Connecticut Crash Reports: State Police, Towns and Insurance Rules
Who has your crash report, what drivers must report, insurance rules and traffic deaths in Connecticut.
Who Has Your Connecticut Crash Report
The Connecticut State Police, a division of the Department of Emergency Services and Public Protection (DESPP), release reports on the crashes their troopers investigated. City and town police departments release their own reports, so a crash worked by local officers goes through that department.
Simple State Police crash reports may be posted on BuyCrash.com within 30 business days of the crash, where you can buy and download a copy.
Serious-injury and fatal crash reports, and other investigative reports, are requested through the DESPP Reports and Records GovQA portal, which needs a customer account. Each request carries a non-refundable $16 search fee under C.G.S. 29-10b, paid before the search and charged whether or not a report turns up. Online payments may add a separate convenience fee, and requests are handled in the order they arrive.
A free Accident Information Summary is posted at accidents.despp.ct.gov for 30 days from the crash date. It is not the official report, and if details are restricted, contact the State Police troop that covers the area.
By mail. DESPP’s older FAQ page also lists a mail request on Form DPS-96-C to Reports and Records, 1111 Country Club Road, Middletown, CT 06457. Call (860) 685-8250 to confirm that route before you mail one.
Don’t want to deal with the portals, or not sure which agency took your report? We can get a copy of your report for you at no cost.
Police Reports From Connecticut Cities and Towns
Each local department releases its own reports, so start with the department that responded. Here is how five of them handle it:
| Department | How to request | Fee |
| Hartford Police | Online at hartfordct.policereports.us, or Records Division, Public Safety Complex, 253 High St., in person or by mail with a business check or money order and a self-addressed stamped envelope; call (860) 757-4150 first; allow at least 7 to 15 business days | Not posted |
| New Haven Police | Online through a LexisNexis request form, or by mail to the Records Unit, 1 Union Ave., New Haven 06519 | $0.50 per page; reports of 10 pages or less emailed free |
| Bridgeport Police | Online through the department’s accident report vendor after 5 business days, or the Records Division in person (cash only) or by mail with the file number, a money order and a self-addressed stamped envelope | $0.50 per page, plus a vendor fee online |
| Waterbury Police | Online through BuyCrash; Records Division, (203) 574-6933 | Not posted |
| West Hartford Police | Online through BuyCrash, or Records Division, 103 Raymond Rd., by mail or in person | $0.50 per page, plus $1 if mailed |
Waterbury and West Hartford offer crash reports on BuyCrash, the same site that carries simple State Police reports.
What Connecticut Drivers Must Report
The old accident report section of Connecticut’s motor vehicle law, C.G.S. 14-108, has been repealed.
What the law does require happens at the scene. Under C.G.S. 14-224, a driver who knows they were in a crash that injures or kills someone or damages property must stop, give any help needed, and give their name, address, license number and registration number to the injured person, the property owner, a witness or an officer. A driver who can’t do that must report the crash right away to a police officer or at the nearest police station.
Leaving the scene of a crash that killed or seriously injured someone is a class B felony, and leaving one with a physical injury is a class D felony. Other cases are a class A misdemeanor for a first offense, and a later offense is a class D felony with a fine of at least $2,000.
Connecticut Insurance Rules After a Crash
Since January 1, 2018, Connecticut policies must carry at least $25,000 for injury or death to one person, $50,000 per crash and $25,000 for property damage (C.G.S. 14-112). Public Act 17-114 raised the limits from 20/40/10.
Uninsured and underinsured motorist coverage is part of every policy, and by default it matches your bodily injury liability limits (C.G.S. 38a-336). You can lower it only with a signed written request, and never below $25,000 per person and $50,000 per crash. Insurers must also offer it at twice your bodily injury limits.
Connecticut law sets no personal injury protection requirement. Injury claims go to the liability insurance of the driver who caused the crash, and your UM/UIM coverage steps in when that driver has none or too little. Under C.G.S. 52-572h, you can still recover if your share of the fault is no greater than the combined fault of the people you claim against, and your damages shrink by your own percentage.
Connecticut Traffic Deaths by the Numbers
| Measure | Figure | Year | Source |
| People killed in traffic crashes (preliminary) | 274, down 12% | 2025 | CTDOT |
| People killed in traffic crashes | 312 | 2024 | CTDOT |
| Pedestrian and bicyclist deaths against the five-year average | Pedestrians up 6%, bicyclists up 67% | 2025 | CTDOT |
| Deaths in crashes with an alcohol-impaired driver | 105 (34%) | 2024 | NHTSA |
| Motorcyclists killed | 75 | 2024 | NHTSA |
CTDOT’s 2025 count is preliminary and may change as crash investigations close. NBC Connecticut reported it as the state’s lowest total in five years. For more detailed numbers, the Connecticut Crash Data Repository at ctcrash.uconn.edu lets you query state and local police crash data by date, route or injury severity.
Connecticut Crash Guides by City and County
Local guides and day-to-day crash coverage for Connecticut, sorted by city and county:
County accident news: Hartford County · New Haven County · Fairfield County · New London County · Windham County · Middlesex County · Tolland County · Litchfield County
Compare nearby states: Northeast crash reports and car accident laws by state · No-fault states and insurance minimums in all 50 states
Questions about getting, reading or correcting a police report? See our accident report FAQ.
Highways and intersections with high crash counts from 2015 to 2022 are listed on our Connecticut dangerous intersections page.
Help After a Crash
- Local Accident Reports. We can connect you with local help after a crash, from doctors and body shops to injury attorneys. Contact our team.
- Office of Victim Services. The Judicial Branch program helps people hurt by a drunk or drugged driver, and families of people killed by one. It also covers drivers who fled a crash that killed or seriously injured someone, and vehicle manslaughter and assault cases. A conviction isn’t required, the crime must be reported to police, and you have three years to apply. 1-800-822-8428. jud.ct.gov/crimevictim
- MADD. Free support for people hurt by drunk or drugged drivers and for families who lost someone. 24-hour help line: 877-MADD-HELP (877-623-3435).
- 988. Call or text 988 any time for crisis support.
- Trauma centers. Connecticut’s Level I trauma centers are Hartford Hospital, Saint Francis Hospital and Medical Center, Yale-New Haven Hospital (adult and pediatric) and Connecticut Children’s Medical Center (pediatric), as listed by the Office of Health Strategy.
Connecticut Crash Questions
How do I get a Connecticut State Police crash report?
Simple State Police crash reports may be posted on BuyCrash.com within 30 business days. Reports on serious-injury and fatal crashes are requested through the DESPP GovQA portal with a non-refundable $16 search fee. A free Accident Information Summary is online at accidents.despp.ct.gov for 30 days after the crash.
How do I get a crash report from a town police department?
Ask the department that responded, since each city and town department releases its own reports. Hartford, New Haven, Bridgeport, Waterbury and West Hartford all take requests online, the last two through BuyCrash, and all but Waterbury post a mail route. Posted fees at Bridgeport, New Haven and West Hartford run $0.50 per page.
Is Connecticut a no-fault state?
Connecticut law sets no personal injury protection requirement. Injury claims go to the at-fault driver’s liability insurance, backed by your own uninsured and underinsured motorist coverage. You can recover if your fault is no greater than the combined fault of those you claim against, reduced by your share.
How long do I have to file a car accident claim in Connecticut?
Two years from the injury for injury and property damage claims, and no more than three years from the crash. Wrongful death claims are due two years from the death, within five years of the crash. A defective town road needs notice to the town within 90 days, a state highway to the DOT commissioner within 90 days, and other state claims go to the Claims Commissioner within one year.
Recent Connecticut Crash Coverage
Pedestrian Injured After Being Struck on Platt Ave in West Haven, CT
Pedestrian Critically Injured in Crash on Orange St in New Haven, CT
Two Hurt in Head-On Crash With Entrapment at Adams Rd and Wolcott Rd in Bristol, CT
Car Vs Scooter Crash Reported at Howard Ave and Park St in New Haven, CT
Driver Killed in Two-Vehicle Crash on Rte 15 SB Near Exit 42B in Orange, CT
The full archive is at Connecticut accident news, and recent accident alerts follow new crashes nationwide as they are reported.
Local Accident Reports compiles this information from public agency sources and published reports for general reference. It is not legal advice and is not an official police record. Fees, forms and deadlines change, so confirm with the agency before you send a request. Last updated October 2026.