Are Car Accident Reports Public Records in Florida?
In Florida, all accident reports are made public 60 days after the date of the accident. Otherwise, in the 60 days immediately after the occurrence of an accident, only certain individuals and organizations can access accident reports. The persons or organizations allowed to access accident reports in Florida include the following: parties who were involved in the accident that is the subject of the report, attorneys for the parties who were involved in the accident that is the subject of the report, insurance representatives for the parties involved in the accident, the office for the state attorney of Florida, certain government agencies, large media news outlets with widespread circulation, and certain victim service programs. The reasoning behind the 60-day rule in Florida is that it protects the privacy of those involved in car accidents. It allows victims of accidents to have some time to process the accident before being contacted by an individual or organization looking to profit from the accident victim. Essentially, the law in Florida prevents parties that do not fit the aforementioned list from accessing accident reports until at least 60 days have passed since the date of the accident. In fact, any individual who attempts to access a car accident report without authorization is committing a third degree felony.
How do you find accident reports in Florida?
If you are looking to find an accident report after being involved in a car accident, you will want to go to the following link: https://services.flhsmv.gov/CrashReportPurchasing/ In order to obtain a crash report, you must pay the statutorily required fee of $10.00 per report, plus an additional $2.00 convenience fee for each payment transaction pursuant to Fla. Stat. § 321.23. Keep in mind that customers are limited to a maximum of 10 reports per transaction. In order to look up a crash report, you will need to have a report number with the names of the individuals involved in the accident as well as the date of the accident. Here’s some general information: reports are available online immediately after purchase via email link but they must be downloaded within 48 hours after request, the crash reports are sent via email as a zip link which can be unzipped into a pdf file. Finally, while the database gets updated periodically, not all law enforcement agencies update their reports daily so you may need to check back if your report is not available right away.
Speak with a Personal Injury Lawyer Today!
All drivers in Florida have a duty of care to act in a reasonable manner to avoid harming other drivers, pedestrians, motorcyclists, and bicyclists. The extent of that duty is defined by the rules of the road and common sense. To obtain a favorable resolution in a personal injury claim arising out of a car accident typically means you must prove four main elements: duty, breach, causation, and damages. Injuries resulting from negligence are direct when they were intended by the wrongdoer or when a person of ordinary prudence and judgment would have foreseen them as natural and probable results of his wrong if he had used the care and foresight which the law requires of him under the circumstances of the case. When several act together or co-operate in negligent conduct resulting in injury to another each and all of them are liable to that person for the resulting injury. Where several are guilty of separate acts of negligence which concur or combine in injuring another, the law in Florida that is applied is called pure comparative negligence. Damages are the physical and emotional injuries, property damage, and lost income someone suffers as the result of a car accident. Our attorneys are ready to provide proven legal representation and stand ready to protect your rights. We are available 24/7 to give you a free, no risk case consultation!
We serve clients throughout Florida including those in the following areas:
Miami-Dade: Aventura, Coral Gables, Doral, Fontainebleau, Hialeah, Homestead, Kendall, Miami, Miami Beach, Miami Lakes, North Miami, Tamiami, and Westchester.
Broward: Fort Lauderdale, Hallandale Beach, Hollywood, Pembroke Pines, and Weston; and Palm Beach County including Boca Raton, Lake Worth, and West Palm Beach.
