How to Read Your Mississippi Accident Report

Any time you’re involved in a car accident in Mississippi that results in over $500 of apparent property damage or causes someone’s personal injury or death, you must immediately report the collision to the nearest law enforcement agency. Ultimately, the investigating officer who responds to the accident will complete a Mississippi Uniform Crash Report and then file it with the state Department of Public Safety. This formal document contains essential details about your crash and is often used as evidence to prove fault in a collision. 

Even if someone else clearly caused your crash, it’s important to read your accident report to ensure it paints an accurate picture of how the collision occurred. Keep in mind that Mississippi has pure comparative negligence rules in place that can impact the amount of financial compensation you’re legally allowed to recover. While you won’t be barred from making a financial recovery if you’re found to be partially responsible for your crash, any compensation you do recover through a settlement or court verdict will be reduced by the percentage of fault that you are assigned. 

In short, the more at fault you are found to be for the accident, the less you’ll receive in compensation. That means even just one small mistake, oversight, or misinterpretation of the facts by the investigating officer can pin some or all of the blame on you and have an adverse effect on your case.

Once you obtain a copy of your Mississippi Uniform Crash Report from the Department of Public Safety, review it carefully. If you find any errors or you simply don’t agree with the investigating officer’s assessment of how the crash occurred, contact a Mississippi car accident lawyer near you to protect your legal rights and discuss your legal options. An attorney can take steps to fix any errors in the accident report and help you set the record straight. 

Mississippi Uniform Crash Report

https://www.nhtsa.gov/sites/nhtsa.dot.gov/files/documents/ms_par_rev10_1_09_sub9_17_10.pdf

Page 1

At the top of each page is a 4-digit agency number and a case number that is 12 characters long. The case number is unique to your crash report and should match on every page.
The first box includes basic details about your accident, such as the date, time, and location; the time the crash was reported to police and when police arrived; how many vehicles were involved; and if there were any injuries or fatalities. 

Click here to download a printable PDF of How to Read Your Mississippi Accident Report.

A description of the first harmful event in your collision is located in the box marked G21. For crashes involving more than one motor vehicle, the investigating officer will fill in a bubble in the first column to indicate the type of crash. The middle and right columns are for collisions that involve just one motor vehicle, such as a car vs. pedestrian or a motor vehicle vs. fixed object. 

Sections G22, G23, and G24 provide more detail about where the crash occurred.
In boxes G25-G29, you will find additional information about the crash scene. Listed here are the lighting, road, and weather conditions at the time of the collision and a place for the investigating officer to note if the accident occurred in a work zone.

The names and contact information of anyone who saw the crash are listed in the “Witness (es)” box. If there are more than two witnesses, a supplemental page titled “Additional Witnesses” will accompany the report. Underneath is where the investigating officer and the officer who reviewed the accident report enter their names, badge numbers, and signatures. 
If police took pictures of the crash scene, the officer’s name and badge number will be recorded on the bottom right of the page. 

Page 2 (Diagram/Narrative)

The upper portion of the page is for the investigating officer to draw a diagram of your crash. This diagram should show the direction of travel of each vehicle along with the position of the vehicles or non-motorists before the accident, at impact, and after the crash. The diagram should also indicate if there were any traffic signals or road markings, the name of the road or route where the accident occurred, and any physical evidence (e.g., tire marks). 

Underneath the crash diagram is where you can find the investigating officer’s written narrative explaining the sequence of events that took place prior to, during, and after the collision. Here you will find a final determination by the officer of how the crash occurred, based on physical evidence, interviews with those involved, eyewitness testimony, and vehicle damage. 

Both the crash diagram and the written narrative should coincide with the information documented throughout your accident report. The investigating officer’s findings are supposed to be based on factual information only. 

Page 3 (Person/Occupant)

This page will be completed for every driver and/or pedestrian that is involved in your accident. At the top will be a number to identify which vehicle the person was occupying or driving, or a number to indicate that the person was a pedestrian when the crash occurred. 

Sections P1-P18 provide details about the first person involved in the collision. Here you will find the person’s name, contact information, license type and status; if they were cited for a violation; and whether the person was transported by EMS to a medical facility. The officer will also check yes or no by P35 to indicate if the person was using a cellphone at the time of the crash. 

P19-P21 is where the investigating officer will note the driver’s physical condition; the action of a pedestrian involved in the crash (if applicable); and up to three contributing circumstances that were identified by the officer as a cause of the crash. 

On the right side of the page is a column where you can find details about any safety equipment the person was utilizing; their position in the vehicle; and whether they experienced an airbag deployment where they were positioned.

Alcohol and drug test information are found next to P30-P34. This part of the page will note if an alcohol and/or drug test was administered by police and the test results, if available. 

The two boxes in the lower half of the page marked “Occupants” will specify information about every occupant, including their name, contact information, seating position, and injury status. Depending on the specific details of your accident, the investigating officer may need to complete an “Additional Occupant” page to provide details about other occupants involved in the crash.

Page 4 (Vehicle)

This page is filled out to provide information about each vehicle involved in the collision. A number will be assigned to each traffic unit by V0. This number should match the number that was used to identify each vehicle on the investigating officer’s crash diagram. 

V1-V18 is where you can find basic information about the first vehicle involved in the crash, such as the number of occupants; the year, make, and model of the vehicle; information about the vehicle’s owner; insurance details; and a description of the vehicle damage. 

Up to four selections will be made in the box marked V20 to indicate the sequence of events that took place during the accident. Next to V21, you will find a description of the operator’s actions at the time he or she realized an accident was going to happen. 

The middle part of the page lists the vehicle type; direction of travel; where the initial impact occurred on the vehicle; details about the road; and information about any traffic signals that were in the area. 

For accidents involving commercial trucks, vehicles that can transport nine or more people, or any vehicle carrying hazardous materials, the investigating officer is required to complete the “Commercial Vehicle” section of the page. Here you will find the name and contact information of the motor carrier, the type of commercial vehicle, and details about the vehicle’s cargo.

Page 5 (Additional Occupants)

This page functions as a supplement to Page 3 and is for the investigating officer to list details about any additional occupants that could not be listed on Page 3. 

Page 6 (Additional Witnesses)

If more than two witnesses observed your crash, this page will serve as a supplement to Page 1 and provide details about every additional witness.