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car accidents11 MIN

What to Do After a Car Accident in Miami: Steps for Drivers (Florida 2026 Guide)

A practical Florida guide to what Miami drivers must do after a crash: protect people, exchange information, understand the $500 reporting threshold, meet the 10-day self-report rule, and retrieve a Miami-Dade crash report.

By CarCody Team

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After a Miami crash, stop, protect people from further danger, call emergency services when anyone is hurt or a hazard exists, exchange required information, and report the collision through the correct Florida channel. Florida’s rules depend on injuries, apparent damage of at least $500, whether a vehicle must be towed, and factors such as hit-and-run, DUI, or commercial-vehicle involvement. The immediate police-notice rule and the separate 10-day driver self-report rule are not interchangeable.

What should I do after a car accident in Miami?

Use this order at the scene. Do not leave simply because the damage looks minor.

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  1. Stop and remain at the scene. A driver involved in a crash that damages an attended vehicle or other property must stop and stay until the required information has been provided. Leaving can create a separate legal problem.
  2. Check for injuries and immediate hazards. Check yourself, passengers, other drivers, pedestrians, and anyone else involved. Look for fire, leaking fuel, smoke, downed wires, blocked lanes, or approaching traffic.
  3. Call 911 when help is needed. Request medical care for injuries or reported pain, and ask for police or other emergency assistance when the scene is dangerous, traffic is obstructed, a driver appears impaired, or people cannot safely exchange information.
  4. Give reasonable aid. Florida law requires a driver to render reasonable assistance to an injured person. The duty includes carrying or arranging transportation for medical treatment when treatment appears necessary or the injured person asks for it.
  5. Move vehicles only when it is safe and useful. For a property-only crash, a vehicle may be moved from the main traveled way when doing so can be done safely and improves safety or the convenience of travel. Moving it under those conditions does not, by itself, establish fault. If anyone may be seriously injured, do not move a person or vehicle unless necessary to prevent greater harm or directed by responders.
  6. Exchange identifying and vehicle details. Give your name, address, and vehicle registration number. Show your driver license when requested and available. In a reportable crash, record each owner’s and driver’s name and address, the vehicle license number, insurer information, and the names and contact details of passengers and witnesses.
  7. Document the scene if it is safe. Photograph vehicle positions before moving them when possible, then photograph all visible damage, license plates, traffic controls, lane markings, road conditions, and relevant debris. Capture contact information accurately rather than relying on memory.
  8. Keep the conversation factual. Do not argue, threaten anyone, or make a statement accepting legal fault. Exchange information and describe what happened accurately; insurers and authorities evaluate responsibility later.
  9. Report the crash through the required route. Injury, death, or apparent property damage of at least $500 triggers immediate notice to the appropriate law-enforcement agency. A qualifying crash that does not require a law-enforcement report can trigger a separate written report to the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles (FLHSMV) within 10 days.
  10. Notify your insurer promptly and obtain medical care. Keep the claim number, officer or exchange-report information, photographs, receipts, and medical records together. Your policy and a qualified Florida professional can explain claim-specific deadlines and coverage.

Protect people before paperwork

Check occupants, then secure the scene

Turn on hazard lights and stay out of live traffic whenever possible. If you can safely reach a shoulder, parking area, or other protected location, do so without driving an unsafe or badly damaged vehicle. Warn approaching traffic from a safe position; do not stand in a travel lane to take photographs.

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Tell the dispatcher the exact location, direction of travel, nearest intersection or landmark, number of vehicles, injuries, fire or fuel hazards, blocked lanes, and whether anyone appears unable to exit. Follow the dispatcher’s instructions until responders arrive.

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Help injured people without creating another danger

Florida’s driver-duty statute says a driver “shall render to any person injured in such crash reasonable assistance.” That can mean calling 911, providing basic help within your ability, and arranging transport for treatment when it appears necessary or the injured person requests it. Do not provide medical care beyond your training, and do not move an injured person unless an immediate hazard makes movement necessary or emergency personnel direct you.

When to move a vehicle

A disabled car in a travel lane can cause a second collision. If no one needs the vehicles left in place for immediate rescue and the cars can be driven safely, move them out of the main traveled way when doing so improves safety or traffic flow. Take a quick photograph of the original positions first if you can do it without entering danger.

Do not drive a vehicle with suspected brake, steering, fuel-system, wheel, or major structural damage. Tell the officer or dispatcher that a vehicle is unsafe and needs a tow. A vehicle made inoperable enough to require a wrecker is one of the circumstances that requires a Florida long-form traffic-crash report.

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What information must drivers exchange?

Florida requires the involved driver to provide identifying and vehicle information. At minimum, exchange:

  • Full name and current address of each driver.
  • Vehicle registration number (the plate number).
  • Driver-license information when requested and available.
  • Vehicle owner’s name and address when the owner is different from the driver.
  • Insurance information and the policy or insurer details available at the scene.
  • Passenger names and contact information.
  • Witness names, telephone numbers, and email addresses if they are willing to provide them.

Record the information yourself and check that plate and telephone numbers are legible. A photograph of an insurance card or license plate can prevent transcription errors, but do not photograph personal documents for anything beyond the claim and report process.

Do I have to call the police after a minor car accident in Florida?

Not every low-damage collision requires a police report, but Florida’s threshold is not simply “minor” versus “serious.” Immediate notice is required when the crash involves a death, an injury, or apparent property damage of at least $500. “Apparent” matters: you must act on the damage that can reasonably be seen at the time, not wait for a later repair estimate.

For a crash inside a municipality, the reporting statute identifies the local police department. Outside a municipality, it identifies the county sheriff or the nearest Florida Highway Patrol office. In Miami-Dade, the correct agency therefore depends on the location of the collision, not merely where you live or where the vehicle is registered.

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Call law enforcement even when the visible damage appears below $500 if a person reports pain, a driver may be impaired, the other driver refuses to exchange information, the crash is a hit-and-run, a vehicle is unsafe, a commercial motor vehicle is involved, or the scene cannot be made safe. Those facts can change the report type and the practical need for an officer.

Florida crash situations and the usual reporting consequence

Situation What to do immediately Report consequence
Death, injury, or reported pain or discomfort Call 911, provide reasonable assistance, and remain at the scene. Law-enforcement notice is required; Florida criteria call for a long-form traffic-crash report.
Apparent property damage of at least $500 Stop, exchange information, and contact the agency required for the location. Immediate notice is required even if no one appears injured.
Property damage below the apparent $500 threshold and no other qualifying factor Stop, exchange information, and document the scene. A law-enforcement report may not be required; if so, the driver must file a written FLHSMV report within 10 days.
Vehicle disabled enough to require a wrecker Get people out of traffic and arrange a safe tow. Florida’s long-form report criteria apply.
Hit-and-run or suspected DUI violation Call police, preserve evidence, and do not chase the other vehicle. Long-form reporting criteria apply; provide the direction, plate, vehicle description, and driver description if known.
Commercial motor vehicle Call law enforcement and exchange commercial-vehicle and insurer details. Florida’s long-form report criteria apply.

The table describes the statutory distinctions; an officer may still document a crash in a different format when the facts support it. If you are uncertain whether the $500 threshold is met, call the appropriate agency rather than guessing.

How long do I have to report a car accident in Florida?

There are three different timing rules. Keeping them separate prevents the most common reporting mistake.

1. Immediate notice for qualifying crashes

For a crash involving death, injury, or apparent property damage of at least $500, Florida requires notice by the quickest means of communication available. Use the local police department for a crash within a municipality; outside a municipality, use the county sheriff or nearest Florida Highway Patrol office. Do not wait for a repair estimate, an insurer’s instructions, or the end of the day.

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2. The officer’s report deadline is not your deadline

Florida law sets timing for an officer or agency to submit a report after completing an investigation. That administrative deadline does not authorize a driver to wait before making the immediate notice required at the scene.

3. The driver’s 10-day self-report

When property damage occurred but a law-enforcement report is not required, the driver must submit a written crash report to FLHSMV within 10 days. Florida Statutes § 316.066(1)(e) states: “The driver of a vehicle that was in any manner involved in a crash resulting in damage to a vehicle or other property which does not require a law enforcement report shall, within 10 days after the crash, submit a written report of the crash to the department.”

Use the current FLHSMV driver self-report form and follow its submission directions. The form instructs the driver to keep a copy and provides email and mail submission routes. Retain the completed form, proof of submission, photographs, and any exchange information with your claim records.

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What kind of Florida crash report will be created?

Long-form report

Florida’s long-form traffic-crash report criteria include a death, an injury or reported pain or discomfort, a hit-and-run, a DUI violation, a vehicle made inoperable enough to require a wrecker, or involvement of a commercial motor vehicle. The report identifies drivers, owners, passengers, witnesses, the investigating officer, insurers, and other facts required by the statute.

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Short-form report or exchange documentation

Other public-road crashes may be documented with a short-form report or an exchange form. The absence of an officer’s report does not eliminate your duty to stop, remain, exchange information, assist injured people, or complete the 10-day FLHSMV report when that rule applies.

What should I do about insurance and medical care?

Notify your insurer promptly

Report the collision to your insurer as soon as practical under the policy’s instructions. Give the date, time, location, vehicles, injuries, law-enforcement agency, and known damage. Ask for a claim number and the preferred method for sending photographs and documents. Insurance notification does not replace statutory notice to law enforcement or the FLHSMV self-report.

Get an appropriate medical assessment

Seek medical evaluation for pain, dizziness, numbness, headache, reduced movement, or any symptom that develops after the crash. Tell the provider that the symptoms followed a motor-vehicle collision and keep bills, discharge instructions, prescriptions, and follow-up records.

Florida’s insurance and personal-injury rules can depend on policy language and individual facts. The sources used for this guide do not establish a current personal-injury-protection notice or treatment deadline, so check your policy and ask your insurer or a qualified Florida professional about a particular claim rather than relying on a generic deadline.

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How do I get a Miami-Dade crash report?

Miami-Dade County says a traffic-crash report may take up to 10 days to become available. After the report is filed, eligible crash parties can access it through the county’s records route to the Florida Traffic Crash Reports online system.

  1. Wait for the report to be processed; availability can take up to 10 days.
  2. Use Miami-Dade County’s current “Request Reports & Records: Traffic Crash Reports” page to reach the Florida Traffic Crash Reports online system.
  3. Provide the identifying information requested for the crash and your role as a party or otherwise eligible requester.
  4. Save the report and note the report number for your insurer, medical providers, and any later claim or legal consultation.

Crash reports are initially restricted to eligible parties. Miami-Dade states that reports become public after 60 days, consistent with Florida’s statutory confidentiality period. Access rules and online availability can change, so use the county’s current records instructions rather than an old form or third-party listing.

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Special situations that need extra care

Hit-and-run

Call police immediately, preserve photographs and vehicle debris, and write down the fleeing vehicle’s plate, color, make, model, direction, and distinctive damage. Ask witnesses to remain until officers arrive or provide contact details. Do not follow or confront the fleeing driver.

Unattended parked vehicle or other property

Stop and follow Florida’s unattended-property procedure. Make a reasonable effort to identify and notify the owner as required, leave accurate identifying information when required, and contact law enforcement if you cannot complete the notification or if the property owner cannot be located. Photograph the damage and the location.

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Suspected impaired driver

Keep distance, move to safety if possible, and call 911. Do not attempt to detain the driver or take risks to obtain additional evidence. Tell the dispatcher what you observed, such as erratic lane movement, an odor of alcohol, or difficulty walking.

Commercial vehicle or significant roadway hazard

Report the commercial-vehicle involvement and any spilled cargo, blocked lane, downed signal, or damaged guardrail. Keep people away from traffic and hazardous materials until responders secure the area.

Common mistakes after a Miami crash

  • Leaving because the other driver says the damage is “nothing.”
  • Waiting for an insurer to decide whether the crash meets Florida’s $500 apparent-damage threshold.
  • Assuming the officer’s report deadline replaces the driver’s immediate-notice duty.
  • Forgetting the separate 10-day FLHSMV self-report when no law-enforcement report is required.
  • Moving a vehicle into a dangerous position to preserve evidence, or driving a car that is not safe.
  • Failing to document witnesses, passengers, roadway conditions, or the original vehicle positions.
  • Admitting fault, signing an unfamiliar statement, or arguing at the scene.
  • Relying on an old Miami-Dade access page instead of the county’s current records instructions.

A compact records checklist

Before closing the claim file, keep one folder containing:

  • Photos and videos with the date and location noted.
  • Driver, owner, insurer, passenger, and witness information.
  • Police, exchange-form, or FLHSMV self-report details.
  • Miami-Dade crash-report number and downloaded report when available.
  • Medical records, receipts, towing invoices, and repair estimates.
  • Insurer claim number, adjuster contact information, and written communications.

This record makes it easier to answer follow-up questions without guessing and keeps the statutory reporting steps distinct from the insurance claim process.

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car accidentscrash reportsdriver safetyFlorida traffic lawinsurance claimsMiami

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