How To Obtain an Accident Report in Miami, FL

The Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles (FLHSMV) collects and manages crash reports from police and drivers. To get a report in Miami, Florida, you can buy a copy from the FLHSMV. You may also buy a copy directly from the police agency that investigated your car accident.

A crash report can provide critical information for your injury claim. In addition to containing the names and insurance carriers of the other drivers, an accident report can lead your Miami car accident attorney to valuable evidence to support your claim.

Contact Shaked Law Personal Injury Lawyers to schedule a free initial consultation by calling (305) 937-0191.

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What Shaked Law Personal Injury Lawyers Can Do To Help After an Auto Accident in Miami

Shaked Law Personal Injury Lawyers has some of the most experienced and knowledgeable injury lawyers in Miami, FL, including a board-certified civil trial lawyer. Our Miami personal injury attorneys have over 100 years of combined experience fighting insurers for fair injury compensation.

Our firm was founded in 2007 and has recovered hundreds of millions of dollars in injury compensation for its clients. We’ll have the ability to help in the following ways after an auto accident in the Miami-Dade County:

Collecting evidence and otherwise strengthening your claim wherever possible
Providing you with comprehensive legal guidance and assistance throughout the entire claims process
If necessary, filing a lawsuit against the at-fault party and bringing your car crash case to court

You will need a solid case and a skilled lawyer to get a fair settlement or verdict. Contact Shaked Law Personal Injury Lawyers for a free consultation to discuss your car crash injuries and the compensation you can seek for them.

Miami Car Accident Report Facts and Associated Statistics

Florida requires drivers to contact the police for all crashes that result in:

Injury
Death
At least $500 in property damage

When the police arrive, they will investigate the crash and produce an accident report.

Additionally, police must produce a police report for crashes that:

Resulted from a hit-and-run or DUI
Involved a commercial motor vehicle
Caused death, injury, or complaints of pain
Disabled a vehicle badly enough to require a tow truck

In 2022, Florida’s Crash Dashboard of car accident statistics listed over 386,000 traffic accidents. With the low property damage threshold and the inclusion of all crashes that disabled vehicles, almost all of these crashes required a crash report.

Drivers can self-report crashes that do not fall into any of these categories. Florida law does not require you to report minor crashes, but you may want to file a self-report to document the crash for insurance purposes.

How To Obtain Your Car Accident Report in Miami, FL

In some situations, the investigating officer will give you a copy of the crash report at the scene of the accident. Florida law allows the police to use this short-form crash report for minor accidents that do not fall into any of the listed categories. The police must use the long-form report for any crashes that fall into the listed categories.

The primary place to request a long-form accident report is the FLHSMV crash portal. You can obtain a copy of the crash report by providing your information, your vehicle’s information, and information about the crash.

You can also request a copy of a long-form accident report directly from the investigating police agency. For example, you can get a copy of your accident report from the Miami Police Department by filling out the online crash request form.

Who Can Obtain an Accident Report in Florida?

Florida law limits who can get copies of a crash report for 60 days after the crash. To receive a crash report within 60 days of the accident, you must sign a statement attesting that you are:

A party involved in the crash
A lawyer for a party to the crash
An insurer for a vehicle in the crash
A law enforcement agency or prosecutor
A newspaper that publishes legal notices
A radio or television station reporting on the crash

If you fall into these categories, the FLHSMV can issue a download link for your report immediately. Requests filed with the police department can take three to four weeks to process.

How Do Car Accident Lawyers Use Crash Reports?

Crash reports contain information valuable for an injury claim, including:

Names and addresses of drivers involved in the crash
Names of bystanders who witnessed the crash
Narrative description of what happened
Vehicle owner names and insurers
Diagram of the accident
Citations issued

A crash report constitutes hearsay and will probably not be admitted into evidence at trial. But your crash report will lead your lawyer to witnesses and evidence, and it can be utilized in settlement negotiations. An expert witness can also use the accident report to reconstruct the crash.

Schedule a Free Case Assessment With Our Miami, FL Car Crash Lawyers

Winning a car accident claim will require evidence to determine and prove who caused your crash and how you were injured. Contact Shaked Law Personal Injury Lawyers for a free consultation with an experienced Miami car accident attorney to discuss your accident and how an accident report can help you recover injury compensation.

Common Miami Car Accident Claims We Handle

Our law firm handles all types of car accident claims involving: