When a car accident occurs in Miami, the police will typically investigate the crash and include their findings in a final report.
Police reports serve an important role in a car accident claim but recovering it could be challenging. Several law enforcement agencies have jurisdiction in Miami, so any of them could have conducted your report. Fortunately, police departments in Florida are required to submit their reports to the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles within ten days of the accident. Requests can be made either online, by mail, or in person.
If you need help obtaining a copy police report after a Miami car accident, our Miami car accident attorneys at The Law Offices of David I. Fuchs, Injury & Accident Lawyer, P.A., can provide you with a free case review. Call us today at (954) 568-3636.
How Can I Get a Copy of the Police Report for My Miami Car Accident?
You have several options to get a copy of the police report made for your car accident in Miami. The most convenient way for most victims to obtain a copy is by requesting it online. However, requests can also be made by mail or in person if you do not have access to the internet. If you are having trouble getting your police report, our Miami personal injury attorneys can help you navigate the process.
Online
The fastest way to recover a copy of your police report is to make the request via one of the online portals used by Miami Law Enforcement. Depending on the circumstances of your car accident, the Miami Police Department, Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office, or the Florida Highway Patrol might have responded to the scene. Regardless of which law enforcement agency made the report for your accident, you can request a copy of the crash report on the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicle’s online portal. You can also use Miami Police Department’s online portal directly if they were the agency that made your report.
You will have 60 days from the date of the accident to create an online account and make your request, which might take about as much time as creating an email account. Once a report is available online, it must be downloaded within 48 hours. If your report is available, the FDHSMV will email you a link where it can be downloaded.
By Mail
Our personal injury attorneys can also help you request your police report by mail if that is your preferred method. To make a request by mail, you or your attorney must send a completed Sworn Statement to Obtain Crash Report within 60 days of the accident. You must include important information like the date, location, parties involved, and the law enforcement agency that made the report.
Once the form is completed, it can be mailed along with a check or money order to the FDHSMV at the following address:
- Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles
Crash Records
2900 Apalachee Parkway, MS 28
Tallahassee, FL 32399
Mail requests can also be sent directly to the Florida Highway Patrol station closest to where your accident occurred.
In Person
Lastly, you could also get a copy of your police report in person if that option is more convenient. However, if the Miami Police Department made your report, you might not be able to visit their records department at the moment. Because of Covid-19, their records department is closed to the public until further notice, so requests from their department must be made online or by mail.
However, you might still be able to get a copy in person by visiting the Florida Highway Patrol station near where your accident occurred. You will still need to fill out and bring the sworn statement mentioned above to complete your request. Regardless of whichever method works best for you, our Ft. Lauderdale personal injury attorneys can help you obtain a copy of your police report as quickly as possible.
How Much Does a Police Report for a Miami Car Accident Cost?
In most cases, you will need to pay a small fee to get a copy of your police report. The form of payment you can use will depend on the method you are making your request. For online requests, there is a 10-dollar fee per report plus a non-refundable 2-dollar service fee, which can be paid using most debit or credit cards. These fees are the same whether you are making your request through the Miami Police Department’s website or the FDHSMV portal.
If ordering your police report by mail, you will need to send a check or money order for the total amount of your request, along with your sworn statement. Our personal injury lawyers can help if you are unsure what the costs for your request will be.
When Will a Police Report for My Miami Car Accident Be Available?
After law enforcement investigates a crash, they will include all the details they recorded in their report. As such, it can take several days before a police report is finalized and submitted. According to the FDHSMV, a report can take up to 10 days to be available. However, you should contact our firm immediately if your report is still unavailable after ten days.
Once your report is available, it can be downloaded immediately after paying the necessary fees. The processing time can be much longer if the request is made by mail. Currently, there is a 4–6-week turnaround to receive mailed-in requests. Our Boca Raton personal injury lawyers can help you review your options to get your police report quickly so it can be used in your lawsuit.
Our Miami Car Accident Attorneys Can Help
If you were injured in a car accident and need a copy of the police report, contact our Ft. Lauderdale car accident attorneys today for help. For a free case review, call The Law Offices of David I. Fuchs, Injury & Accident Lawyer, P.A., at (954) 568-3636.
