After a Crash in Massachusetts — Official Resources
This is general information, not legal advice.
Massachusetts requires the driver to file a Motor Vehicle Crash Operator Report with the Registrar within 5 days when anyone was killed or injured, or there was damage in excess of $1,000 to any one vehicle or other property (M.G.L. c.90 §26) — and you must also send a copy to the police department with jurisdiction where the crash happened. A police report does not replace it, and failing to file can cost you your license. Massachusetts is also a no-fault state: PIP covers up to $8,000, but pays only the first $2,000 of medical bills before the rest must be submitted to your health insurer first (M.G.L. c.90 §34M). Getting a copy of the crash report from the RMV is slow — plan on roughly 8 weeks end to end. Free help: MBA Lawyer Referral at 617-654-0400 or 866-627-7577, the Volunteer Lawyers Project at 617-603-1700, and the Massachusetts Legal Resource Finder.
Massachusetts asks something of you that most states don’t, and it asks fast. Five days to file your own report with the Registrar — and the trooper writing up your crash doesn’t get you out of it. That combination of a short fuse and a widely misunderstood rule is the first card below. Then how no-fault actually works here (it has a wrinkle), getting the report, lawyer referrals, free legal help, and insurance complaints. The first-steps checklist covers saving your dashcam clip before the camera loops.
Report the crash — 5 days
Per the Registry of Motor Vehicles, a person operating a motor vehicle involved in a crash must complete and file a Motor Vehicle Crash Operator Report with the Registrar within 5 days when:
any person was killed, any person was injured, or there was damage in excess of $1,000 to any one vehicle or other property.
Two things people miss. First, the statute puts the duty on you — there is no exception for crashes an officer investigated, so a police report at the scene does not discharge it. Second, you must also send a copy of your report to the police department having jurisdiction where the crash occurred. Your insurer will generally want a copy too, so most people end up sending it three places.
If the operator is physically incapable due to incapacity and is not the vehicle’s owner, the owner must file within the same five days based on what they know. The Registrar can also require a supplemental report later. Filing is available online through mass.gov.
How PIP actually pays
Personal Injury Protection is mandatory in Massachusetts and covers up to $8,000 under M.G.L. c.90 §34M, paying medical expenses and certain lost wages regardless of who caused the crash. But the way it pays has a wrinkle that surprises people mid-treatment.
PIP covers the first $2,000 of medical bills outright. Beyond that, bills generally must be submitted to your own health insurance first; PIP then extends to the $8,000 ceiling for what health insurance rejects or doesn’t cover. So a bill can bounce between two insurers, and the paperwork matters. Tell your auto insurer promptly — PIP doesn’t start until you notify them.
To step outside no-fault and pursue the at-fault driver for pain and suffering, Massachusetts generally requires medical expenses exceeding $2,000, or an injury involving death, permanent and serious disfigurement, a fractured bone, or substantial loss of hearing or sight. Massachusetts also uses modified comparative negligence — recovery is reduced by your share of fault and barred if you are more than half responsible.
Get the crash report
This is the slow part. The RMV holds police crash reports and sells copies, but the reports have to reach the Registry first — the practical guidance is to wait about four weeks after the crash before requesting, then allow roughly another four weeks for processing. Budget around 8 weeks end to end, and expect a fee (commonly reported as $20 by mail — confirm the current amount on mass.gov before sending payment).
If the report isn’t located on the first pass, the RMV continues searching for a period after the crash date rather than closing the request. If you need something sooner — and for an injury claim you usually do — the police department that responded can often provide a copy from its own records far faster. Start there.
Hit-and-run
Call police immediately — then look at the calendar, because the five-day Operator Report is still yours to file and a fled driver does nothing to pause it. This is the state where that trap bites hardest: the deadline is short, and the natural instinct after a hit-and-run is to wait and see whether anyone gets identified.
Save your clip and note the time and location while they’re exact; a plate that resolves on playback is what investigators can act on. Your PIP pays your medical bills whether or not the other driver is ever found, so notify your insurer and open that claim now. Uninsured-motorist coverage may reach what PIP doesn’t, and its own hit-and-run notice window is typically much shorter than anything else on this page.
Find a lawyer
The MBA Lawyer Referral Service gives you a referral instantly online, 24/7, after a brief form — or by phone at (617) 654-0400 or (866) 627-7577, weekdays 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Using the service costs nothing, though the attorneys are private and may charge for the initial half-hour consultation.
Two things worth knowing. The MBA gives one referral at a time — if that lawyer can’t take your case, call back for another. And while the service has no pro bono attorneys, it does offer reduced-fee referrals in some areas for people who don’t qualify for free legal services; ask about eligibility when you call. The Boston Bar Association runs its own referral service as well.
Free legal help
Per the Commonwealth’s own directory: for free attorneys, contact the Volunteer Lawyers Project Eastern Region Legal Intake at 617-603-1700. For free or low-cost legal services and self-help materials, use the Massachusetts Legal Resource Finder at masslrf.org, which searches by location, household information, and legal issue.
MassLegalHelp.org is the other statewide starting point, with a Find Legal Aid tool that routes you to the program serving your area.
Insurance problems
The Massachusetts Division of Insurance regulates auto insurers and handles consumer complaints about claim handling. You can reach its current complaint channels through the national directory of state insurance departments.
Given how PIP splits at the $2,000 mark, this is a state where bills genuinely get lost between an auto insurer and a health insurer. If yours is stuck in that gap, that’s exactly the kind of thing the Division takes.
Uninsured when it happened? That means no PIP, which in a no-fault state removes the first payer for your medical bills. The five-day Operator Report is still required and does not depend on coverage — file it, then use the Legal Resource Finder above, because the medical side gets complicated quickly without PIP.
← All states and national resources
Dashwatcher is a dashcam company, not a law firm, and nothing here is legal advice or a substitute for a licensed attorney. Reporting rules, deadlines, and programs differ by state and change over time; verify everything with the official source before you rely on it. Links go to government agencies, bar associations, and nonprofits. Dashwatcher receives no payment from any organization listed.
From the team at Dashwatcher.
Last verified: August 4, 2026