The Police Lost my F$#& accident report! Suggestions, please!

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2 months ago, I was headed into Manhattan to Table 50 and my car broke down on the Cross Island Parkway in Queens. There was no shoulder, traffic was stop and go, and I was able to ease my car behind another car that was broken down in the right lane. When traffic picked up, me and my girlfriend got the fuck out of the car, because we could forsee some danger. Minutes later, a six-car pile up occured directly in front of us, with my car being totalled. The emergency ppl came, the police came, all the information was taken down, and my car was towed off the parkway. The police gave me the phone # for the precinct and said to call for a report. I didn't even think, in all the confusion, to get the officer's name or badge #. I've been trying to recover the report since then, and have reached the conclusion, after being met with no help from the department, that the police lost the fucking report. Since I had no collision, my insurance company is no help. Has anyone ever heard of something like this happening? Is it possible for the police to actually lose the report for a six car pileup? If anyone has had experience with this, please offer some suggestions! I have no idea where to go from here, other than get my lawyer involved.

― Space Is the Place (Space Is the Place), Wednesday, 13 April 2005 14:12 (twenty years ago)

Surprising that a city as big as New York doesn't have accident reports online... How are ambulance chasers supposed to stay efficient?

Looks like you have to get the accident report from the DMV:
http://www.nyc.gov/html/nypd/html/ssb/crdindex.html

― dave225 (Dave225), Wednesday, 13 April 2005 14:25 (twenty years ago)

who called the towing company?

― teeny (teeny), Wednesday, 13 April 2005 14:25 (twenty years ago)

I should've mentioned that I tried the DMV as well...but thanks Dave

teeny: I originally called the towing company when the car broke down...they showed up after the accident occurred...I did try to get information from them this week (other people involved in the crash, police officers involved) but their only answer was that its against the law to give out any info

the lesson kids: always get an officer's name and badge # (seems obvious, but in the shock of the moment its something that I didn't even consider)

― Space Is the Place (Space Is the Place), Wednesday, 13 April 2005 16:18 (twenty years ago)

Try calling a personal injury lawyer. Tell them you may want to sue someone. I'm sure they "know some people".

― dave225 (Dave225), Wednesday, 13 April 2005 16:24 (twenty years ago)

the towing company should keep daily books-lawyers might be your only way to them.

also -police logs are open to the public. so you would need to find the correct precinct and go there and read the logs for that day (this is how it is in boston i dont know about nyc).

ambulance companies are private and also may have info

― kephm, Wednesday, 13 April 2005 16:32 (twenty years ago)

damn, that really sucks, all like two times I've had this happen the cops would phone back to the station and get a report number assigned to the case and give it out before they left, written on their business card. Sadly aware that the Midwest is not Queens, though.

The only other thing I can think of is filing a Freedom of Information Act request? First try getting all police/dmv reports with your name, and if that doesn't work, get all reports filed on that day. Maybe you can also get a police log of the day's events that shows where officers were dispatched to?

― teeny (teeny), Wednesday, 13 April 2005 16:35 (twenty years ago)

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