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After a car crash in South Dakota, the investigating police officer will fill out an accident report, known as the State of South Dakota Investigator’s Motor Vehicle Traffic Accident Report (DPS-AR-1).
This report will contain important information about your crash. This information will be used by insurance companies to determine who caused the accident. The investigating officer will also refer to it if called to give a deposition or testify at trial. That’s why it’s important to get a copy of your accident report as soon as possible and check to see if the information is accurate.
State of South Dakota Investigator’s Motor Vehicle Traffic Accident Report (DPS-AR-1)
https://www.nhtsa.gov/sites/nhtsa.dot.gov/files/documents/sd_par_sub_5_14_07.pdf
Page 1
At the top of the page, the officer will write the date, time and location of the crash. The section underneath will list information about the drivers involved. This will include the driver’s name, contact information, driver’s license number, license status and whether the driver was cited. There will also be information about the vehicle, including make, model, year, color, vehicle identification number (VIN) and license plate number. The officer may include an estimate of the damage to the vehicle, and whether there were passengers.
Click here to download a printable PDF of Reading Your South Dakota Car Accident Report.
If the accident involved a commercial vehicle, such as a truck or bus, the officer would include information about the carrier and note if any hazardous materials were released.
At the bottom of the page, the officer would note if the accident occurred in a work zone and include information about any property damage.
The officer will also note the sequence of events that led to the collision.
On the left side of the page, the officer will write codes that give information about drug or alcohol tests given, the damage and impact area for the vehicles involved, as well as cargo body type, trailer type and configuration of any commercial vehicles involved in the crash.
Page 2
At the top of the page, the officer will write down information about people who were injured in the crash. This will include their name, address, date of birth and which hospital they were transported to for treatment.
The middle of the page includes space for the officer to draw a diagram and write a narrative about how the crash happened.
The bottom of the page will include the investigating officer’s name and ID number, as well as the agency name (highway patrol, sheriff department, city police, Bureau of Indian Affairs, tribal police or other agency).
On the left side of the page, the officer will write codes that give information about weather conditions, light conditions, relation to road junction (or intersecting street), roadway surface condition, location of the first harmful event and the manner of collision.
