Can a Police Report Be Changed After a Car Accident?

Seeing your police car accident report for the first time can stop you in your tracks. Maybe the officer listed you as the at-fault driver. Maybe key injuries are missing. Maybe a simple detail is wrong, but that small error could sway an insurance adjuster who wasn’t there to see what really happened.

We talk to clients every day who feel panicked or helpless when the police report doesn’t match what they lived through. The good news is that mistakes do happen, and you do have options to correct factual errors or challenge the version of events if it’s incomplete.

Let’s walk through what you can do next and how we help people turn a bad report around.

Can a Police Report Be Changed After a Crash?

Yes. In Florida, factual mistakes in a police report can often be corrected. These include errors like the wrong vehicle information, incorrect time or location, or missing contact details. Officers may amend a police report or supplement it with additional facts if you provide proof.

Correcting opinion-based findings, such as the officer’s interpretation of how the crash happened, is much harder. Florida law gives officers discretion, and many agencies won’t alter their narrative once the report is filed. Even so, disputed opinions can still be challenged through evidence in your injury claim. A wrong narrative doesn’t lock you out of compensation.

Let’s look at why the report carries so much weight in the first place.

Why the Police Report Matters in Your Florida Claim

Insurance companies rely heavily on police reports when deciding fault and settlement value. The officer didn’t see the crash, but their narrative often becomes the foundation adjusters use to deny or minimize claims. When the report is wrong, you feel like you’re starting your case already behind.

The report doesn’t decide your entire case. It’s meaningful, but it’s only one piece of evidence. Your medical records, photos, witness statements, event data, and our investigation often carry more weight than a rushed narrative written at the accident scene. 

To see where mistakes happen and why they matter, it helps to know what officers include in a Florida crash report.

What’s Inside a Florida Crash Report

In Florida, a crash report contains:

• Driver, passenger, and witness names
• Insurance and vehicle information
• Date, time, and exact crash location
• Road and weather conditions
• Diagrams and the officer’s narrative
• Visible injuries and property damage
• Citations issued at the scene

Because officers gather all this information under stressful and fast-moving conditions, it’s no surprise that errors appear more often than people expect.

Errors Are More Common Than You May Think

Police reports may include errors, and this happens more often than you may think. They don’t occur by the hundreds, but they certainly occur. Police officers are human, too. The officer who arrives on the scene of your accident may be tired, overworked, or in a hurry. Filling out accident forms becomes almost automatic for police officers, and it can be easy to switch on autopilot and make an error. 

Common police errors mistakes are:

• Wrong driver names, plates, or insurance details
• Missing or inaccurate injury information
• Incorrect lane positions
• Witness names are missing or spelled incorrectly
• A narrative that favors one driver’s story
• Damage descriptions that don’t match the photos

These errors can shift fault percentages or make your injuries look less serious, which can reduce your settlement.

It’s important that you, the victim of a car accident, or the person found to be at-fault, thoroughly read the police report as soon as you are given a copy. If you are a victim, errors in a submitted police report can impact how much you are awarded. You could be losing out on a higher settlement from the insurance company. This means you may not be given the money you need to get your car fixed or your medical bills paid.

One of the most common questions we get prior to the filing of a personal injury case is what to do when an error is discovered on a police report, or you disagree with a police report.

What You Can Do To Change Factual Errors

1. First, collect evidence.

The best thing you can do following an accident is to document your own injuries if you are able to do so. Not only should you seek medical attention regardless of whether or not you believe you are injured, but you should also take pictures of any visible injuries that you have, including minor scrapes. If you fail to seek medical attention for your injuries, that fact could be used against you later by insurance companies, resulting in a denial of your claim.

Gather visual evidence. If it is safe to do so, take pictures of the car accident and everything else. Take pictures or videos of the damage to both cars, the road conditions, and the conditions of the surrounding area. If either car sustains damage, be sure to take close-up photos that detail the exact damage properly. If you are able to wait, do not have your car repaired until your attorney tells you it is okay to do so. This will help you correct or make changes if you disagree with a police report. But it will also help with your case against the insurance company or the at-fault driver.

Gather any information that witnesses to the accident are willing to give. Typically, all you need is a name and contact information. Your attorney may use this information later should you decide to file a personal injury lawsuit. Some witnesses may be hesitant to give you their personal information. If this is the case, ask that they at least give it to the police or emergency personnel who responded to the scene.

2. Second, ask to change factual errors. 

At the very minimum, submitting your own written statement to the police as quickly as possible may dramatically change the outcome of your case. But be wary. Do not embellish or provide unnecessary information, because tall tales or even exaggeration can HURT your car. Be sure to speak with your attorney directly before making any written or verbal statements to the police.

At the very minimum submitting your own written statement to the police as quickly as possible may dramatically change the outcome of your case. But be wary. Do not embellish over provide unnecessary information, because tall tales or even exaggeration can HURT your car. Be sure to speak with your attorney directly before making any written or verbal statements to the police.

What About Disputed Information? 

What if the facts are correct, but you disagree with a police report’s characterization of the accident, or the version of the accident as it was described? Now, this can be a little more tricky. When you question an officer’s judgment of the events, or eye witness testimony, you are now entering a very subjective area.

You can write up your own version of the events of the accident, include documentation to support your version, and submit that document to the police department, in hopes that they will include it in the original accident report. That, however, is their decision to make. Most times, law enforcement agencies will not include your submission after the fact.

Be sure to keep any and all communication in written form. Email is best if possible.

When you are involved in a vehicle collision, you are understandably anxious and emotional. Don’t let those emotions cloud your judgment. Remember that you do not have to contact the insurance company immediately, though you may be given a limited amount of time to do so. You will typically have enough time to read the police report and attempt to have any necessary corrections made before you file a claim. If you believe that you need assistance in making an incorrect police report right, contact your attorney for assistance.

How a Wrong Police Report Affects Your Car Accident Claim

Florida is a no-fault state, so you can still access PIP benefits for medical care even if the report lists you as at fault. Your PIP claim is not fully controlled by what the officer wrote.

Fault matters more when you pursue compensation beyond PIP. Florida now follows modified comparative negligence, which means you cannot recover damages if you’re found more than 50% responsible for the crash. A report that inaccurately shifts blame onto you can play into the insurance company’s advantage.

That’s why correcting factual errors and challenging disputed narratives early helps protect your case value. A wrong detail can affect everything from property damage decisions to the final settlement amount.

How Long Do You Have to Fix a Police Report?

There isn’t a formal deadline to request an amendment, but timing matters. Accident reports are often written quickly, and insurers begin forming their position almost immediately.

Act as soon as you notice a problem. Evidence fades, witnesses move, and insurance adjusters anchor themselves to the first version they see. Early action gives you the best chance of getting your correction reviewed and strengthening your case before negotiations begin.

How Our Team Helps When the Report Is Wrong

Our accident attorneys step in early to protect your rights and strengthen your case. We know how quickly an incorrect police report can influence an insurance company’s position, so we move fast to level the playing field.

Our team:

• Reviews your report for factual mistakes and interpretive errors
• Requests corrections or supplements with proper documentation
• Tracks down missing witnesses and any overlooked evidence
• Works with accident reconstruction specialists and medical experts when needed
• Challenges to unfair fault assessments during negotiations
• Manages all communication with insurers who rely too heavily on a flawed report

If you’re dealing with a crash and the police report is wrong, we’re here to help. A single error shouldn’t define your case or your future.

We serve across Florida, including West Palm Beach, Miami, Fort Lauderdale, Tampa, Port St. Lucie, and more, Tennessee and Texas. Reach out for a free case evaluation. We’ll review your report, your injuries, your property damage, and everything you’ve gathered so far, then guide you on the next steps.

Your story matters more than the report. Let’s make sure it’s heard.