Florida · Injured in a crash

Injured in a Car Accident in Plantation?

A rear-end on University Drive at Broward Boulevard in the evening rush, a T-bone at Pine Island Road and Sunrise Boulevard, a chain reaction on I-595 near the University Drive ramps. If you were just in a crash in Plantation, or nearby in Sunrise, Davie or Lauderhill, and you are trying to figure out what to do next, this page is the short version, with the Plantation-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. Plantation has a full hospital inside the city. HCA Florida Westside Hospital at 8201 West Broward Boulevard, just east of Pine Island Road, has a 24-hour emergency room. For the most serious crashes, the trauma center for this part of the county is Broward Health Medical Center at 1600 South Andrews Avenue in Fort Lauderdale, a Level I trauma center that is a straight run east on I-595 or Broward Boulevard. 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 Plantation

Inside city limits, the Plantation Police Department responds to crashes. Its headquarters and records unit are at 451 NW 70th Terrace, off Broward Boulevard, and the department says crash reports can be requested in person at the records unit with a crash report request form, with copies available after about five working days, or online through the Florida Crash Portal. Sunrise and Davie each have their own police department, and Lauderhill does too, so a crash on the Sunrise side of Sunrise Boulevard or the Davie side of I-595 may belong to a different agency. On I-595 and Florida's Turnpike 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 Plantation crashes happen

The stretches that come up most: University Drive from Sunrise Boulevard south past Broward Boulevard and Peters Road to I-595, one of the busiest surface streets in Broward County, with the mall, the office parks and a plaza at nearly every corner, Broward Boulevard from the Turnpike west through University Drive, Pine Island Road and Nob Hill Road to Flamingo Road, Sunrise Boulevard along the north side of the city, Pine Island Road and Nob Hill Road, the north-south roads that carry traffic between Sunrise Boulevard, Broward Boulevard and I-595, Peters Road, and the I-595 ramps at University Drive, Pine Island Road and Nob Hill Road, where cars coming off the expressway meet a solid line of traffic at the lights. On University and Broward 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. Nob Hill Road has seen serious crashes where speed was a factor. On I-595 they are high speed with several vehicles, and this stretch has seen wrong-way crashes. 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.