How to Report a Car Accident in Tennessee: A Nashville Guide

Tennessee Code Annotated § 55-10-107 requires a written crash report for any accident resulting in bodily injury, death, or property damage exceeding $1,500. The investigating officer submits this report to the Tennessee Department of Safety and Homeland Security. The $1,500 threshold was updated from the older $50 threshold that many Tennessee residents still remember — if your accident caused more than $1,500 in property damage or any injury at all, it must be reported.

Under T.C.A. § 55-10-103, drivers involved in an accident resulting in injury, death, or property damage must stop immediately, provide identification and insurance information to the other driver, and render reasonable assistance to any injured person — including arranging transportation to a hospital if needed. These duties apply regardless of who caused the accident.

If you strike an unattended vehicle, you must stop and leave a written notice with your name, address, and the registration number of your vehicle in a conspicuous place on the vehicle, and then immediately notify the nearest police station. If you strike a fixture or property adjacent to a highway — a fence, mailbox, utility pole, or guardrail — you must immediately notify the property owner or the nearest law enforcement agency.

Stop your vehicle at the scene or as close as possible without obstructing traffic. If anyone is injured, call 911 immediately. Nashville's 911 center dispatches Metro Nashville Police, Fire, and EMS. For non-injury accidents, call the Metro Nashville Police non-emergency line at (615) 862-8600.

While waiting for police, exchange the following with the other driver: full name, address, phone number, driver's license number, vehicle registration number, and insurance company name and policy number. If there are witnesses, ask for their names and phone numbers. Take photographs of the damage to all vehicles, the accident scene, road conditions, traffic signals, and any visible injuries.

Do not admit fault at the scene. Tennessee uses modified comparative fault (T.C.A. § 29-11-103) — if you are found 50% or more at fault, you recover nothing. Be factual when speaking with the officer, but do not speculate about what happened or apologize. The officer will make their own assessment of fault based on evidence at the scene.

When a Metro Nashville Police officer responds to your accident, they will investigate the scene, interview drivers and witnesses, document the damage, and create an official crash report. The officer records the date, time, and exact location, weather and road conditions, a scene diagram, driver and passenger information, insurance details, and their narrative of what happened. If the officer determines one driver was at fault, the report will reflect that. Citations may be issued.

The officer submits the crash report electronically to the Tennessee Integrated Traffic Analysis Network (TITAN), the statewide crash reporting database. Your report will become available through the Tennessee Buy Crash portal at apps.tn.gov/purchasetncrash within approximately 7 business days. You can purchase a copy for $10.

If the officer gives you an exchange-of-information card at the scene, keep it. The crash report number on that card is the fastest way to find your report online later. If you were transported by ambulance and did not receive a card, you can search the Buy Crash portal by your last name and accident date.

If no law enforcement officer responds to the scene of your accident, Tennessee law requires you to file an Owner-Operator Report (Form SF-0395) with the Tennessee Department of Safety and Homeland Security within 20 days of the accident. This applies to any accident involving injury, death, or property damage exceeding $1,500.

You can obtain Form SF-0395 from the Tennessee Department of Safety and Homeland Security. Mail the completed form to: Tennessee Department of Safety and Homeland Security, Financial Responsibility Division, P.O. Box 945, Nashville, TN 37202-0945. Include all details of the accident: date, time, location, names and contact information for all parties, insurance information, and a description of what happened.

Filing the Owner-Operator Report is separate from filing an insurance claim. You should notify your insurance company of the accident as soon as possible, regardless of whether an officer responded to the scene. Failure to file the Owner-Operator Report when required is a Class C misdemeanor and the Commissioner may suspend your driver's license and vehicle registrations until the report is filed, plus an additional suspension of up to 30 days.

Metro Nashville Police Department allows you to file certain reports online through nashville.gov/departments/police/file-police-report-online. Online reporting is available for non-emergency incidents, including some property-damage-only accidents. This is not a substitute for calling 911 or the non-emergency line at the scene — you should always report the accident to police when it happens.

Online reporting is typically available for minor incidents where no injuries occurred, no one needs immediate medical attention, and the other driver's information has been exchanged. If there are injuries, if the other driver left the scene, or if a driver appears to be impaired, call 911 and wait for an officer to respond in person.

Even for minor accidents, having an official police report strengthens your insurance claim. If the other driver later claims injuries or disputes fault, your police report provides an independent record of what happened at the scene.

Tennessee imposes serious penalties for leaving the scene of an accident or failing to report. The penalties escalate based on the severity of the accident. For property damage of $1,500 or less, leaving the scene is a Class B misdemeanor — up to 6 months in jail and a $500 fine. For property damage exceeding $1,500, it is a Class A misdemeanor — up to 11 months and 29 days in jail and a $2,500 fine (T.C.A. § 55-10-102).

For accidents involving injury to any person, leaving the scene is a Class A misdemeanor — up to 11 months and 29 days in jail and a fine of up to $2,500 (T.C.A. § 55-10-101). For accidents involving serious bodily injury, it is a Class E felony — 1 to 6 years in prison and a fine of up to $3,000. For accidents involving death, it is a Class D felony — 2 to 12 years in prison and a fine of up to $5,000.

Beyond criminal penalties, drivers convicted of hit-and-run face administrative license suspension by the Tennessee Department of Safety, an SR-22 insurance requirement (typically 3 years, which can increase premiums by 50% to 100%), and potential insurance policy cancellation or non-renewal. These consequences apply even if the accident was not your fault — the penalties are for leaving the scene, not for causing the accident.

The police crash report is one of the most important documents in your personal injury claim. Insurance companies use it as a primary source of information about fault, the severity of the impact, and the injuries sustained. An officer's fault determination — especially when backed by a citation — puts significant pressure on the insurance company to offer a fair settlement.

Tennessee uses modified comparative fault with a strict 50% bar (T.C.A. § 29-11-103). If you are found 50% or more at fault, you recover nothing. The police report's fault assessment is not final — it can be challenged with additional evidence — but it carries significant weight. Documentation from the scene (photographs, witness statements, dashcam footage) can support or challenge the officer's findings.

Tennessee's statute of limitations for personal injury is only 1 year from the date of injury (T.C.A. § 28-3-104). This is one of the shortest deadlines in the country. Reporting your accident promptly, getting a copy of the police report, and consulting with an attorney as early as possible gives you the best chance of preserving your rights and building a strong claim.

If you have been in a car accident in Nashville, get your free Injury Claim Check. You will answer a few quick questions about your accident and injuries, and we will give you a personalized report that includes Tennessee's filing deadline for your specific claim, your legal options based on the details of your accident, and whether connecting with a Nashville personal injury attorney makes sense for your situation.

Tennessee's 1-year statute of limitations is unforgiving. Every day that passes is a day closer to losing your right to file. Our Injury Claim Check is free, confidential, and gives you the information you need to make an informed decision about what comes next.