If you’ve been injured in a Miami car accident, a personal injury attorney can go over with you the importance of a police report in these cases. Having a police report at your disposal could strengthen your case to recover damages, especially since officers may map out the perceived cause of the accident.

But you have to report the accident to the police first. In a perfect world, you’d be able to report your crash to police immediately so they can come to the scene of your car accident and file a report right then. But because no two accidents are exactly the same, you may need an attorney to answer some of your pressing questions.

Reporting a Miami Car Accident to the Police: The Basics

If you’ve just been in a crash and are able to, stop your car and position it out of the roadway so it won’t be a hazard to other motorists. Check passengers in your car for signs of injury. Be sure to check the other motorist and his or her passengers, too.

After getting out of the way of other vehicles on the roadway and checking that nobody is seriously injured, you’ll want to:

• call law enforcement and request medical help if necessary (911 will work);
• be prepared to give information such as your name, address, registration number and driver’s license information to the authorities; and
• stay on the scene until police have arrived and cleared you to leave.  

You are required by law to immediately notify authorities and obtain a crash report if your accident:

• was a hit-and-run;
• involved severe injury; or
• involved death or property damage that appears to exceed $500.

If you suspect the other driver may have been driving while intoxicated, that’s also important to share with law enforcement, as it may have bearing on your case.

Reporting the Accident via Mail

If you weren’t able to contact authorities immediately after your car accident, that doesn’t mean you’ve lost every chance to report the accident — or that you’re off the hook, for that matter. In most cases, you’ll need to report your crash within 10 days after the accident. You can do this by accessing the Florida Highway Patrol website. You will upload and fill out a crash report PDF.

Then you can mail the crash report to:

Department of Highway Safety & Motor Vehicles

Traffic Crash Records Section

Tallahassee, Fl 32399

Contacting an Attorney 

We’ve been fighting on behalf of Florida car accident injury victims since 1968. Whether you’re seeking compensation against the person or persons who caused your crash or are in the midst of an insurance dispute to get the compensation you need, you’ll find we value our relationship with you. That’s the difference when you’re dealing with Steven M. Falk and Eric A. Falk, of Falk & Falk Law Firm. To get a better feel for what to expect after a car accident, contact our personal injury attorney team in Miami at (305) 279-0999 or fill out our online contact form.