Florida · Injured in a crash

Injured in a Car Accident in Lehigh Acres?

A left turn across Lee Boulevard by the shopping plazas, a rear-end on SR 82 in the evening rush back from Fort Myers, a car that ran the stop sign on one of the hundreds of unlit residential streets off Joel Boulevard. If you were just in a crash in Lehigh Acres and you are trying to figure out what to do next, this page is the short version, with the Lehigh 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. HCA Florida Lehigh Hospital on Lee Boulevard, the hospital most people still call Lehigh Regional, has a 24-hour emergency room, and the area's trauma center is Gulf Coast Medical Center in Fort Myers, where Lee Health moved its trauma program from Lee Memorial. 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 Lehigh Acres

Lehigh Acres is not a city, so there is no Lehigh police department. The Lee County Sheriff's Office responds to crashes on the local streets and boulevards, and on SR 82 it is often the Florida Highway Patrol. 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 Lehigh Acres crashes happen

The stretches that come up most: SR 82 between Lehigh and Fort Myers, which carries the commuter traffic and has a long record of fatal crashes, Lee Boulevard from Homestead Road to Joel Boulevard, Joel Boulevard north and south through the middle of town, Homestead Road, Gunnery Road and Sunshine Boulevard. Lehigh is a grid of narrow residential streets with few signals, canals along the shoulders and many intersections controlled only by stop signs, so failure-to-yield crashes and cars leaving the road are common. Photos of the stop signs, the sight lines and where each car came to rest matter a lot here, because there is often no camera and no witness.

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.