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After a car crash in Florida, the accident report filled out by the investigating officer (called a Florida Traffic Crash Report) becomes a key piece of evidence in your claim. The insurance company will use the report to determine fault for the accident, and if the investigating officer is called as a witness at trial or has to testify in a deposition, their testimony will likely be drawn from the report.
You need to know what your report says – and how to set the record straight if it’s incorrect.
Florida Traffic Crash Report
https://www.nhtsa.gov/sites/nhtsa.dot.gov/files/documents/fl_par_hsmv90010se_rev06-13.pdf
Page 1
The first page gives an overview of the accident and acts as a cover page listing the total number of pages in the report. Note that the long form report must be used for any crash causing injury or death.
Click here to download a printable PDF of How to Read Your Florida Car Accident Report.
Take note of the listed date, time and location of the crash, plus the time the investigating officer arrived – which is often significantly later.
The crash information section lists contributing factors, including road conditions, light, and weather, all of which can affect liability.
Contact information for any witnesses is included on this page.
If there was any damage to non-vehicle property, such as a guardrail or a building, it’s described here.
Vehicle Page
Each vehicle involved in the accident has its own page. The number assigned to the vehicle is used to identify it on other pages.
A box in the top left indicates what the vehicle was doing when the crash occurred.
This page provides identifying information for the vehicle and contact information for its owner.
The next section describes the vehicle itself and its role in the accident. Pay close attention to the “Vehicle Maneuver Action” and “Vehicle Defects” sections, both of which can affect liability.
The Violations section lists any citations that were given to any occupant of this vehicle.
Person Page
Each person involved in the accident has its own page. In the top left, you’ll see whether the person described was a driver, passenger, or non-motorist (such as a pedestrian) and which vehicle number they were occupying (if any).
The person’s name and contact information can be found at the top.
The investigating officer fills out the appropriate sections on this page depending on whether the person was a driver, non-motorist, or passenger.
Alcohol or drug testing information can be found here.
Any additional passengers are listed at the bottom of this page.
Narrative Page
The investigating officer writes out details in paragraph form.
Read through this page carefully, taking note of any Vehicle and Person numbers that refer to other pages in the report. It may contain information not found on any other page.
Diagram Page
This is the investigating officer’s pictorial diagram of the crash, including the location, road names, and a north directional arrow.
This page documents physical evidence, such as skid marks or standing water, that may be key to proving fault for the accident.
The investigating officer is required to document each vehicle’s position prior to, at, and after impact, all the way up to their arrival on the scene. Make sure this matches your memory of what happened.
