The first time most people see their police report after a collision, they hit a wall of numbers. Massachusetts crash report codes fill nearly every box on the form: a 2 here, a 10 there, a string of digits next to each driver’s name. Those numbers are not clutter. They are the officer’s coded conclusions about what happened, who was hurt, and who contributed to the crash, and insurance adjusters read them before they read anything else. This guide explains what the boxes and codes on a Massachusetts police crash report mean, section by section, and how insurers use them when they evaluate your injury claim.
If you do not have your report yet, start with our companion guide on how to get your Massachusetts crash report, then come back here to decode it.
Which Form You Are Looking At
Every police agency in the Commonwealth, from small town departments to the Massachusetts State Police, records collisions on the statewide Commonwealth of Massachusetts Motor Vehicle Crash Police Report. Officers complete the form using a standardized code sheet, and the definitions behind every code are published in the Massachusetts Law Enforcement Crash Report Manual, an official resource maintained by UMassSafe in partnership with MassDOT, the Executive Office of Public Safety and Security, and the Massachusetts State Police. The coding system follows the national Model Minimum Uniform Crash Criteria, so the same numbers mean the same thing on every report in the state.
The form is organized in layers. Crash-level fields describe the collision as a whole: where, when, and under what conditions. Vehicle-level fields describe each car and what it did. Driver and passenger fields describe each person, their condition, and their injuries. Understanding which layer you are reading is half the battle.
Massachusetts Crash Report Codes: The Fields That Matter Most
You do not need to memorize the entire code sheet. A handful of fields carry almost all of the weight in an insurance claim. Here are the ones to find first.
Manner of Collision
This crash-level code describes how the vehicles first came together:
- 1 Single vehicle crash
- 2 Rear-end
- 3 Angle
- 4 Sideswipe, same direction
- 5 Sideswipe, opposite direction
- 6 Head-on
- 7 Rear to rear
- 99 Unknown
Adjusters use this code to sort your claim into a liability pattern before a human ever reads the narrative. A code 2 rear-end crash, for example, usually points toward the following driver. A code 3 angle collision at an intersection tells the adjuster the case will turn on right of way, signal timing, and witness accounts.
Driver Contributing Code
This is the single most consequential number on the report for fault purposes. For each driver, the officer records the actions that, in the officer’s judgment, may have contributed to the crash. Key values include:
- 1 No Improper Driving
- 2 Exceeded Authorized Speed Limit
- 3 Disregarded Traffic Signs, Signals, Road Markings
- 4 Failed to Yield Right of Way
- 5 Followed Too Closely
- 7 Driving Too Fast for Conditions
- 9 Failure to Keep in Proper Lane or Running Off Road
- 19 Inattention
- 20 Distracted
- 21 Fatigued/Asleep
- 97 Other Improper Action
- 99 Unknown
Read your own line first. Code 1 next to your name means the officer saw no improper driving on your part, which is a strong starting position. Any other code next to your name will be quoted back to you by the other driver’s insurer, so it is important to know it is there before the adjuster calls.
Injury Status
Each person on the report gets an injury status code based on what the officer could observe at the scene:
- 1 Fatal (death within 30 days of the crash)
- 7 Suspected serious injury
- 8 Suspected minor injury
- 9 Possible injury
- 10 No apparent injury
- 99 Unknown
If your report shows codes 2 through 5, you are looking at the older scale (incapacitating, non-incapacitating, possible, no injury), which the state phased out when it adopted the current definitions. The categories map closely to the new ones.
Code 10 deserves special attention. It means only that no injury was apparent to the officer at the scene. It is not a medical opinion, and it does not mean you were uninjured. Concussions, whiplash, and other soft tissue injuries often surface hours or days later; our article on concussions after a car accident explains why delayed symptoms are so common. If your report says 10 and you later developed symptoms, prompt medical treatment and consistent records become the evidence that fills the gap.
Sequence of Events and Most Harmful Event
For each vehicle, the officer can record up to a chain of events, from the first thing that went wrong to the final impact, and then flag the most harmful event. The event list includes collision events (striking another vehicle, a pedestrian, a fixed object) and non-collision events such as overturn/rollover, fire or explosion, jackknife, equipment failure such as a blown tire or brake failure, ran off road, and crossing the median or centerline. These codes matter in multi-impact crashes: they establish the order of impacts, which often determines which driver, or which of several insurers, is responsible for which portion of the harm.
Distraction, Alcohol, and Drug Fields
The driver section also contains a Driver Distracted By code (values cover manually operating an electronic device such as texting or dialing, talking on a hand-held phone, talking hands-free, and other distractions), plus separate fields for Suspected Alcohol Use, Suspected Drug Use, test status, and BAC test results where applicable. Officers are instructed to record distraction based on verbal or physical evidence, not speculation. When one of these codes appears next to the other driver, it is powerful evidence, and your attorney will want the underlying basis: statements, phone records, or citations.
Conditions, Road, and Environment Codes
Crash-level fields record weather conditions, light conditions, road surface condition, speed limit, traffic control device type and whether the device was functioning, and road contributing circumstances. These boxes matter more than most people expect. A wet road surface code can support a too fast for conditions argument. A code showing a malfunctioning traffic signal can shift responsibility toward a municipality or signal contractor. A dark, unlighted road code can matter in a pedestrian case.
Vehicle Damage and Occupant Protection Codes
Each vehicle carries a damaged area code showing where it was struck, plus a towed from scene field. Each occupant carries codes for safety system used (seat belts and child restraints), air bag status, ejection, whether anyone was trapped, and how they were transported for medical care. Insurers read these fields together to judge crash severity. A report showing heavy damage codes, air bag deployment, and ambulance transport reads very differently to an adjuster than one showing minor damage and no transport, and that difference shows up in settlement evaluations.
The Diagram and Narrative: Where the Officer Explains the Codes
After the coded boxes, the report contains a scene diagram and a written narrative. The diagram shows vehicle positions, direction of travel, and point of impact. The narrative is the officer’s account of what happened, usually built from physical evidence, driver statements, and witness statements, and it frequently identifies which driver the officer believes caused the crash.
Read the narrative against the codes. When the narrative says one thing and a code says another, that inconsistency matters: it can be a data entry error you should correct, or an opening the other insurer will exploit. Also check the witness section carefully. Witness names and phone numbers recorded at the scene are often the only way to reach those witnesses later, and memories fade quickly.
How Insurance Companies Use These Codes Against You
Adjusters are trained to mine the coded fields for leverage. A few patterns come up again and again:
- Injury status 10 becomes “you were not hurt.” The adjuster treats a no apparent injury code as proof that later treatment was unnecessary or unrelated. The code is an observation at the scene, not a diagnosis, and medical records rebut it.
- Any contributing code next to your name becomes a comparative negligence argument. Massachusetts follows modified comparative negligence under G.L. c. 231, Section 85: your recovery is reduced by your percentage of fault, and you recover nothing if you are found more than 50 percent at fault. An inattention or speed code next to your name is the adjuster’s opening bid for assigning you a percentage.
- Code 1 for both drivers becomes “fault is unclear.” When the officer records No Improper Driving for everyone, some insurers treat liability as disputed and discount the claim, even when the narrative and the physical evidence point one way.
- Gaps become ammunition. No witness listed, no injury noted, no citation issued: each blank box gets characterized as evidence in the insurer’s favor.
None of these arguments is the last word. The report is one piece of evidence, and the officer’s conclusions do not bind an insurer, a judge, or a jury. But you should expect the codes to frame the first conversation, which is why it pays to know exactly what your report says before you speak with any adjuster. For more on how carriers approach these conversations, see our guide to insurance company tactics in Massachusetts.
What to Do If a Code or Box Is Wrong
Reports contain mistakes: transposed plate numbers, the wrong direction of travel, a missing passenger, an injury that went unrecorded. Handle errors in two categories:
- Factual errors. Contact the responding department, identify the specific error, and provide documentation. Departments can issue a supplemental or amended report for clear factual mistakes such as a wrong name, plate, or vehicle description.
- Judgment calls. The officer’s contributing codes, narrative, and fault conclusions are opinions, and departments rarely change them at a party’s request. Those are challenged through evidence: photographs, witness statements, vehicle damage analysis, and, when necessary, reconstruction experts. This is work your attorney takes on as part of building the claim.
Either way, act promptly. The longer an error sits in the official record, the more it hardens into the accepted version of events.
A Note on the Reports Behind the Report
The police crash report is not the only crash document in Massachusetts. Under G.L. c. 90, Section 26, every operator involved in a crash causing injury, death, or damage over $1,000 to any one vehicle or other property must file a Motor Vehicle Crash Operator Report with the Registry of Motor Vehicles within 5 days, with copies to the police department where the crash occurred and to the operator’s insurer. The other driver’s operator report can contain admissions or a version of events that differs from what they told the officer, which makes it a useful discovery target.
Copies of police crash reports processed by the RMV are available through the Registry’s crash report request process for a $20 search fee, with about a four week processing window, and many local departments provide copies directly. The full step-by-step process, including requesting Massachusetts State Police reports, is covered in our guide to obtaining your Massachusetts crash report.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does injury status code 10 mean on a Massachusetts crash report?
Code 10 means no apparent injury: the officer saw no physical evidence of injury and you did not report one at the scene. It is not a medical finding. Many collision injuries produce symptoms hours or days later, and you can still pursue a claim if you sought treatment after the scene was cleared.
What is driver contributing code 1?
Code 1 means No Improper Driving: in the officer’s judgment, that driver took no improper action that contributed to the crash. If your report shows code 1 next to you and a code such as 5 (Followed Too Closely) next to the other driver, that combination supports your liability argument.
Does the crash report decide who was at fault?
No. The codes and narrative are evidence, and adjusters weigh them heavily, but they do not bind an insurer, a judge, or a jury. Fault is ultimately decided under the comparative negligence rules of G.L. c. 231, Section 85, and a report can be challenged with witness testimony, photographs, and expert analysis.
Where can I look up a code I do not see explained here?
The Massachusetts Law Enforcement Crash Report Manual, published online by UMassSafe and its state agency partners, contains the full data dictionary for every field on the form, including truck, bus, and vulnerable road user fields not covered in this overview.
Have an Attorney Read the Report With You
Decoding the boxes is the first step. Knowing what to do about them is the second. Chris Murphy, Esq. is the Managing Partner of Scalli Murphy Law, with offices in Everett and Danvers. He has represented injury victims across Massachusetts since 1999, has been recognized as a Massachusetts Super Lawyer in Personal Injury, and has reviewed thousands of crash reports in motor vehicle injury, premises liability, and wrongful death cases.
If a code on your report worries you, or an adjuster is already quoting the report against you, we will review it with you at no charge and explain what to do next.
Call 617-387-7000 or 1-833-933-HURT for a free consultation. There is no fee unless we recover for you.
Everett Office: 537 Broadway, Everett, MA 02149
Danvers Office: 1 Webb Street, Danvers, MA 01923
Related Resources:
- Massachusetts Crash Report: How to Request Your Police Report
- What to Do After a Car Accident in Massachusetts
- Insurance Company Tactics in Massachusetts
- Car Accident Practice Area
This article provides general information about Massachusetts law and is not legal advice. Every case is different. For advice about your specific situation, contact Scalli Murphy Law, P.C. at 617-387-7000 for a free consultation.