A police report plays an important role after a car accident. In injury cases, insurance companies and attorneys place a lot of evidential value in police reports, often relying on it to determine who was at fault and how the crash occurred. Not only are police officers seen as credible, impartial observers, but police reports are generally written within a few days of the accident based on notes taken by the officer at the scene of the accident.
In Florida car accidents, the police report is officially called Florida Traffic Crash Report. Florida written reports of car accidents is set out in Florida Statute 316.066.
But errors in these reports can happen. Even small errors can affect how your claim is evaluated. Here’s what you should know about identifying and correcting car accident police report errors to protect your rights.
Why Do Police Report Errors Happen?
Police officers do their best to document accident scenes accurately, but errors can still occur. Common reasons include:
- Incomplete information: Officers often have limited time to investigate and may not collect every detail.
- Miscommunication: Witness statements or driver accounts can be misunderstood or incorrectly recorded. Or the investigating officer might have overlooked a bystander who saw the collision.
- Clerical mistakes: Typos, incorrect dates, or swapped vehicle descriptions are easy to make under pressure.
- Assumptions about fault: Officers sometimes make preliminary judgments about who caused the accident based on limited evidence.
These mistakes may seem minor, but they can lead to major misunderstandings in your case.
Can You Correct a Police Report After an Accident?
Yes, in many cases, you can request a correction or amendment to a police report. A lot of online information is provided by the Florida Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles. The process depends on the type of error:
- Factual errors: like misspelled names, wrong vehicle information, or incorrect insurance details, can often be corrected with proof (e.g., driver’s license, registration, or insurance card).
- Disputed facts or opinions: like fault determinations or accident descriptions, are harder to change. You can, however, request that your statement or version of events be added as a supplemental report.
It’s important to act quickly. Contact the reporting officer or their department’s records division as soon as you spot the issue and provide documentation to support your correction.
Who can request corrections to a Police Report?
Corrections to a police report can be requested by anyone directly involved in the crash, their legal representatives, or their insurers. If you were a driver, passenger, or property owner, you may ask the reporting officer or police department to correct factual errors such as wrong names, vehicle details, or contact information.
How Report Errors Affect Your Car Accident Claim
Police report mistakes can have serious consequences for your car accident claim. Insurance adjusters and defense attorneys often treat the police report as a key piece of evidence. We know all the arguments an insurance adjuster will use to reduce the value of your case. Errors could:
- Disputed liability for the cause of the car accident, reducing your chance of being fully compensated for your injuries and losses under Florida’s comparative negligence laws.
- Create doubt about the credibility of your claim or your recollection of events. Insurance companies rely on police reports to process claims, and any mistakes could affect compensation or liability decisions.
- Delay settlement negotiations while discrepancies are investigated.
If you notice a mistake, addressing it early can prevent it from undermining your case later.
Steps to Take if You Find Mistakes in Your Report
If you suspect your report contains errors, follow these steps to protect your claim:
- Review the report carefully. Obtain a copy from the police department and go through every detail. In Florida, you’ll be given a Drivers Exchange of Information (a one-page crash report) at the scene or possibly emailed to you. The full Traffic Crash Report, which is usually 3-4 pages long, will be available in approximately one to two weeks and can be purchased from the state online at the Florida Crash Portal.
- Gather evidence. Photos, witness statements, and repair invoices can help prove factual inaccuracies. For example, if you were injured in the accident, what you said at the scene may have been influenced by your emotional or altered state, and proving those injuries with documentation may prompt the officer to accept your requested changes.
- Contact the officer, politely. Explain the issue and provide supporting documents. You have a much better chance of getting a police officer to change a police report if you treat the officer with kindness and respect.
- Request a supplemental statement. If the officer disagrees or can’t amend the report, ask to have your statement included in the record. This is called a supplemental report, which does not erase the original report but provides additional context or corrections.
- Call Hancock Injury Attorneys. We can help you communicate with law enforcement and the insurance adjusters and ensure the correction process is handled properly. Fighting the insurance companies after a car accident is what we do.
How much time do I have to make a correction to the Crash Report?
There's no specific deadline to correct a police report, but you should request changes as soon as possible after discovering errors. Act quickly to provide documentation and evidence to the police department to support factual mistakes. Delays increase the likelihood of rejection and complicate insurance claims and legal cases.
Why You Should Act Quickly
- Officer’s memory: Officers memories faded and with the number of traffic accidents investigated daily, officers are more likely to recall the incident details when you contact them soon after the report was filed.
- Evidence availability: Evidence disappears, so prompt requests for a correction give you a better chance of finding and presenting evidence that supports the correction.
- Prevent complications in your injury claim against the at-fault driver: Acting quickly helps prevent issues in future legal or insurance proceedings.
We protect your rights after a car accident. Call or chat for your free case consult – our phones and chat are answered 24/7.
Correcting police report mistakes can be frustrating, but it’s essential for protecting your rights and securing fair compensation. Our attorneys at Hancock Injury Attorneys bring their decades of experience to helping you identify errors, communicate with the police, and build a strong case to ensure a full recovery for your injuries. Call or chat today for your free case consultation.