How to Get Your Florida Car Accident Report Online
Bill Allen | July 9, 2025 | Car Accidents
The aftermath of a Florida car accident is the beginning of a long road, especially if you are seriously hurt. You’ll naturally aim to seek compensation for your injuries and losses, and in doing so, you must recognize that your car accident report is one of the most important pieces of evidence. It is, therefore, essential to know how to obtain a copy of it as soon as possible.
The fastest way to get a copy of a Florida car accident report is to use the online portal provided by the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles (FLHSMV). Even if you do not consider yourself technologically savvy, using the portal to obtain a copy of your report is a straightforward process.
Crash Reports: What Are They and When Are They Completed?
A crash report is a written record of the circumstances surrounding a motor vehicle accident, completed by you or a responding law enforcement officer. Any individual report will contain the names of the parties involved, their insurance information, and descriptions of any damage or injuries sustained.
Florida law requires accident reports to be submitted following most traffic accidents.
As such, you should call 911 or the local police if you are involved in a crash involving any of these circumstances:
- Personal injuries, regardless of their severity
- Fatalities
- Property damage that appears to exceed $500
- A hit-and-run
- A driver impaired by alcohol or drugs
- A potentially distracted motorist
You should also report crashes that require a vehicle to be towed from the scene and accidents involving a commercial motor vehicle.
If a law enforcement officer responds to your accident scene, they will prepare and submit a report; you will not need to file anything separate from that. However, if law enforcement officers do not respond to your accident or indicate they will not file a report, you must self-report the accident through the FLHSMV within ten days.
Availability of Florida Accident Reports
Florida car accident reports are not public records. Therefore, before you can obtain your accident report, you must verify that you are legally entitled to receive it. In general, reports are available to the individuals involved in the crash, their legal representatives, their insurance companies and representatives, and any person working on their behalf.
It is a criminal offense to attempt to fraudulently obtain a crash report you are not entitled to receive, such as by dishonestly representing yourself as a party to the crash. You are also prohibited from disclosing confidential personal information in the report to others, such as the other party’s Social Security number or date of birth.
Steps to Obtain a Crash Report Online
Florida makes obtaining your crash report relatively easy:
1. Wait for the Report to Become Available
First, allow approximately ten days from the date of your accident before attempting to obtain the report. While reports submitted by law enforcement officers are available quickly after a crash, it may take time for other reports, such as self-reports mailed to the FLHSMV, to become available.
2. Visit the FLHSMV’s Online Crash Portal
To request your accident report online, visit the state’s crash portal and select the option to “Buy a Crash Report.” Make sure to read and acknowledge the disclosures the portal presents to you, then click the button indicating that you are a party to the crash.
3. Provide Necessary Information to Locate and Purchase Your Accident Report
To find your accident report, you will need to provide either your crash report number, the date your accident occurred, or other forms of personal information. Once you find your accident report, you will need to pay a fee of $10.00 to obtain it, which you can pay directly through the portal via credit or debit card.
4. Download Your Report
Once you pay the fee, you will be sent a link via email through which you will be able to download a copy of your report to your computer (or other device). Be aware that the link is only good for 48 hours; if you do not download your crash report within that time, you will need to go through the process again and pay another fee.
What to Do with Your Crash Report
It is always a good idea to print and save both a hard and digital copy of your accident report in secure locations. You may even wish to make multiple copies of each to reduce your risk of losing them. If you have an attorney representing you in your claim, provide them with a copy if they do not already have one.
Your insurer can use the information in the crash report to determine coverage. If you suffered substantial injuries in the crash, the insurer, along with their attorney(s) and your lawyer, can reference it and any statements or conclusions it contains regarding who is at fault. That information, in turn, can impact the outcome of your claim.
Contact Our Gainesville Car Accident Law Firm at Allen Law Accident & Injury Lawyers in North Central Florida
Whether it occurs in Gainesville or anywhere else in Florida, a car crash can be a harrowing and traumatic experience. While you may be focused on receiving medical aid, ensuring your accident is promptly and properly reported is just as crucial. Your ability to recover compensation can depend partly on obtaining and preserving your accident report.
It may sound overwhelming, but remember that a Florida car accident attorney at Allen Law Accident & Injury Lawyers can assist you following an accident. Specifically, they can help you submit a crash report and obtain a copy of your report from the FLHSMV. The sooner you retain legal counsel, the better they will be able to take actions that protect your legal rights.
If you need legal assistance, contact the Gainesville car accident lawyers at Allen Law Accident & Injury Lawyers at your nearest location to schedule a free consultation today, we’re open 24 hours daily.
We have three convenient locations in Marion County and Alachua County, North Central Florida:
Allen Law Accident & Injury Lawyers – Gainesville Office
2550 SW 76th St #150
Gainesville, FL 32608
(877) 255-3652
Allen Law Accident & Injury Lawyers – Downtown Gainesville
621 W University Ave
Gainesville, FL 32601
(866) 928-6292
Allen Law Accident & Injury Lawyers – Ocala Office
112 S Pine Ave
Ocala, FL 34471
(352) 351-3258
