Wednesday, 11 February 2026

How Do Police Officers Investigate Car Accidents In Florida?

When an accident causes injuries, police officers are dispatched to the accident scene, in usual. Police officers need to note a lot of things in the accident scene altogether.

Once an accident occurs and you are the victim, you need to provide a bunch of info to the dispatcher. The dispatcher should know your location with a description of the prominent landmarks. In the case of anyone else is injured, feeling sick, or if there are some dangers involved, you must call the police instantly.

Usually, police officers receive training in car accident investigation. When they get to the accident scene, they investigate the accident and its causes. In general, they do not create their official accident report at the scene. They use a worksheet and then prepare and file the official report.

Some of the common info that the police officer should gather are:

  • Date, time, and location of the accident
  • Personal information and statements provided by drivers, passengers, and witnesses
  • Descriptions of injuries and fatalities
  • Vehicle descriptions
  • Weather and road conditions when the accident occurred
  • Type of property damage to the vehicles and their contents; the extent of damage
  • Certain factors that led to the accident like speeding
  • Photographs of the scene and the vehicular damage

When alcohol or drugs are involved in any way, police conducts field sobriety tests. They may make arrests for DUI as well. However, it depends on the severity of the case. In case traffic laws have been violated, the officer issues tickets to one or both drivers.

The officer may call for a towing company if any of the cars are not driveable. Both drivers need to get the service number of the police report from the investigating officer. This service number comes into play at the time of requesting a copy of the final police accident report. In case you don’t have a service number, you will have to provide the accurate date and location of the crash. Also, you will have to provide your personal identification information in order to get a copy of the report.

Once the accident scene is cleared, the police may drive to the hospital to look into the serious injuries sustained by drivers or passengers, as the case may be. Once the follow-up is done, the officers will return to the station.

The accident report usually includes the officer’s written opinion of the details and causes of the accident. It also includes a description of the at-fault driver’s actions that gave way to the accident. Also, there will be a drawn diagram of the accident scene and the point of impact.

The police accident report needs to be complete with the few following days. There are certain jurisdictions that make crash reports available to the general public. In certain states, the access of crash reports is only provided to the involved drivers, the drivers’ representatives, and the drivers’ insurance companies.

What to know about Police Reports?


When you are involved in a car accident, call 911. You must never let the at-fault driver talk you into settling the accident without calling the police or insurance companies. This is because the other car can claim injuries and blame you at a later stage. You might have to deal with a huge financial risk if you do not inform your insurance company right on time.

In case you have hit an object, notify police. This is because the police report may help your insurance company defend you against a lawsuit or claim from the property owner. The police report can also support your claim for compensation from the property owner.

Keep in mind that uninsured motorist claims against phantom drivers are not that easy to establish when there is no police report. In short, call the police, no matter whatever is the nature of the Florida car accident that you are involved in.

Keep a copy of the Police Report

Keep in mind that your car accident paperwork is incomplete without a copy of the police accident report. The police report is a vital asset. It can have a huge impact on the outcome of your injury claim. So, make sure to carefully read the report. This way you can correct any errors.

Make sure to contact your own insurance company in order to ask for a copy of the police accident report. Once a claim is opened, the adjuster will request an official copy of the police report. In case the report is available, the claims adjuster should send you a copy for free.

You can certainly request a police report copy directly from the law enforcement agency who investigated your claim. You might have to pay a small amount. Many agencies handle accident report requests online. Else, you can contact the police department to get proper instructions. You might have to provide the service number from the investigating officer (if applicable), the accident location, the accident date and exact time, your identification, etc.

In case you do not know how to read police reports, you might not be able to understand the report. There are certain sections that might be shown as code numbers. In general, the forms and their details are pretty comprehensive. However, you will have to ask others about the codes.

Is the police report full of facts?

In the police report, the info contained in the police report can be a fact or an opinion. The facts include the date, time, and location of the collision. Opinions are those of the police officer. Even the insurance company will come to their own conclusion as to who is at fault, once it has conducted its own investigation. Certain times, the insurance company’s and police officer's opinions are different.

When a Florida car accident claim is reported, the insurance company will conduct its own investigation. The insurance company asks for the police report right in the beginning. This is mainly because the report contains a good amount of information related to the car accident.

Wednesday, 14 January 2026

8 Mistakes Made after a Florida Car Accident

Here are the top 8 mistakes made after a Florida car accident:

Not contacting the Police
In order to build a valid claim, you are required to call the police is critical after the car accident in Florida. This is also important for getting the right amount of compensation. As per Florida law, you need to contact the police right after an accident. When you call the police to the accident scene, it certainly caters to lawful requirements in the state of Florida. On top of that, it helps you construct your personal injury claim. The police report helps you establish that the car accident took place on a fixed day plus time. Thus, it acts as evidence that you were injured due to the accident.

In case you have visible injuries, the police can take note of the same in their report. They might not be able to investigate a civil claim. However, they can act as a great support system when it comes to collecting the right pieces of evidence that ought to be valuable to you to strengthen your personal injury case.

Not taking the case to trial
A majority of car accident cases get settled before they are taken to the trial. If the other side does not pay you properly, you can take your case to trial to get a genuine court order. This might be your last option to get fair compensation for the damages caused. The law in Florida makes sure that people get the right amount of compensation. If you are required to take your case to trial to attain justice, you must exercise your set of legal rights.

Make sure to get representation from an experienced car accident attorney in South Florida. He/she is the right person to represent you legally in court. He/she can fight for you and speak on your behalf. Also, they can give you valuable advice as to whether you should go for a settlement or take your personal injury case to trial.

Not informing your doctor about your symptoms
You might want to downplay your injuries right after a Florida car accident. In order to pacify yourself and release some pain, you might tell yourself constantly that your injuries are not that severe. However, in this process, do not hold back from giving out all the info to your doctor. Keep in mind that small details matter as well. If you withhold, it would certainly get your case complicated. You might not be aware of the severity of your injuries in some cases. Your doctor might be able to recognize these injuries if you let them know about your symptoms.

In certain cases, some injury-related symptoms do get worse over a course of time. If you have a list of symptoms but do not tell the doctor about those, the insurance company might just doubt your claim and question it.

Making apologies for the accident

The other party is likely to use your statements against you in court. According to the Florida Evidence Code, the other party can certainly admit your statements at trial. If you apologize in some wat, the other side might use it as proof that you were partly responsible for the accident. In worse situations, they might even tend to put all the blame on you! So, beware!

Do not make apologies right after a Florida car accident. Your personal injury lawyer can deal with a lot of communications with the other side.

Not visiting a doctor
When you get medical attention right after an accident, it gets easy for you to prove that your injuries arose from the car accident in Florida. If you wait for some time to see a doctor, it certainly gives the insurance company the chance to question the severity of your injuries. When you see the doctor early on, it gets easy for them to diagnose your injuries. Also, they would provide you with a good recovery plan.

After the Florida car accident, you usually get a period of 14 days to go and visit a doctor. You need to visit a reliable doctor to claim PIP benefits for the physical injuries that you have sustained in the accident. If you miss this time frame, the insurance company might as well reduce the value of your claim or even deny it. As per Florida the law, you must seek medical care within a period of 14 days of an accident. This is vital if you wish to make a valid claim for medical bills by means of your PIP insurance.

Thinking that you cannot be a Legal Claim
As a state, Florida has a no-fault system for most of the car accidents. Many are under the wrong impression that this no-fault system deters all car accident lawsuits! This is just false!

Florida law does enable you to file a personal injury claim against the third party for compensation. This is applicable when you have prominent or long-lasting injuries due to the car accident. In such cases, you are likely to have a solid case for financial compensation.

Posting frequently on Social Media
Look before you post something on social media! Keep in mind that social media is admissible in court. Now, you might have your status set to friends only. Still, it is not 100% safe to make a statement on a public platform. If you say something outright to the other party on social media, it might cost you big time. The other party might find a way to take your posts out of context. Most times, they make sure to use it against you and your claim. To be on the safer side, do not post on social media. Wait for your personal injury case to resolve first.

Singing a release
Most insurance companies wish to resolve the case as soon as possible. So, they do tend to send you a release of claims. And this might get your claim denied.