Florida · Injured in a crash

Injured in a Car Accident in Miramar?

A rear-end on Miramar Parkway at Red Road in the evening rush, a T-bone at Pembroke Road and University Drive, a chain reaction on I-75 at the Miramar Parkway ramps. If you were just in a crash in Miramar and you are trying to figure out what to do next, this page is the short version, with the Miramar-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. Miramar has its own hospital on the west side: Memorial Hospital Miramar at 1901 SW 172nd Avenue, just off Miramar Parkway near I-75, with an emergency room open 24 hours a day, every day. The most serious crashes in south Broward are taken by ambulance to Memorial Regional Hospital at 3501 Johnson Street in Hollywood, a state-designated Level I trauma center and the only one in south Broward. 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 Miramar

Inside city limits, the Miramar Police Department responds to crashes. Its Records Unit is at police headquarters, 11765 City Hall Promenade, in the Town Center complex off Red Road, and the department says it is open Monday through Thursday, 7:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. You will need a photo ID, and the department points people to the state's online crash report system as the fastest option. On I-75 and Florida's Turnpike, which both cut through the city, it is usually the Florida Highway Patrol, and in the unincorporated areas just outside the city it may be the Broward Sheriff's Office. 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 Miramar crashes happen

The stretches that come up most: Miramar Parkway, which runs the full fourteen miles of the city from State Road 7 on the east to the Everglades levee on the west and passes the Town Center, the hospital and the I-75 interchange along the way, Pembroke Road along the north edge of the city, Red Road, which is also NW 57th Avenue and the county line on the east side, University Drive at Miramar Parkway and at Pembroke Road, and the two highways. I-75 crosses the west side of the city with interchanges at Miramar Parkway and at Pembroke Road, and the backups there spill onto the surface streets every weekday afternoon. Florida's Turnpike runs north-south through the middle of the city with the Miramar Parkway and Red Road interchanges close together. East Miramar, the older part of the city along State Road 7 and Pembroke Road, has narrower streets, more pedestrians and more crashes at low speed with people outside of cars. West Miramar is newer and the roads are wide and fast, and the crashes are rear-ends at the lights, left turns across three lanes of traffic into the shopping plazas, 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.