Florida · Injured in a crash

Injured in a Car Accident in Vero Beach?

A rear-end on State Road 60 near the Indian River Mall in the afternoon rush, a T-bone at US 1 and State Road 60 downtown, a rollover on Oslo Road out by the I-95 interchange. If you were just in a crash in Vero Beach, or nearby in Sebastian, Gifford, Indian River Shores, Fellsmere or anywhere else in Indian River County, and you are trying to figure out what to do next, this page is the short version, with the Vero 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. Vero Beach has a full hospital inside the city. Cleveland Clinic Indian River Hospital at 1000 36th Street, just west of US 1 on the north side of town, has a 24-hour emergency department. It is not a designated trauma center, so the most seriously injured crash victims from Indian River County are usually flown or driven south to HCA Florida Lawnwood Hospital in Fort Pierce, the Level II trauma center that serves the Treasure Coast. 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 Vero Beach

Inside city limits, the Vero Beach Police Department responds to crashes. Its headquarters are at 1055 20th Street, and crash reports are requested through the city's records office next door at 1053 20th Place or purchased online. The city itself covers only about two percent of Indian River County, so most of what people think of as Vero Beach, including the neighborhoods west of 43rd Avenue, the area around the Indian River Mall, Gifford and everything out toward I-95, is actually unincorporated county and is covered by the Indian River County Sheriff's Office. Sebastian has its own police department, and Indian River Shores on the barrier island has its own public safety department. On I-95, State Road 60 west of town, Oslo Road and the other state roads it is often the Florida Highway Patrol, and the Patrol investigates many of the serious and fatal crashes in the county. 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 Vero Beach crashes happen

The stretches that come up most: State Road 60, which is 20th Street in town, from the Merrill Barber Bridge west through US 1, 27th Avenue and 43rd Avenue past the Indian River Mall and 58th Avenue to the I-95 interchange and on toward Yeehaw Junction, a wide, fast road where the intersection at US 1 has long been among the worst in the county and where serious crashes with multiple trauma alerts have happened near the mall, US 1 from Oslo Road north through downtown, the hospital area and Gifford to Sebastian and Roseland, a long line of signals, plazas and left turns where fatal crashes have shut down all lanes, Oslo Road, which is 9th Street SW, from US 1 west to the new I-95 interchange, where the construction and the trucks cutting through on 82nd and 90th avenues have raised safety concerns, Indian River Boulevard along the lagoon from 37th Street south to 4th Street, 27th Avenue and 43rd Avenue, 16th Street and 12th Street, 8th Avenue, A1A on the barrier island through Indian River Shores, and the I-95 ramps at State Road 60 and Oslo Road. On 60 and US 1 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, while on I-95 and the open stretches of State Road 60 west of town they are high speed, often a single car leaving the road or overcorrecting off the shoulder. Photos of the intersection, the signals, the sight lines 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.