After a car accident in Eagle Rock, your police report comes from the agency that covers the spot where it happened. On Eagle Rock streets that is the Los Angeles Police Department. On the freeways it is the California Highway Patrol.
Eagle Rock also borders Glendale and Pasadena. A crash a few blocks one way can belong to a different police department, and that changes where you ask for the report.
Which agency writes the report?
It depends on where the cars were when the crash happened.
- On Eagle Rock streets such as Colorado Boulevard and Eagle Rock Boulevard, it is LAPD’s Northeast Division.
- On the 134 or the 2 freeway, it is the California Highway Patrol.
- Across the city line in Glendale, it is the Glendale Police Department.
- Over the line in Pasadena, it is the Pasadena Police Department.
If you are not sure which side of a city line you were on, write down the nearest cross street. That settles it later.
Will an officer come to the scene?
For a crash with injuries, call 911 and an officer will usually respond. When the crash caused damage only, an officer may not come at all.
Either way, California gives drivers two reporting duties of their own. The next two sections cover them.
Do you have to report the crash to the police yourself?
You do when someone was hurt or killed. Under Vehicle Code section 20008, the driver has to make a written report within 24 hours to the CHP or to the city police.
Inside a city, either agency can take it. Ask the officer at the scene whether their report covers this for you.
Do you have to tell the DMV?
Yes, within 10 days, if anyone was hurt or killed, or if the damage to anyone’s property was over $1,000. The form is called an SR-1, and it goes to the DMV under Vehicle Code section 16000.
Every driver in the crash files one. The duty applies whether or not police wrote a report, and whoever was at fault.
Who can get a copy of the police report?
California does not make crash reports public. Under Vehicle Code section 20012, a copy goes only to people with a proper interest. That includes the drivers, anyone hurt, their lawyers and their insurance companies.
Ask the officer for the report number before you leave the scene. Then request the copy from the agency that wrote it, whether that is LAPD, the CHP, Glendale or Pasadena.
The report is not ready the same day. Expect a wait of days or weeks.
What if the report gets something wrong?
Reports do contain mistakes, such as a wrong street name, a missing witness or a driver’s account written down wrong. An officer rarely rewrites a finished report.
You can ask the agency to add your own statement. It is one officer’s opinion, and it does not decide who pays. Insurance adjusters read it closely anyway, so see our list of what not to say to an insurance adjuster before you call them back.
How this plays out in Eagle Rock
Colorado Boulevard becomes Colorado Street at the 2 freeway, where Glendale begins. To the east, it crosses the Arroyo Seco into Pasadena.
Crashes near either end of the boulevard are where the city line question comes up. Near the 134, the same crash can also involve the CHP.
What to do after a crash in Eagle Rock
- Call 911 if anyone is hurt.
- Exchange names, license numbers and insurance with the other driver.
- Ask the officer for the report number and the agency name.
- Photograph the cars, the street signs and the nearest cross street.
- File the SR-1 with the DMV within 10 days if the rules above apply.
Ask us to get the report for you
We can request the report, read it against your photos, and tell you what it means for your claim. Our office is on North Eagle Rock Boulevard.
There is no fee to ask, and no fee unless we win. Here is how we work as a car accident lawyer in Eagle Rock, and how to reach our team in English, Spanish or Armenian.
