece together what happened and determine fault under Illinois’s reporting requirements at 625 ILCS 5/11-401.
Drivers involved in crashes on the Illinois Tollway should contact ISP District 15 at (630) 241-6800. Drivers involved in a vehicle crash on a freeway in Cook County (Chicago metro area) may file a crash report in person with a state trooper. The report should be filed within 10 days of the accident.
If you’ve been in a car accident and suffered significant damage to your vehicle or injuries to yourself or a loved one, you may have questions about what to do next. A lawyer at Staver Accident Injury Lawyers, P.C. can help you sort out the situation, help you file a vehicle crash report, and offer you legal advice. We can determine if your losses merit a personal injury lawsuit to recover compensation.
For a free legal consultation, call us today at (312) 236-2900.
If you have been involved in a vehicle crash and are present when a police officer or state trooper arrives, be ready to share information the investigator will ask for, including:
All of these items are relevant to the Illinois traffic crash report filed by the officer on the scene.
You may also file a hit-and-run crash report in person at the police departments listed below. Illinois State Police troopers are dispatched to these stations Monday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. and 7 p.m. to 3 a.m. to investigate these incidents, and reports may be filed in person at any time over the weekend.
When you arrive at one of the above police stations, call (847) 294-4400 and ask for a trooper to assist you at that location. Crash reports may also be filed anytime at Illinois State Police District Chicago, 9511 West Harrison Street, Des Plaines, IL 60016.
You may obtain a copy of your crash report online through the Illinois State Police E-Pay portal for $5.00 plus a $1.00 processing fee per report. You can also request a copy by mail using the instructions and fees below.
In order to obtain a copy of a crash report, you must first verify that the report was taken by the Illinois State Police. On the motorist report, the “Investigated By” box in the upper left-hand corner of the document should read “Illinois State Police.” If it does not, you will need to call the agency that investigated the crash to obtain a copy of your report.
If you do not possess the original motorist’s report, contact the Patrol Records Unit at (217) 785-0614 to find out if the Illinois State Police took the initial report. If the crash took place within a municipality, the ISP may not have handled the report.
To request a copy of a crash report by mail, send a written request and a self-addressed, stamped envelope to the Illinois State Police Patrol Records Unit. The fee is $5.00 for a standard crash report or $20.00 for a crash reconstruction report, paid by check or money order made payable to “Illinois State Police.” Include the following with your request:
Address your request to:
Illinois State Police
Patrol Records Section
801 South 7th Street, Suite 600-M
Springfield, Illinois 62703
Email: ISP.CrashReport@illinois.gov
Once you have your Illinois traffic crash report, read it carefully before your insurance company does. The report records the responding officer’s view of how the crash happened, names any witnesses, and notes citations issued at the scene, all of which influence how a claim is evaluated under Illinois’s modified comparative negligence rule. Look for errors in the diagram, vehicle descriptions, or witness contact details, and ask the investigating agency to file a supplement if something is wrong. If you were hurt or your damages are likely to exceed property-only limits, talk to a Chicago car accident lawyer before giving a recorded statement to any adjuster. Our team is happy to review the report with you, so contact us for a free consultation.
Our car accident attorneys serve clients throughout the Chicago area, including Aurora, Elgin, Hinsdale, Joliet, Naperville, and Waukegan. Don’t delay in getting the advice and counsel you need in the aftermath of your vehicle crash. A lawyer from our team at Staver Accident Injury Lawyers, P.C. is ready to listen to your story, help you file an accident report, and assist you in moving forward with any viable claim for compensation. Contact us today at (312) 236-2900.
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