(Information you're probably missing right now)

"You can’t afford to miss previous accidents –
It’s just too important."

     Those are the exact words of an insurance professional who also happens to be a stickler for detail.

     She knows that when investigating an injury claim, missing even one previous accident or injury can make a huge difference in the final outcome. Sometimes it can make all the difference.

     Getting the full picture early on saves time and money. Hopefully the result will be a quick and acceptable settlement.

     Conversely, trying to make an evaluation without having all available information can be frustrating and costly. Which is why you should have the best chance of getting your hands on everything that might be relevant to the claim.

     Here is some little known information that will help you get better results.

Traffic Accident Reports

     First, the good news. Florida is one of very few states that offer statewide access to traffic accident report records. Right now there are two primary sources, one of which comes from a popular computer database. The other source is on microfilm.

     Since there are two sources, you might think checking either one would give you basically the same information, but that's not the case.

     The most widely known and popular of the two is the computer database. It provides good accident report summaries. However, there is one major flaw.

     As quick and convenient as it is, this database does not disclose thousands of Short Form accident reports, and roughly half of all recorded accidents are in Short Form reports.

     Which means if you rely only on this one source you will definitely miss finding accident reports!

     You probably already know how many claims result from Short Form reports.

     A lot of them!

     When you order a Factel Basic Accident History, you'll get checks of both traffic accident report sources (computer and historical traffic accident records). 

     The historical records aren't as convenient to access as the computer databases. It’s not as fast and does not give you as much information about any given accident.

     In fact, it’s really only a name index, and it takes quite a bit of time to look up the records.

     Also, because there is no way to positively I. D. subjects by date of birth, copies of the original report have to be ordered. And that could take a few weeks.

     But the disadvantages are insignificant when compared to one very significant and major advantage.

    Which means that one way to avoid missing important traffic accident information is to order a Factel Basic Accident History Report.

    When you do, you’ll get checks of two (2) sources of information on Florida traffic accident records. 

    Then there are times when you’ll be looking for information on an accident that you know happened but you won’t be able to find reference to it anywhere.

Here’s why

     Any database that provides Florida statewide traffic accident report data gets their information from one place - the Florida Department of Motor Vehicles.

     The State DMV collects information it receives from local agencies. It then sells the information to private companies who make it available to end users in summary form.

     The State depends on local agencies to promptly submit copies of traffic accident reports. However, some local agencies are behind in their reporting by months or even years! Obviously, if a local agency does not forward the reports, the Department of Motor Vehicles cannot disseminate the information and you will not find it in any database you check.

     And that’s not the only reason you will not find some reports. Even if the local agencies promptly furnish accident reports to the state, the computer databases take time to acquire and format the information. It can take months from the date of accident to get the information and make it available. So, when you go looking for a report on a fairly recent accident, you might not find it.

Fortunately, there’s another way

     When all else fails you can still find a report, even if you don’t know what agency investigated.

     Factel’s Ultimate Guide to Florida Law Enforcement Agencies has the only Florida county cross-reference of police agencies available anywhere. All you have to do is find the county where the accident took place and you’ll see all of the law enforcement agencies in that county.

     Chances are the accident was investigated by the Florida Highway Patrol, the County Sheriff, or a city police department. A few phone calls will probably locate your report.

     Computer databases are usually fine for this kind of inquiry, except if you need to go back beyond the 1980’s. If your subject is over 50, or is old enough to have had claims prior to 1980, the computer sources might not reveal the older claims because they do not reach far enough back in time.

     At Factel, we have Florida Workers’ Comp records dating from 1968. If your claimant was born before 1950, these records should be checked. Otherwise, you could be missing a pre-existing injury, or maybe even a permanent impairment rating that could significantly affect your claim.

Florida Driving Records

     Now hear this! If you are looking for all previous citations, including accidents—don’t order the standard Florida (7) year Florida Driving Record. It’s nowhere near complete.

     Three or even seven-year transcripts only reflect convictions, suspensions or revocations. They do not show all citations the driver has had or even all of the accidents.

     If your subject hired an attorney and was found not guilty, or went to driving school and had adjudication withheld, you probably won’t see those citations on the transcript!

     To illustrate, here’s an actual case example:

     We were running a criminal background check on a subject known to have been arrested for driving under the influence of drugs.

     The seven-year driving record showed two DUI’s in 1996.

     We didn’t know about the third DUI until we ordered a Florida statewide arrest record. It reflected a 1997 arrest for DUI-manslaughter, which was NOT on the driving record! 

     The subject was under the influence of narcotics and killed a pedestrian. Yet, there was no record of that extremely significant event on his driving record.

     That’s because almost two years later the court case was still pending!

     Since there was no conviction, the DUI-manslaughter was nowhere to be seen on the seven year driving record!

     Fortunately there is a solution to the problem. In Florida you can order a Complete Driving Record that reaches back at least ten years rather than only seven. Better yet, a Complete Driving Record reflects all citations, not just those resulting in convictions.

     If you want all the information you can get about a person’s driving history in Florida, order a Complete Driving Record.

Litigation Records

     Litigation Records are excellent sources of information on previous accidents and injuries.

     One obvious source of information on other injuries are Auto Negligence cases. However, there are several other types of cases that can provide excellent information, including:

     Other Negligence (slip and fall or other injury), Products Liability, Medical Malpractice, Intentional Torts, Battery, Money Owed (especially to a hospital or a doctor suing for an unpaid bill), Breach of Insurance Policy, Declaratory Actions or even Dissolution of Marriage. A former spouse can be a good source of information on previous accidents or injuries.

     Litigation records can provide documentary evidence so potentially valuable that this resource should never be overlooked when seeking information on other accidents, injuries, medical treatment or simply for background information.

     You can check the Index System, accident records, driving records, litigation records and every other available source of information, but you won’t find anything if your subject was injured while engaged in a sporting activity or happened to fall off a ladder while working at home.

     That’s because there’s nobody to file a claim against - - and nobody to sue.

     Which is why hospital records are often the only source of information on previous accidents, injuries of illnesses.

     When finding information about a subject’s prior medical history is a must, a hospital records search is an absolute must.

     You can check all of the above sources and still miss finding valuable information because records kept in doctors’ offices or pharmacies are not available in any database.

     By ordering a Medical Provider Check (searched by individual specialty), you can get leads to records maintained by:

     For any file that is important enough to leave no stone unturned, a Factel Medical Provider Check is the ultimate search.

     When you want a thorough check of previous or subsequent accidents and injuries in Florida, order a Factel Accident History Report. You’ll never have to run the risk missing critically important information again.

Note: Accident History Reports are available in Florida only.

Click here to open the Florida Accident/Injury Checklist --->
                                                                                                          

Copyright 2005 Factel, Inc.^®