Broward County Sheriff's Office Crash Reports

Failure to obtain a police report does not automatically invalidate your claim for damages. You can file a claim for damages in the aftermath of an auto accident without a police report. In fact, many cases are relatively simple and are resolved without needing a trial or even a piece of official documentation from an investigating law enforcement agent.

On the other hand, obtaining a Broward accident report can significantly speed up your claim. Law enforcement agents are respected professionals, and their evidence is considered extremely valuable. Most insurance companies will not dispute a claim if an investigating officer has already assigned blame to a particular driver.

If you have not obtained a Broward County Sheriff's accident report, other forms of evidence can be taken into account. However, you must compile that evidence and supply it to your insurer.

Some examples of valid evidence you can gather without a police report include:

• Your personal medical records
• Pictures and videos of the accident scene
• Eyewitness statement
• Surveillance camera footage

Employing an attorney can help your claim because they will have the resources to search for and gather evidence to prove that you are not at fault for the accident. Your attorney can also engage with your insurer so that you can concentrate on recovering from your accident.

UnderFlorida law, the threshold for parties involved in an auto accident to contact law enforcement is far lower than in many other states. According to Section 316.065 of the Florida Statutes, drivers are required to contact law enforcement in the following circumstances:

• Injury of a person
• Death of a person
• $500 or more in vehicular/property damage

In practice, this will require the most significant road traffic incidents to be reported to local law enforcement. Penalties for failing to contact law enforcement when required are severe, with punishments ranging from fines to jail time.

Note that in Florida, these requirements apply to auto accidents that take place on both public and private property.

If you are involved in an accident not requiring an officer to attend the scene, you can submit either a Driver Exchange of Information or a Driver Report of Traffic Crash (Self-Report) form. Even if you are not required to contact the police, self-reporting an incident can support your insurance claim if the other driver disputes your version of events.

Minor crashes may enable you to avoid calling law enforcement to investigate. You should still exchange driver and insurance information with the other party in these scenarios. It is also wise to take pictures and videos of the scene in case there is an insurance dispute. In the absence of an officer, the burden of proof falls on you.

You have several ways to self-report an accident in Florida.

The first option is to file your Florida car crash report online. Download theDriver Report of a Traffic Crash form from the FLHSMV portal.

Complete all appropriate fields within the form and apply a date and your digital signature. Page two of the form contains detailed instructions for completing each section.

Email the completed form to [email protected].

You should download the Driver Report of a Traffic Crash form to self-report by mail. You may complete it digitally or by hand.

Complete all applicable areas of the form and sign the report by hand. You should print out two copies and maintain one for your records. Your insurance company may also request a copy to support your claim.

Self-report forms should be submitted by mail to:

Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles,
Crash Records
2900 Apalachee Parkway, MS 28
Tallahassee, FL 32399

No, Broward County accident reports always receive a 60-day window whereby the information remains confidential from the public. This requirement to prevent the public from accessing a Broward accident report is to protect victims and enable them to seek medical treatment and legal advice without harassment.

However, following the expiry of the 60-day window, anyone can obtain a copy of a BSO accident report, regardless of whether they were involved in the incident.

This requirement applies even if there was a fatality and the investigation remains ongoing.

So, who can obtain a copy of the report if an accident has occurred and the 60-day window remains valid? According to Florida law, the following parties have a right to request and receive a recent Florida accident police report:

• Drivers involved in the accident
• Passengers involved in the accident
• Legal representatives of any involved parties
• Car insurance providers
• Members of law enforcement agencies
• Florida Department of Transportation
• Federal Communications Commission (FCC) licensed radio and television networks
• Prosecutor’s office
• Service programs supporting victims of auto accidents
• Professionals employed by auto insurance providers to gather information relating to claims for damages

Note that these requirements only apply to accidents involving motor vehicles. Separate requirements apply to motor vehicles being struck by trains or accidents involving electric scooters and swamp buggies.

Some accidents are contentious, meaning you may disagree with the attending officer’s findings and interpretations. Reading through your accident report is vital to ensure you can rectify any mistakes before your insurance company makes a final decision, particularly if you wish to pursue a separate lawsuit.

Although Florida’s no-fault laws mean both parties can pursue compensation, regardless of who was at fault, severe injuries can enable you to make separate claims via your insurance policy.

How you approach rectifying errors and omissions detailed in your crash report depends on the nature of the error. Factual errors may be resolved by contacting the Broward County Police Department and requesting a correction.

For example, if the attending officer listed your date of birth incorrectly, you can attend and present a copy of your driving license.

Other disputes may be resolved by contacting the investigating officer and politely raising your objections. The officer is not required to make an amendment in these scenarios but remember that officers are human and make mistakes.

Florida operates under no-fault laws. It means that in the event of an accident involving a motor vehicle, both drivers are entitled to request compensation via their insurers. It does not matter who was at fault.

No-fault laws are funded by requiring all drivers to hold Personal Injury Protection (PIP) insurance. No-fault laws aim to make it simpler for injured parties to seek damages and cover their medical treatment.

However, there are limits on how much your PIP will cover concerning medical expenses. Florida drivers typically file lawsuits when their medical expenses exceed the limits outlined in their PIP coverage.

Due to these restrictions, it is strongly recommended that you take down evidence from the scene of an accident in case you decide to file a separate lawsuit against the driver or their insurance company later.

Even though you are not required to present a police report to file your claim in the Sunshine State, there are reasons why you should go out of your way to obtain a police report or self-report an accident.

Two of the most common issues that can arise include:

• Accident Denial – Some insurance companies have been known to deny that an auto accident occurred at all. In these cases, your insurer may question whether your injuries or vehicle damage originated from a collision with another motor vehicle. Without a police report, it can be challenging to prove otherwise.
• Inadequate Evidence – Your insurer may agree that a motor vehicle accident did occur. However, they may choose to argue that there is insufficient evidence to pursue your claim. Police reports in Broward County confirm that an incident did occur and provide details proving such.

Self-reported accident reports may not have the same clout as a report provided by an investigating law enforcement agent. However, they can still mean the difference between getting a claim approved or denied.

Taking down as much evidence as possible and filing an official report is good practice, regardless of how minor a motor vehicle accident was.