How to Read Your Florida Car Accident Report
Florida Attorney Armando Edmiston breaks it down
If you or someone you love was injured in a Florida crash, understanding how to read your Florida car accident report can be helpful – and difficult. Attorney Armando Edmiston has the knowledge and experience to help. Armando Personal Injury Law has won millions for clients in Tampa, St. Pete, and all throughout Florida. Learn what our law firm can do for you. Contact us today for your free case evaluation.
Your Florida traffic accident report is an important document that is often critical to your injury claim. The report includes the investigating officer’s account of how your accident occurred, along with any contributing causes that may show negligence by the party responsible for the crash. It also contains other facts that may help support your claim.
You should be able to obtain a copy of your car accident report on the Florida Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles website for a fee. Before you do that, carefully review the sample accident report that’s provided below and contact us right away if you have any questions.
Here’s what you’ll find on your official Florida car accident report
Page 1
At the top of page one, you’ll find basic crash-related information such as the date, time, and location of the accident.
In the second section of the first page, you’ll find information on the conditions and harmful events that contributed to the crash. At the bottom of the page, you’ll find witness information (name, address, and contact information) and damage to non-vehicle property.
Page 2
At the top of page two, the investigating officer will write a narrative on how they think the crash occurred. Here, you may find information not found anywhere else in your report. For example, arrests and witness statements.
The bottom section of this page will include additional passenger information, including name, date of birth, address, and whether they were transported to a hospital. Below that, you’ll find information on additional violations and the reporting officer.
Page 3
On page three, you’ll find an illustrated diagram showing how your crash occurred. Sometimes, understanding the items found on a crash diagram can be confusing. Our experienced car accident lawyers can go over this section with you.
Page 4
Page four applies to crashes involving commercial vehicles such as large trucks. At the top of the page, you’ll find vehicle information, insurance information, hazmat information, and the point of impact during the crash.
In the middle section, you’ll find information on the vehicle type, trailer type, crash contributors, and the sequence of events that led to the crash.
At the bottom of page four, police will document any violations that occurred before the crash. This includes the violator's name, the Florida statute number, the charge, and the citation number.
Page 5
The fifth page will contain additional crash information, including the number of people involved, drivers’ actions at the time of the crash, safety devices used, non-motorist information, whether alcohol or drugs were involved, and additional passenger information.
Click here to download a printable version.
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About the Author
Attorney Armando Edmiston is the founding attorney of Armando Personal Injury Law in Tampa, Florida, a law firm dedicated to helping people harmed in car, truck, motorcycle, nursing home, and other serious injury cases. A U.S. Marine Corps veteran and personal injury lawyer, Armando draws on his real-world courtroom experience and years of representing injured Floridians to write and carefully review the legal content on this website. Every guide is written in clear, straightforward language so injured people and their families can better understand their rights, and is reviewed for legal accuracy before publication.