Florida · Injured in a crash

Injured in a Car Accident in Delray Beach?

A rear-end on Atlantic Avenue at Congress in the evening rush, a T-bone at Linton Boulevard and Military Trail, a chain reaction on I-95 at the Atlantic Avenue ramps. If you were just in a crash in Delray Beach and you are trying to figure out what to do next, this page is the short version, with the Delray-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. Delray Beach has an advantage most Florida cities do not: Delray Medical Center at 5352 Linton Boulevard, on the west side of the city near Military Trail, is a state-designated Level I trauma center with a 24-hour emergency room, one of only two trauma centers in Palm Beach County. The most serious crashes from Boca Raton to Lake Worth are brought here. 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 Delray Beach

Inside city limits, the Delray Beach Police Department responds to crashes. Its headquarters and records unit are at 300 West Atlantic Avenue, a few blocks west of the downtown strip, and the department says accident reports can be picked up there. In the unincorporated areas west of the city, the neighborhoods off Atlantic Avenue past Military Trail and out toward Jog 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 Delray Beach crashes happen

The stretches that come up most: Atlantic Avenue from I-95 west to Military Trail, where the traffic is heavy and every plaza has a driveway, Congress Avenue at Atlantic and at Linton, Linton Boulevard from Federal Highway out to Military Trail, including the I-95 interchange and the entrance to the hospital, Military Trail itself, and the I-95 ramps at Atlantic Avenue and Linton Boulevard, where the backup in both directions spills onto the surface streets every afternoon. Downtown, Atlantic Avenue east of Swinton is slow and crowded with pedestrians, cyclists and people pulling in and out of parking, and the crashes there tend to be low speed but with people outside of cars. Farther west the roads are wide and fast, and the crashes are rear-ends at the lights, left turns across three lanes of traffic, and drivers changing lanes to get around a turning car. 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.