Carroll County, New Hampshire local guide: This county or county-equivalent page applies the state and national guidance and official resources below to people looking for accident information in Carroll County, New Hampshire. The agency responsible for a police report or records request can depend on where the incident occurred and which agency investigated it. Confirm the agency shown on the report or incident information before requesting a record.
Short answer
In New Hampshire, a truck accident involving death, personal injury, or combined vehicle/property damage over $1,000 must be reported in writing to the Division of Motor Vehicles (DMV) within 15 days. If police investigate, the officer’s report generally satisfies that DMV reporting requirement. If police did not investigate, the operator files the Operator (Driver) Accident Report, DSMV 400. New Hampshire DMV accident-report instructions | RSA 264:25
For a truck accident with injuries, the New Hampshire Driver’s Manual says to call 911. A police report, driver report, DMV insurance-verification form, and records request are different steps.
Immediate checklist
- Stop and make the scene safer if possible. The Driver’s Manual says to move a vehicle off the road when possible so traffic is not blocked.
- Call 911 if there are injuries. Give aid without moving an injured person unless necessary, and make sure an ambulance has been called. Driver’s Manual, Accident Procedures
- Exchange and save information. Gather names and addresses, driver-license and plate details, vehicle details, available insurance information, and witness contact information. The statute also sets information-exchange duties after truck accidents involving death, injury, or property damage. RSA 264:25
- Confirm whether police investigated. That determines whether an officer report or DSMV 400 is the state reporting route.
- Keep photos, estimates, notices, and your notes. The car-accident evidence checklist can help organize them.
Who reports what?
Calling or notifying police
The driver manual tells drivers to call 911 when there are injuries and gives truck accident-scene safety directions. Driver’s Manual This is separate from the DMV report threshold; the $1,000 threshold is not a general police-notification rule.
Investigating officer report: DSMV 159
When police respond to and investigate a truck accident, the officer submits the Uniform Police Traffic Accident Report (DSMV 159) to the NH DMV. DMV accident-report instructions The state rule identifies DSMV 159 as the police investigation-report form. Saf-C 7505.01
Under RSA 264:26, an officer, agency, or individual who investigates a reportable accident in the regular course of duty must forward the completed report to the Division within five days after finishing the investigation. For a fatal truck accident, the statute also requires written notice to the Department of Safety within seven days, followed by the complete report. RSA 264:26 Those are investigator duties, not a second driver filing.
Driver/operator report: DSMV 400
If police did not investigate, the operator is responsible for the DMV report when the truck accident caused death, personal injury, or combined vehicle/property damage over $1,000. The deadline is 15 days after the truck accident. The official form is the Operator (Driver) Accident Report, DSMV 400; the rule directs people required by RSA 264:25 to submit it to the Division. DMV instructions | Saf-C 7505.02
RSA 264:25 includes an owner of an illegally parked vehicle and provides that, if a driver is physically or mentally unable to report, the owner or the owner’s representative must do so after learning of the truck accident. RSA 264:25 The Driver’s Manual similarly says a passenger or owner may file when the driver is injured and cannot complete the report. Driver’s Manual
The DMV says an operator may submit DSMV 400 to assist an insurance claim even after a police investigation; the later police report becomes part of the operator’s file. DMV instructions
DMV insurance verification: DSMV 385
A truck accident report is different from insurance verification. If police responded or investigated and insurance information is unavailable, the DMV says the operators involved and/or vehicle owner must verify insurance through the online service or the Insurance Verification Form, DSMV 385. DMV instructions
The official sources used here do not state a general insurer-notice deadline, a public-entity claim-notice deadline, or a lawsuit deadline. Those subjects are not added to this reporting guide.
How to request a report
For an NH DMV accident-report copy, start with the DMV’s Accident Reports page and the Release of Motor Vehicle Records form, DSMV 505. The stated fee is $1 per page, $5 minimum. DSMV 505 asks for the truck accident date and location and uses record-holder/vehicle information and requester status to process the request. It also requires a signature and describes authorization or statutory authorized uses for someone seeking another person’s record. DSMV 505
The Accident Reports web page uses different submission wording than DSMV 505 (revised 6/26). Check the current Accident Reports page or contact DMV before sending the form.
The DMV says a law-enforcement agency may take several weeks to submit a police report. For a supplemental, incident, or investigation record, begin with the investigating agency. For a fatal truck accident, if the report has been released, DMV says it should be sent within 30 working days; it may be withheld pending litigation and unavailable for months. Accident Records FAQs
If the report is held elsewhere
Ask the investigating local police department, sheriff, campus police department, or other named agency for its official records procedure and whether it has an incident or supplemental record. Where the holder is a New Hampshire public body or agency, RSA 91-A:4 is the official public-records fallback: a reasonably described request goes to the agency with custody or control. If a record is not immediately available, the agency must within five business days provide it, deny it, or provide a written time-needed explanation and any estimated cost. RSA 91-A:4
The Department of Safety also directs requesters to the specific division maintaining the record and lists State Police and Motor Vehicles separately. Department of Safety Right-to-Know requests If a tribal or non-New Hampshire public authority investigated, use that authority’s official records procedure rather than assuming the DMV or RSA 91-A process applies.
Motor-vehicle records are generally not public under RSA 260:14, and the Department may limit personal information released. A special rule covers truck accident-related records involving government-owned or leased state, county, city, town, or local-public-entity vehicles. RSA 260:14
Documents and identifiers to gather
Keep the truck accident date, street/route and city or town, driver names, plate or VIN if available, investigating agency and officer name, and any report or case number. DSMV 505 specifically asks for date and location. Keep exchanged information, photos, estimates, and request correspondence.
Official resources
- New Hampshire DMV: Accident Reports
- Operator (Driver) Accident Report, DSMV 400
- Release of Motor Vehicle Records, DSMV 505
- New Hampshire DMV: Accident Records FAQs
- Department of Safety: Right-to-Know requests
For broader after-truck accident organization, see what to do after a truck accident and the site’s guides.
What changes when a truck is involved
Use this version when the involved vehicle is a truck. Record whether it was privately used or operated by a business or motor carrier; a pickup used personally is not automatically subject to federal motor-carrier requirements.
If a commercial motor carrier was involved, preserve the carrier name, USDOT or operating-authority number if available, truck and trailer identifiers, cargo information, employer or dispatch contact, and the driver’s insurance information. Commercial coverage and federal filing requirements vary by carrier, authority, cargo, and vehicle type.
- Photograph carrier names, USDOT numbers, unit numbers, plates, trailers, and cargo placards when safe.
- Use the crash-state agency procedure below for the police or state report.
- Use FMCSA carrier and insurance resources only when a covered motor carrier is involved.
Browse the Truck Accident Guides collection for related pages.
Accident-type official sources
- Insurance Filing Requirements — Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration
- Company Safety Records — Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration