Florida · Injured in a crash

Injured in a Car Accident in Lake Worth Beach?

A rear-end on Dixie Highway by the Lake Worth Playhouse, a motorcycle down at the light on Lake Worth Road, a crash on the I-95 ramps at 10th Avenue North or 6th Avenue South with the morning commute backed up behind it. If you were just in a crash in Lake Worth Beach and you are trying to figure out what to do next, this page is the short version, with the Lake Worth Beach-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. The closest 24-hour emergency room is HCA Florida JFK Hospital, on Congress Avenue in Atlantis just west of the city. It is not a trauma center. The most serious crash injuries go to St. Mary's Medical Center in West Palm Beach or Delray Medical Center, both Level I trauma centers. 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 Worth Beach

Lake Worth Beach no longer has its own police department. The city merged its force into the Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office in 2008, and PBSO deputies from District 14 respond to crashes inside the city under contract. On I-95 it is usually the Florida Highway Patrol, and west of the city along Lake Worth Road it is PBSO as well. Ask the deputy or trooper 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 Worth Beach crashes happen

The stretches that come up most: I-95 and its ramps at 10th Avenue North and 6th Avenue South, Lake Worth Road (which becomes Lake Avenue downtown), Dixie Highway from the Lantana line to West Palm Beach, Federal Highway, and Lucerne Avenue. Downtown is a grid of narrow one-way streets with many people on foot and on bikes, and the crashes there are often a car versus a pedestrian or a cyclist. On the interstate it is speed and lane changes. Photos of the intersection, the signals and the lane markings matter, because many of these crashes 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.