Which Law Enforcement Agencies Investigate Car Accidents In Florida?

While talking to clients we ask which police agency investigated their accident so we can request the police report; however, oftentimes clients are not sure who investigated their accident. With all the chaos and commotion of the accident people often don’t pay attention to that so I wanted to discuss the different agencies that might investigate an accident.

Most of the accidents that we see are investigated by the Florida Highway Patrol. The Florida Highway Patrol investigates any car accident that results in a fatality or serious injuries. Florida Highway Patrol troopers have tan uniforms and typically have black vehicles with a tan trim. The reason why Florida Highway Patrol troopers investigate accidents with fatalities and serious injuries, is because they typically have more significant training in crash scene investigation and accident reconstruction.

When an accident occurs in a part of the County that isn’t within the boundaries of a city or town, then it’s typically the County’s Sheriff’s office that investigates. You can usually recognize a sheriff deputy by their dark green uniforms and white vehicles with green stripes or lettering.

There are no police agencies that have authority over accidents that happen on private property such as the parking lot of a shopping center. Local law enforcement may come to the scene of the accident, but they’re not allowed to issue citations. So many times we see accident reports that happen on private property, where an officer will come and investigate and do his or her best to figure out what happened with the accident and they’ll even assign blame.

If you have any questions regarding a law enforcement agency that investigated your Florida accident, please reach out to us. Please call us at 407-565-7386 or text us at 407-644-4444. We are always happy to offer a no obligation, free consultation to discuss your case with you.