Florida · Injured in a crash

Injured in a Car Accident in Boynton Beach?

A rear-end on Boynton Beach Boulevard at Congress by the mall, a T-bone at Woolbright and Military Trail, a pileup on I-95 at the Gateway Boulevard ramps in the morning rush. If you were just in a crash in Boynton Beach and you are trying to figure out what to do next, this page is the short version, with the Boynton-specific details, and links to the full guides.

It costs nothing to find out

If you are reading this and thinking you cannot afford a lawyer, read this part first. Personal injury lawyers do not charge you to talk, do not charge by the hour, and do not charge anything unless they recover money for you. The fee comes out of the recovery at the end, never out of your pocket. The first conversation is free. Call Clyne is free too: we ask you a few questions and connect you with a licensed Florida attorney who looks at your case at no cost. Nobody will ask you for money. Read How Much Does a Car Accident Lawyer Cost.

First, the two things that matter most in Florida

See a doctor within 14 days. Florida is a no-fault state, and your own policy's Personal Injury Protection pays your first medical bills no matter who caused the crash, but only if you get treatment within 14 days. Bethesda Hospital East at 2815 South Seacrest Boulevard, part of Baptist Health, has a 24-hour emergency room on the east side of the city between Woolbright and Golf Road. The area's trauma center is Delray Medical Center on Linton Boulevard in Delray Beach, a Level I trauma center and one of only two in Palm Beach County, so the most serious crashes in Boynton are usually taken a few miles south. Urgent care or your own doctor counts too. Read the 14-day rule guide.

Do not give the other driver's insurer a recorded statement. They will call fast and sound friendly. You are not required to talk to them. Read what to say when they call.

Getting your crash report in Boynton Beach

Inside city limits, the Boynton Beach Police Department responds to crashes. Its headquarters and records division are at 2100 High Ridge Road, just off Gateway Boulevard west of I-95, and the department takes report requests in person, by phone through its records division, and online through the city's website. In the unincorporated areas west of the city, the communities along Boynton Beach Boulevard past Jog Road and out toward Lyons Road, it is usually the Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office, and on I-95 and Florida's Turnpike it is the Florida Highway Patrol. Ask the officer at the scene which agency wrote the report and get the report number.

Florida crash reports are available online through the state's Florida Crash Portal, usually within about ten days, and from the responding agency's records unit. For the first 60 days the report is only available to the people involved, their insurers and their lawyers, so have your license and the report number ready.

Roads where Boynton Beach crashes happen

The stretches that come up most: Boynton Beach Boulevard from I-95 west past Congress Avenue and the mall to Military Trail and Jog Road, Congress Avenue from Gateway south to Woolbright, which carries the mall traffic, the hospital traffic and the I-95 overflow all at once, Gateway Boulevard at Congress and at the I-95 ramps, Woolbright Road from Federal Highway to Military Trail, including the I-95 interchange, and Federal Highway through the older part of town near Ocean Avenue. Most of these roads are six lanes wide with a plaza driveway every few hundred feet, and the crashes are rear-ends at the lights, left turns across oncoming traffic, and drivers cutting across lanes to reach a turn lane or a shopping center entrance. On I-95 the stretch between Woolbright and Gateway backs up hard in both directions, and the crashes there are usually chain reactions in stopped traffic. Photos of the intersection, the signals and the lane markings matter, because these crashes often turn into arguments about who had the light or who changed lanes.

What to do in the first 48 hours

• Call 911 and get a report, even for a "small" crash.
• Photograph both cars, both licenses, both insurance cards, and the scene.
• See a doctor within 14 days. Sooner is better.
• Report the crash to your own insurer. Facts only.
• Do not accept a quick check or sign anything from the other driver's insurer.
• Keep every bill, receipt and visit summary.

The full step-by-step list is in What to Do After a Car Accident in Florida.

Know the Florida clock

For most car accident injury claims in Florida you have two years from the date of the crash to file a lawsuit, and if you are found more than half at fault you recover nothing. Both changed in 2023. Details in How Long Do You Have to File in Florida.

When to talk to a lawyer

Not every fender bender needs one. Talk to a lawyer when you were injured and are still treating after a week or two, when the other driver was uninsured or fled, when fault is being disputed, or when you missed work. Florida personal injury lawyers work on contingency, which means no fee unless they recover money for you, and the first conversation is free. More in Do I Need a Lawyer If It Wasn't My Fault and How Much Does a Car Accident Lawyer Cost.

More Florida towns and the full set of guides: Car accidents in Florida.

Call Clyne is a lawyer referral service, not a law firm. Stephen Clyne is not an attorney. This article is general information, not legal advice, and laws change. Talk to a licensed Florida attorney about your situation.