Florida · Injured in a crash

Injured in a Car Accident in Coconut Creek?

A rear-end on Lyons Road at Sample Road in the evening rush, a T-bone at Wiles Road and State Road 7, a chain reaction on Florida's Turnpike near the Sample Road ramps. If you were just in a crash in Coconut Creek, or nearby in Margate, Pompano Beach, Deerfield Beach, Coral Springs or Parkland, and you are trying to figure out what to do next, this page is the short version, with the Coconut Creek-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. Coconut Creek does not have a hospital inside the city, but there are two right at its edges. HCA Florida Northwest Hospital at 2801 North State Road 7 in Margate has a 24-hour emergency room just across the city line on 441, and Broward Health Coral Springs on Sample Road covers the west side. For the most serious crashes, Broward Health North on Sample Road in Deerfield Beach is the Level II trauma center for the north end of the county, and Broward Health Medical Center at 1600 South Andrews Avenue in Fort Lauderdale is a Level I trauma center. 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 Coconut Creek

Inside city limits, the Coconut Creek Police Department responds to crashes. Its headquarters is at 4800 West Copans Road, next to the city's government center, and the records unit there handles crash report requests by email, by mail and in person by appointment. The city lines are close together here: Margate, Coral Springs and Pompano Beach each have their own police department, and Deerfield Beach, Parkland and Tamarac are covered by the Broward Sheriff's Office, so a crash on the far side of State Road 7, Sample Road, Hillsboro Boulevard or Wiles Road may belong to a different agency. On Florida's Turnpike, which cuts through the middle of the city, and on the Sawgrass Expressway at the north end, it is usually 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 Coconut Creek crashes happen

The stretches that come up most: Lyons Road, the main north-south road through the city, from Coconut Creek Parkway north past Sample Road, Wiles Road and the Sawgrass Expressway ramps to Hillsboro Boulevard, where the intersection at Sample Road has seen fatal crashes, Sample Road from State Road 7 west past the Turnpike ramps and Lyons Road to Coral Springs, a wide, fast road lined with plazas and driveways, State Road 7, which is US-441, along the east side of the city from Coconut Creek Parkway north past Wiles Road to Hillsboro Boulevard and the Palm Beach County line, Wiles Road from 441 west through Lyons Road into Coral Springs, Hillsboro Boulevard along the north edge, Coconut Creek Parkway and Atlantic Boulevard along the south edge near the Margate line, Johnson Road, and the Turnpike itself, where the Sample Road interchange sends traffic straight into the lights. On Lyons, Sample and 441 the crashes are rear-ends at the lights, left turns across three lanes into a plaza, and lane changes around a car slowing to turn. On the Turnpike and the Sawgrass they are high speed with several vehicles. 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.