Florida · Injured in a crash

Injured in a Car Accident in Deerfield Beach?

A rear-end on Hillsboro Boulevard at the I-95 ramps, a T-bone at Sample Road and Powerline, a chain reaction on Federal Highway near the Hillsboro bridge on a Saturday afternoon. If you were just in a crash in Deerfield Beach and you are trying to figure out what to do next, this page is the short version, with the Deerfield-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. Deerfield Beach has its trauma center right in town: Broward Health North at 201 East Sample Road, on the Deerfield and Pompano Beach line just east of I-95, is a Level II trauma center with a 24-hour emergency room, and it is where the most serious crashes in northern Broward County are taken. Boca Raton Regional Hospital, just across the county line to the north, also has a 24-hour emergency room. 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 Deerfield Beach

Deerfield Beach does not have its own police department. The city contracts with the Broward Sheriff's Office, and BSO's Deerfield Beach district office is at 300 Northeast 2nd Street, near City Hall and Federal Highway. BSO handles records requests, including crash reports, through its online public records portal, so you will usually not need to go to the district office in person. On I-95, Florida's Turnpike and the Sawgrass Expressway it is the Florida Highway Patrol. If the crash happened just over the line in Boca Raton, it is the Boca Raton Police Services Department, and in Pompano Beach it is also BSO, under a different district. Ask the deputy or 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 Deerfield Beach crashes happen

The stretches that come up most: Hillsboro Boulevard from the I-95 interchange east through Military Trail, Powerline Road and Federal Highway to the beach, which is the main road across the city and carries the mall, the office park and the beach traffic together, Sample Road from the Turnpike east to Federal Highway, including the I-95 ramps and the hospital entrance, Powerline Road between Hillsboro and Sample, Military Trail, Federal Highway (US-1) through the middle of town and at the Hillsboro bridge, and I-95 itself between Sample Road and Hillsboro Boulevard, where the traffic stacks up every morning and evening and the crashes are chain reactions in stopped traffic. Off the highway, most of these roads are wide, fast and lined with plaza driveways, and the crashes are rear-ends at the lights, left turns across three lanes, and drivers changing lanes to get around someone turning. 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.