Florida · Injured in a crash

Injured in a Car Accident in Margate?

A rear-end on State Road 7 at Atlantic Boulevard in the evening rush, a T-bone at Coconut Creek Parkway and Rock Island Road, a chain reaction on Florida's Turnpike near the Atlantic Boulevard ramps. If you were just in a crash in Margate, or nearby in Coconut Creek, North Lauderdale, Coral Springs or Tamarac, and you are trying to figure out what to do next, this page is the short version, with the Margate-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. Margate has a full hospital inside the city. HCA Florida Northwest Hospital, which many people still call Northwest Medical Center, at 2801 North State Road 7 has a 24-hour emergency room right on 441. For the most serious crashes, Broward Health North in Pompano Beach is the Level II trauma center for the north end of the county, and Broward Health Medical Center at 1600 South Andrews Avenue in Fort Lauderdale is a Level I trauma center. 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 Margate

Inside city limits, the Margate Police Department responds to crashes. Its headquarters and records unit are at 5790 Margate Boulevard, next to City Hall, and the records unit handles crash report requests during business hours. The city lines here are close together: Coconut Creek, Coral Springs and North Lauderdale each have their own police department, and Tamarac is covered by the Broward Sheriff's Office, so a crash on the far side of State Road 7, Atlantic Boulevard or Rock Island Road may belong to a different agency. On Florida's Turnpike, which runs along the east side of the city, and on the Sawgrass Expressway it is usually 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 Margate crashes happen

The stretches that come up most: State Road 7, which is US-441, from Coconut Creek Parkway north past Margate Boulevard, Royal Palm Boulevard and the hospital to Atlantic Boulevard and the Coconut Creek line, a wide, fast road lined with plazas, car lots and driveways for its entire length, Atlantic Boulevard from the Turnpike west through 441 and Rock Island Road to Coral Springs, where several serious pedestrian and hit-and-run crashes have happened near Lakewood Circle, Coconut Creek Parkway from 441 west to Rock Island Road, Rock Island Road, the main north-south road through the west side of the city, Margate Boulevard and Royal Palm Boulevard, and the Turnpike ramps at Atlantic Boulevard, where traffic coming off the Turnpike meets a solid line of cars at the lights. On 441 and Atlantic the crashes are rear-ends at the lights, left turns across three lanes into a plaza, and lane changes around a car slowing to turn. On the Turnpike they are high speed with several vehicles. 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.