Florida · Injured in a crash

Injured in a Car Accident in Lake Wales?

A rear-end on State Road 60 near the US 27 interchange, a truck crash on Highway 60 east of town, a T-bone on Scenic Highway coming into Frostproof. If you were just in a crash in Lake Wales or anywhere along the Ridge and you are trying to figure out what to do next, this page is the short version, with the Lake Wales-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. AdventHealth Lake Wales on South 11th Street, the old Lake Wales Medical Center, has a 24-hour emergency room and is the closest ER for Lake Wales, Frostproof, Babson Park and Lake Wales Ridge. The trauma center for Polk County is Lakeland Regional Health Medical Center in Lakeland, a Level I trauma center, so the most serious crashes on Highway 60 and US 27 are usually flown or driven there. 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 Lake Wales

Inside city limits, the Lake Wales Police Department responds to crashes. Its headquarters and records unit are at 133 East Tillman Avenue downtown, and the department takes records requests through the form on the city website. Frostproof does not have its own police department. The city contracts with the Polk County Sheriff's Office, which works out of a station at Frostproof City Hall on West 1st Street, and the Sheriff's Office also covers the unincorporated areas between the towns, Babson Park, and most of the crashes out on Highway 60 toward Lake Wales Ridge and Walk-in-Water Road. On US 27 and the state roads outside the city it is often the Florida Highway Patrol. Ask the officer or deputy 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 Lake Wales crashes happen

The stretches that come up most: State Road 60 across the whole city, from the US 27 interchange on the west side through town and east past Boy Scout Camp Road and Walk-in-Water Road, where two-lane highway, citrus and cattle trucks, and morning fog have produced some of Polk County's worst crashes, US 27 from Lake Wales south through Frostproof, State Road 17, the Scenic Highway, which runs the length of the Ridge through Lake Wales and straight through the middle of Frostproof, Burns Avenue, and 1st Street and Central Avenue downtown. Out here the crashes are different from the big cities: high-speed head-ons and rear-ends on two-lane roads, trucks turning onto the highway from side roads, motorcycles, and drivers who did not stop at a stop sign. Photos of the road, the signs, the skid marks and the weather matter, because with fewer witnesses these crashes often turn into arguments about who pulled out and who was speeding.

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.