How Do I Get an Atlanta Car Accident Report for a Family Member?

Somebody in your family got into a wreck — a parent, a spouse, your kid — and now you're the one trying to track down the paperwork. Maybe they're at the hospital, maybe they're just not great with websites, maybe they've passed away and you're the one settling things. Whatever the reason, getting an Atlanta car accident report for someone else follows different rules depending on what information you have and your relationship to them. This guide sorts out exactly which route applies to you.

Which route applies to me?

Before anything else, figure out where you stand. There are really only three positions a family member can be in when it comes to an Atlanta car accident report, and each one has its own fastest path:

What's your situation?

You were involved too

You're a listed party yourself — search BuyCrash under your own name, same as any driver or passenger

Not involved, but you have their info

You have your family member's report number, VIN, or driver's-license number → search BuyCrash on their behalf

Not involved, no identifying info

Use an open records request with APD or GSP and proof of your relationship — or call HIM to sort out the fastest path

If your family member was a passenger, driver, or otherwise listed on the report, the identifying details (report number, VIN, driver's-license number) are the key that unlocks BuyCrash — it doesn't matter whose hands are on the keyboard. If you're missing all three, you're leaning on your relationship and a records request instead.

I have their report number, VIN, or license number — what now?

This is the easiest and most common case, and it works exactly like ordering your own report — just with their details instead of yours. Here's the flow:

Go to buycrash.lexisnexisrisk.com

The same official portal LexisNexis Risk Solutions runs for the Atlanta Police Department. Skip any site promising a "free instant report" — that's not BuyCrash.

Select Georgia and the agency

Choose Atlanta Police Department for city-street crashes, or Georgia State Patrol if it happened on an interstate like I-75, I-85, or I-285.

Enter their details, not yours

Type your family member's last name and the crash date, plus their report number, VIN, or driver's-license number.

Pay ~$11 and download

Use your own card if they'd rather not deal with it. The PDF downloads instantly once it's on file. Save a copy and send it to them.

Where do you find the report number if your relative doesn't have it handy? It's usually on the small card or slip the officer handed them at the scene — check their glovebox, wallet, or the papers from that day. No luck? A VIN (on the dashboard by the windshield or the insurance card) or a driver's-license number works just as well. Still stuck on the number specifically? Here's how to track it down.

I don't have any of that — what are my options?

If you can't get a report number, VIN, or driver's-license number from your family member — maybe they're unreachable, maybe they simply don't have it — BuyCrash's search won't work for you. Georgia's crash reports are a public record under the Georgia Open Records Act (O.C.G.A. § 50-18-70), but accident reports carry an extra expectation: you generally have to show a legitimate reason for needing the report before it's released. The good news is a documented family relationship to someone involved usually satisfies that.

In practice, that means:

1. Contact APD Central Records (for city-street crashes) or the Georgia State Patrol / GA Dept. of Public Safety open records unit (for interstate crashes).
2. Explain your relationship to the involved person and why you need the report.
3. Be ready to show proof of the relationship — see the section below.
4. Expect this route to take a bit longer than an instant BuyCrash download, since a person has to review and release it.

If you weren't involved at all and this describes your situation more broadly, the full walkthrough is here: getting an Atlanta report when you weren't involved.

How do I get the report for a deceased family member?

This is the hardest version of this question, and understandably the most stressful. Georgia generally recognizes next of kin as having a legitimate reason to obtain the report. In order of who has the clearest right to request:

1. The executor or administrator of the estate, if one has been appointed.
2. If no executor has been appointed yet, the surviving spouse.
3. If there's no surviving spouse, an adult child or parent of the deceased.

Contact APD Central Records at 404-546-7461 for a city crash, or the Georgia State Patrol / DPS Open Records Unit for an interstate crash, and be ready to provide a death certificate along with proof of your relationship (marriage certificate, birth certificate, or the court document naming you executor). If the report is needed for a wrongful death claim, an attorney handling the estate can also request it — but you don't need one just to get a copy of the report itself.

What if my family member is injured or can't request it themselves?

If your spouse, parent, or adult child is in the hospital, in surgery, or otherwise unable to sit down at a computer, you don't have to wait on them. Two paths, same as above:

• You have their report number, VIN, or license number: Just search BuyCrash directly — nothing about their being hospitalized changes this step. You're simply using their information on their behalf.
• You don't have any of the three: Bring your ID and proof of the relationship to APD Central Records or contact GSP's records unit, and explain that your family member is currently unable to request it themselves. Agencies generally work with this.

One thing worth knowing: while you're waiting on the report, an insurance adjuster may already be calling about the claim. The report isn't required to start that conversation, but it does help confirm the facts once it's in hand.

Can I get the report for my minor child?

Yes — as a parent or legal guardian, you have about the clearest legitimate need there is. Search BuyCrash using your child's last name, the crash date, and their report number, VIN of the vehicle, or their driver's-license/permit number if they have one. In person at APD Central Records, bring your own photo ID plus something that shows you're the parent or guardian (their birth certificate, if asked). If your child was hurt, keep in mind that under Georgia law, any settlement on a minor's injury claim generally needs a parent or guardian acting on their behalf — and sometimes court approval — so having this report early is worth doing right away.

How does it compare by relationship and situation?

Here's the full picture in one place — match your situation to the route:

Getting an Atlanta accident report by relationship and situation

Situation	Route	What you need
Spouse, parent, or child was involved — you have their info	BuyCrash online	Their last name, crash date, + report #/VIN/license #
Family member involved — you don't have their info	Open records request	Proof of relationship, stated reason
Deceased relative	APD Central Records or GSP open records	Death certificate + proof of relationship (spouse/child/parent/executor)
Injured or hospitalized relative	BuyCrash if you have their info; in-person request if not	Their identifiers, or your ID + relationship proof
Your minor child	BuyCrash or in-person as parent/guardian	Child's info + your ID as parent/guardian
You were also involved (passenger, other driver)	BuyCrash under your own name	Your last name, crash date, + report #/VIN/license #

What proof of relationship do agencies accept?

If you're going the open-records route because you don't have the report number, VIN, or license number, agencies typically want to see a document that proves the relationship you're claiming. Common examples:

• Spouse: Marriage certificate
• Parent or child: Birth certificate
• Deceased relative: Death certificate, plus proof of your relationship to them
• Estate representative: Letters of administration or the court document naming you executor

Always bring a valid photo ID regardless of which document you're presenting, and call ahead if you're not sure what a specific office wants — requirements can vary a little by agency. Whether the report itself even counts as a straightforward public record in your case is worth understanding too: see is an Atlanta car accident report a public record.

Does it cost more to request for someone else?

No — the price is identical whether you're pulling your own report or your family member's. On BuyCrash it's about $11 by credit or debit card. In person at APD Central Records, Atlanta Public Safety Annex, 3493 Donald Lee Hollowell Parkway NW, Atlanta, GA 30331 (Monday–Friday, 9:00 AM–4:00 PM, entry closes 3:30), it's 10 cents per page, payable by cash, money order, or check to the City of Atlanta. There's no "family surcharge" either way — and definitely never pay a "free report" site for personal information they promise to hand over instead of the actual document. Here's how to tell the difference.

BuyCrash (online)

~$11 · same price for anyone

In person (APD)

~$0.60 · 10¢/page

"Free report" sites

$0 cash — paid with your info

One more thing worth knowing while you're helping your family member through this: reports on BuyCrash and in person both generally become available up to 7 business days after the crash — not sooner, no matter which office you call. If it's too soon, the report simply isn't in the system yet for anyone to hand you, family member or not. And if you're not sure whether BuyCrash itself is the real, official site and not a scam — it is, run by LexisNexis Risk Solutions as APD's authorized vendor — here's the full rundown.