Are You Required to Report a Minor Car Accident to the Police?

Minor Car Accident

You may not need to report an accident to the police if you were involved in a minor accident or fender bender. However, if your accident meets any of these criteria, Florida law requires that you immediately report it to the police.

• Accident caused injury or death.
• After the accident, a driver fled the scene
• Driver was impaired by alcohol or drugs
• A vehicle was so badly damaged that it needed to be towed to get it off the road.
• The accident involved a commercial vehicle, such as a big semi-truck.

If none of these criteria were met, then you don’t have to report the accident if it was minor . However, experienced attorneys usually recommend that you report it anyway.

Frequently, police reports are used to support personal injury protection (PIP), insurance claims. A police report can help establish the date of your accident and provide other important details that could be used to support your claim for personal injury protection (PIP) benefits.

If the other driver involved in your accident refuses to cooperate or exchange information with you, or if they appear uninsured, you should call the local police.

Not only is reporting an accident to police helpful but it is not all you should do. These are the additional steps that you should take following a car accident.

Stay on the Scene: If you leave an accident scene too quickly, you may face hit-and-run charges. You must remain until the police officer(s) gives permission to leave, or until you and other parties finish exchanging information.

This exception applies if the injured party sustained severe injuries and needed emergency medical attention. The injured party should seek immediate treatment and contact the authorities.

Move your Vehicle Out of the Way: If your vehicle is mobile, you should move it out of the path to prevent others from being injured. Keep as close as possible to the scene of an accident and pull over to the side.

Get Medical Attention: If an injury has occurred to you or someone else, it is important that you seek medical attention as soon as you can. Hopefully, you will not need further treatment if your injuries are mild. But, it’s up to you to decide to seek treatment right away.  If you don’t and something “pops up” later, you will have forfeiting your rights to receive related compensation.

Our attorney will generally recommend that you visit the hospital for a checkup. You may discover additional injuries that you didn’t know about by having a more detailed checkup. It is easier to get benefits and damages later if you seek medical attention immediately after an accident.

Collect Information: Once you have called for medical assistance, you can begin gathering information from witnesses and other motorists. You should also document the crash scene. Exchange contact information and gather insurance information from all those involved in the accident. Also, take photos of your injuries and your vehicle as well as the scene of the accident.

Contact Accident Lawyer: After you tend to the above items, it’s vitally important to the success of your case, to consult with a car accident attorney Miami FL victims to increase your odds of success and getting the most compensation you are entitled to.