How To Get A Police Report After a Florida Car Accident

Getting in a car accident can be so overwhelming, and sometimes you don’t know where to start. Should you get your car repaired? See a doctor? Call your insurance company? The best way to get initial clarity on an automobile accident is to get a full and complete copy of the Long Form Traffic Crash Report. Here is how you do it.

After a car accident in Florida, police generally take everyone’s information and give the drivers and any passengers involved a Driver Exchange of Information at the scene or in the hospital. This document lists the driver’s automobile insurance information, along with the names, addresses and telephone numbers of the drivers and vehicle owners involved. However, this document is not the full crash report.

[To learn what to do after a car crash, check out our blog here: Three Things You Must Do After a Florida Car Accident]

Within 10 days of a completed investigation police should generate a full report called a Long Form Traffic Crash Report as required by Florida Statute 316.066. The Long Form Traffic Crash Report contains much more detail, such as a typed description of the crash, a list of any citations issued, identities of witnesses, and other important information like weather conditions and reasons for distracted driving.

Copies of these more detailed police reports can be obtained for a small fee online through flhsmv.gov by inputting the last name of an involved party and the car accident date at the online portal. However, only the people involved in the car crash, their lawyers, and other statutorily exempt persons may obtain copies of Long Form Traffic Crash Reports in the first 60 days after the date a report is filed. After 60 days, the police report becomes available for purchase by the general public. At that point, anyone can obtain a copy by requesting the report and paying a fee.

[To learn about how uninsured motorist coverage can protect you and your family after a car wreck, read our blog entry here: Uninsured Motorist Coverage and Why You Need It]

A person involved in a crash can also get a copy of their Long Form Traffic Crash Report in person by going directly to the police station in the jurisdiction where a crash occurred and asking for the records department. Florida Statute 316.066 requires a person involved in a crash to present a driver’s license and fill out a form in most instances. Just ask for the records department upon arrival at the corresponding police agency.

The BEST WAY to get a copy of a police report after a Florida car accident is simply to hire an experienced injury attorney who can obtain a copy at no up front cost to you.

At Britto Herman, our experienced car accident lawyers will quickly provide you a copy of your crash by e-mail or text message once we take your case at no upfront cost to you.

[For information on how personal injury lawyers are paid for working on your injury case, read our blog entry here: Do I Have to Pay My Personal Injury Lawyer?]

Obtaining crash reports as soon as they are available is just one of the many ways we use our experience to aggressively fight for your rights after a car accident in Florida.

We will also contact the car insurance companies for the parties involved in the crash, send out letters of representation and gather evidence related to the crash. Our trial lawyers have a proven track record of winning jury verdicts in car accident cases.

[To learn more about how insurance companies value your injury case for settlement, read our blog entry here: What Is Your Florida Personal Injury Case Really Worth?]

If you have been involved in a car accident and need to talk to an experienced trial lawyer, call Britto & Herman Injury Lawyers now at (561) 835-5555(561) 835-5555. Our office is in Jupiter on Indiantown Road, but we handle car accident and injury cases throughout the State of Florida.