Boca Raton Car Accident Lawyer

The average person will get into 3 to 4 car accidents over their lifetime, translating to approximately every 18 years. Even careful drivers who follow the rules of the road cannot always avoid a serious collision.

An injury can quickly lead to medical treatment, missed work, and expenses you never planned for. Having an experienced car accident lawyer on your side can help you deal with the insurance companies and pursue fair compensation for what you have lost.

Car accidents are a frequent occurrence on the roads of Boca Raton, Florida, and the consequences can extend well beyond damage to your vehicle. Serious injuries can leave you and your family facing medical bills, lost wages, and difficult decisions about what to do next.

Osborne, Francis & Pettis helps people injured in Boca Raton car accidents navigate the legal process and hold responsible parties accountable. To schedule a free case evaluation, contact us online or call us at (561) 264-6238.

Read on to learn how a Boca Raton car accident lawyer can assist you in pursuing justice and fair compensation for your injuries and damages.

“I am so thankful for Osborne & Francis. When you first have a car accident, you don’t know what to do. Attorney Ben Garcia went above and beyond for me. He was also able to answer any concerns that I had and guided me through every step of the way. Everyone here at Osborne & Francis was so helpful and always available for any questions or concerns. I am forever grateful for the care that I received here. Thank you all.”

- Vanessa R. | Client

Car Accidents in Boca Raton: What the Data Says

The existing statistics on this page date back to 2021, and Boca Raton has since taken additional steps to identify where serious crashes are happening and how the city can address them.

Boca Raton became a Vision Zero City in 2022, committing to the goal of eliminating traffic deaths and serious injuries. The city is now developing its Vision Zero Action Plan with federal Safe Streets and Roads for All funding. 

As of June 2026, the draft plan was undergoing public and regional review and was scheduled to go before the City Council for adoption in August.

Boca Raton also collects traffic counts twice each year, during the January-to-March peak season and again from June through August. The city uses those counts to identify problem areas, monitor traffic growth, and evaluate potential roadway and intersection improvements.

That matters in a city where several major corridors intersect within a relatively small area:

• Glades Road
• Yamato Road
• Palmetto Park Road
• Federal Highway
• Military Trail
• Spanish River Boulevard, and 
• Other heavily traveled roads carry commuters, visitors, commercial traffic, pedestrians, and cyclists throughout the day.

How Many Car Accident Deaths Happen in Boca Raton?

According to the Florida Department of Health, there have been over 3,000 fatalities due to motor vehicle traffic crashes in Florida each year since 2016. In one single year, the state reported 3,530 car crash deaths.

Over an 8-year span, Boca Raton alone lost 130 lives in motor vehicle fatalities.

Every one of those numbers represents a future erased and a family or community in mourning.

Boca Raton's Vision Zero initiative now places particular emphasis on crashes that cause death or serious injury. The city's stated goal is to eliminate both, rather than treating a certain number of severe crashes as an inevitable consequence of driving.

What Causes Most Boca Raton Car Accidents?

Some of the most common causes of car accidents in Boca Raton include:

• Speeding.
• Drunk driving.
• Distracted driving, including texting while driving.
• Fatigued or drowsy driving.
• Reckless behaviors like cutting off people on the highway, weaving around heavy traffic, or trying to beat red lights.
• Vehicle defects.
• Dangerous road or weather conditions.

Other dangers include inexperienced teen drivers, elderly drivers with vision or cognitive impairment, and inadequate vehicle maintenance leading to vehicle failure on the road.

Boca Raton also has a mix of local commuters, visitors, commercial vehicles, and drivers entering or leaving I-95. On major roads such as Glades Road and Palmetto Park Road, drivers may encounter several lanes of traffic, frequent signals, turning vehicles, and entrances to shopping centers and businesses within a relatively short distance.

A driver looking at a phone for several seconds may miss traffic backing up ahead. Someone trying to make a left turn may misjudge the speed of an approaching vehicle. On I-95, an unsafe lane change or sudden slowdown can involve several vehicles before the drivers behind have time to react.

Where Do Most Car Accidents Occur in Boca Raton?

Boca Raton isn’t just a place people call home, it’s also a popular destination for visitors from all over. With its beaches, parks, golf courses, shopping areas, downtown destinations, and cultural attractions, the city draws traffic from residents, commuters, and visitors throughout the week.

Many car accidents happen on the following busy roads and intersections in Boca Raton:

• I-95 and Glades Road. The interchange connects interstate traffic with one of Boca Raton's busiest east-west corridors. The Glades Road interchange uses a diverging diamond configuration, so drivers entering or exiting I-95 must navigate a traffic pattern that differs from a conventional interchange.
• Glades Road. Glades Road crosses I-95 and connects Federal Highway, Military Trail, Powerline Road, and areas farther west. Traffic signals, shopping centers, turning vehicles, and highway traffic all converge along the corridor.
• Palmetto Park Road. This major east-west route connects western Boca Raton with I-95, downtown, Federal Highway, and the coast. Drivers encounter numerous signalized intersections and vehicles entering and leaving businesses along the way.
• North Military Trail. Military Trail intersects with Yamato Road, Glades Road, and other heavily traveled Boca Raton roads. Commercial entrances and multiple travel lanes add to the number of places where vehicles merge, turn, or cross traffic.
• Federal Highway/U.S. 1. Federal Highway carries north-south traffic through eastern Boca Raton and intersects with Palmetto Park Road, Glades Road, Yamato Road, and other local streets.
• Yamato Road. Drivers traveling between I-95 and Boca Raton's business and residential areas use Yamato Road, which crosses Military Trail, Congress Avenue, Dixie Highway, and Federal Highway.
• State Road 7/U.S. 441 and Glades Road. Western Boca Raton drivers encounter wide intersections, multiple travel lanes, shopping centers, and frequent turning traffic in this area.
• Jog Road and Clint Moore Road. These roads serve residential communities and connect with several larger north-south and east-west routes.

The city continues to work on traffic infrastructure at many of these locations. Current or planned signal projects include intersections along Palmetto Park Road, Yamato Road, Military Trail, Clint Moore Road, Spanish River Boulevard, Federal Highway, Glades Road, and other Boca Raton corridors.

The location of your crash can also tell an attorney where to start looking for evidence. A collision outside a shopping center may have been captured by a storefront or parking-lot camera. A crash near an apartment complex, hotel, gas station, or office building may have additional surveillance footage. At an intersection, signal timing and witnesses waiting in nearby lanes may become important when the drivers disagree about who had the right of way.

If you have been injured in a car accident anywhere in Boca Raton, reach out to Osborne, Francis & Pettis for a complimentary case review by calling (561) 264-6238 or filling out our online form.

What Should I Do After a Car Accident in Boca Raton?

If you are seriously injured, getting medical treatment comes first. You do not need to stay at the scene taking pictures or looking for witnesses when you need an ambulance.

You may leave the crash scene without knowing where your vehicle was towed, whether anyone witnessed the collision, or whether a nearby camera captured it. Those questions can be investigated afterward.

If you are physically able to remain at the scene safely, or a passenger can help, focus on details that may be difficult to recreate later:

• Photograph the wider crash scene. Get the vehicles, damage, traffic signals, lane markings, debris, skid marks, and surrounding roadway. A close-up of a damaged bumper tells only part of the story.
• Record exactly where you were. Note the intersection or cross street, your direction of travel, and the lane you were using. This can matter when drivers later disagree about a turn, lane change, or traffic signal.
• Look for cameras nearby. Boca Raton shopping centers, restaurants, hotels, apartment buildings, office properties, parking lots, and other businesses may have surveillance systems facing the roadway. Note where you see cameras so footage can be requested before it is overwritten.
• Get witness information. Someone waiting at the same intersection or driving behind you may have seen the few seconds that explain how the crash happened.
• Photograph identifying information on commercial vehicles. A company name, delivery logo, rideshare decal, or other marking can help determine whether another business or insurance policy needs to be investigated.
• Keep the information provided by police. Save the report number and the responding officer's information so the crash report can be located later.

If you are taken directly to the hospital, evidence can still be gathered while you recover. An attorney can obtain the crash report, locate witnesses, look for surveillance footage, inspect available vehicle evidence, and determine whether other records could help establish what happened.

Florida also places a deadline on initial treatment for PIP benefits. In general, you must receive initial medical services and care within 14 days of the crash to qualify for PIP medical benefits.

Below, you can watch firm partner Greg Francis further break down what you should do if you were involved in a car accident in Boca Raton:

Recent Boca Raton Car Accidents in the News

While crash statistics help us understand the bigger picture, it is important to remember that behind every number is a real person. Each accident involves someone’s parent, child, friend, or neighbor whose life may have been changed forever, or tragically cut short.

Here are some recent car accidents in Boca Raton that made headlines and serve as powerful reminders of how quickly lives can be changed:

• April 2025 on South Military Trail near the Polo Club Shops: A high-speed crash between two vehicles resulted in the death of four elderly victims. One vehicle was turning left into the shopping center when it was struck by a speeding southbound car, causing severe damage and a fire.
• April 2025 in the 5000 block of South Military Trail, west of Boca Raton: A two-car crash left four people dead and two others injured after one vehicle collided with a utility pole and another caught fire.
• March 2025 on I-95 near Exit 44 in Boca Raton: A wrong-way crash in the northbound express lanes killed two people and left one person seriously injured.
• December 2024 on US-27 near Mile Marker 85, west of Boca Raton: A head-on collision involving a wrong-way driver left two people dead and three others critically injured.

How Is Liability Determined After a Boca Raton Car Accident?

Liability can become one of the biggest disputes after a crash. The other driver may tell you at the scene that they are sorry, only to give their insurance company a very different account later.

A rear-end crash may turn into an argument that you stopped unexpectedly. After a collision on I-95, one driver may claim the other drifted across the lane marker. At an intersection on Glades Road, both drivers may insist they had the green light.

The police report can provide important information, but the officer usually arrives after the collision. Determining what happened may require looking beyond the statements made at the scene.

Consider a left-turn crash on Palmetto Park Road. You say the other vehicle entered the intersection after the signal changed. The other driver insists they had the right of way. The investigation might turn to surveillance footage from a nearby business, witnesses waiting at the intersection, the location of the vehicle damage, and the timing of the traffic signal.

Liability can also extend beyond the person behind the wheel. Depending on the circumstances, a claim may involve:

• An employer whose employee caused a crash while working;
• A rideshare or delivery driver's applicable insurance coverage;
• Another driver who contributed to a multi-vehicle collision;
• A vehicle owner who may bear legal responsibility; or
• A manufacturer when a defective vehicle or component contributed to the crash.

Florida's comparative-fault rules also make the investigation important when the insurance company argues that you share responsibility. Under current Florida law, a person found more than 50% at fault for their own harm generally cannot recover damages in a negligence action. At 50% or less, damages are reduced according to the person's percentage of fault.

That makes a seemingly small disagreement about fault potentially significant. If an insurer argues you were 20%, 40%, or 51% responsible, the outcome can directly affect your recovery.

If you’ve been involved in a car accident in Boca Raton, contacting Osborne, Francis & Pettis should be your first step once you’re stable after a crash. We’ll take the stress off your shoulders, dealing with insurance companies on your behalf and negotiating to secure you the maximum compensation for your damages.

Call our Boca Raton office at (561) 264-6238 or fill out our quick online form for more information on what a Boca Raton car accident lawyer can do to guide you through the stressful aftermath of a collision.

Evidence That Can Strengthen Your Boca Raton Car Accident Claim

Some of the most useful evidence after a crash may never appear in the police report.

A business near the intersection may have a camera pointed toward the road. A witness may have left before police took their name. Your vehicle may contain electronic information about braking or speed immediately before impact.

And after a serious crash, you may be in a Boca Raton hospital while much of this evidence is still sitting somewhere else.

Depending on how the accident happened, an investigation may look for:

• Surveillance footage. Shopping centers, restaurants, gas stations, hotels, apartment buildings, parking garages, and other businesses may have cameras that captured the roadway or intersection.
• Independent witnesses. Someone stopped at a nearby light or driving behind the vehicles may have seen a lane change, red-light violation, or other critical moment.
• Vehicle evidence. Damage patterns and points of impact can help establish how the vehicles collided. Some vehicles may also contain electronic data about speed, braking, or other activity before the crash.
• Cellphone records. When there is evidence that a driver was texting or using a phone, records may become relevant to a distracted-driving investigation.
• Photos from the scene. Lane markings, debris, skid marks, sight obstructions, traffic signals, and vehicle positions can provide information that disappears once the roadway is cleared.
• Medical and employment records. Evidence also has to document what the crash did to you. Imaging, surgical records, rehabilitation notes, work restrictions, lost wages, and future treatment recommendations can help establish the extent of your losses.

Evidence Can Disappear While You Are Still Recovering

Surveillance systems may overwrite footage. Vehicles can be repaired, sold, or destroyed. Witnesses become harder to locate as time passes. The roadway itself can look completely normal hours after a serious collision has been cleared.

If you left the scene by ambulance, you were in no position to start searching nearby businesses for cameras or tracking down witnesses. That work can begin afterward.

Osborne, Francis & Pettis can investigate a Boca Raton collision, identify evidence that may still exist, and take steps to preserve information that could become important when an insurance company disputes liability.

Florida Laws That Can Affect Your Boca Raton Car Accident Claim

Several Florida laws can affect what happens after a Boca Raton crash. Some determine which insurance pays first. Others affect whether you can pursue certain damages, how shared fault affects your recovery, and how much time you have to file a lawsuit.

Florida's PIP and 14-Day Treatment Rule

Florida drivers generally carry Personal Injury Protection (PIP) coverage. PIP provides up to $10,000 in medical and disability benefits and generally pays 80% of qualifying medical expenses. The law requires initial medical services and care within 14 days after the accident for medical benefits to apply.

For someone seriously injured and transported directly to the hospital, treatment will likely begin immediately. The deadline can become easier to overlook when symptoms develop later or someone initially believes they can recover at home.

Florida's Serious-Injury Threshold

PIP does not necessarily determine the full value of a serious injury claim. Florida law allows recovery of damages for pain, suffering, mental anguish, and inconvenience arising from a motor vehicle accident when the injury meets the statutory threshold.

Qualifying injuries include significant and permanent loss of an important bodily function, permanent injury within a reasonable degree of medical probability, significant and permanent scarring or disfigurement, or death.

That distinction can matter when a crash leaves you with permanent limitations, scarring, or an injury that changes your ability to work and live as you did before.

Florida's Modified Comparative Fault Rule

An insurance company may argue that you contributed to the collision even when its insured was primarily responsible.

Florida law generally allows someone who is 50% or less at fault to recover damages reduced according to their percentage of responsibility. A person found more than 50% at fault generally cannot recover damages in a negligence action.

For example, if your damages were valued at $200,000 and you were found 20% responsible, the comparative-fault rule could reduce the recovery by 20%.

Florida's Deadline for Filing a Car Accident Lawsuit

Florida generally provides two years to bring an action founded on negligence.

That does not mean waiting two years to investigate a Boca Raton crash is a good strategy. A legal deadline may still be months away while surveillance footage, vehicle evidence, and witnesses become harder to obtain.

These laws can overlap in a serious accident case. Your PIP coverage may pay some initial expenses while your attorney investigates whether you meet Florida's injury threshold, who caused the crash, whether another insurance policy applies, and how much time remains to pursue the claim.

What Kind of Settlement Can a Boca Raton Auto Accident Lawyer Help You Secure?

A Boca Raton car accident attorney can help you secure a settlement that covers your losses and damages resulting from the accident, including:

• Economic damages, including past and future medical expenses, lost wages, and property damage to your vehicle.
• Non-economic damages for the stress you’ve endured and other forms of pain and suffering related to your injuries.
• Wrongful death damages if you lost a loved one in the crash, which may include funeral costs, loss of companionship, and the financial support they would have provided.
• Punitive damages are awarded in cases where the other driver’s actions were especially reckless, as a way to hold them accountable and discourage similar behavior in the future.

The exact amount of the settlement depends on the details of your case, such as:

• The severity of your injuries.
• The extent of property damage.
• The level of insurance coverage available.

An experienced Boca Raton car crash lawyer can work with you to determine the full extent of your losses and damages and negotiate with insurance companies and other parties to secure a fair settlement.

In cases where a settlement cannot be reached through negotiations, your Boca Raton car accident attorney from Osborne, Francis & Pettis can take the case to trial to fight for the compensation you deserve before a judge. 

Reach out to us by calling our Boca Raton office at (561) 264-6238 or by filling out our online form.

Having the right lawyer on your side can make a big difference in the outcome of your case. A good attorney knows how to build a strong case, deal with the insurance companies, and fight for the compensation you deserve.

A study by Martindale-Nolo found that people who hired a lawyer in a personal injury case received an average of $77,600 in compensation, while those who handled their case alone averaged just $17,600. That’s a sizeable gap, and a clear reason why having legal help matters.

Types of Accidents a Boca Raton Auto Accident Attorney Can Help You With

How a collision happens can affect the injuries involved, the evidence available, and the questions that need to be answered during the investigation. A rear-end crash on Glades Road presents a very different situation from a multi-vehicle collision on I-95.

Osborne, Francis & Pettis handles Boca Raton car accident cases involving:

Rear-End Collisions

Rear-end crashes frequently happen when a driver follows too closely, looks away from traffic, or fails to react when vehicles slow or stop.

The damage does not always show how hard the occupants were thrown forward and backward during impact. A person may walk away with a drivable car and later require treatment for a neck, back, or head injury.

T-Bone and Intersection Accidents

Side-impact crashes can occur when a driver runs a red light, fails to yield during a left turn, or enters an intersection when another vehicle has the right of way.

These cases can become difficult when both drivers claim they had the green light. At busy Boca Raton intersections, nearby business cameras, witnesses waiting in other lanes, vehicle damage, and traffic-signal information may help determine what happened.

Head-On and Wrong-Way Collisions

Head-on crashes can result from impaired driving, distracted driving, a driver crossing the center line, or someone traveling the wrong direction.

These collisions can cause catastrophic or fatal injuries because both vehicles may be moving toward each other at the time of impact. A wrong-way crash on I-95 can also involve additional vehicles trying to avoid the approaching driver.

Sideswipe and Unsafe Lane-Change Accidents

A sideswipe can happen when a driver changes lanes without checking a blind spot, drifts out of a lane, or moves aggressively through traffic.

These cases frequently come down to a dispute over who crossed the lane marker. Dashcam footage, witnesses, damage along the sides of the vehicles, and available roadway video may become particularly useful when neither driver accepts responsibility.

Rollover Accidents

A vehicle can roll after being struck by another vehicle, leaving the roadway, or losing control during an abrupt maneuver. SUVs and other vehicles with higher centers of gravity may be particularly vulnerable to rollover crashes.

The investigation may need to determine whether another driver's actions caused the vehicle to lose control or whether a tire failure, vehicle defect, or other factor contributed to the rollover.

Multi-Vehicle and I-95 Crashes

A collision involving three or more vehicles creates another problem: determining where the crash actually started.

One driver may strike a stopped vehicle and push it into another. A sudden lane change may force several drivers to brake or swerve. On I-95, a single high-speed impact can develop into a chain reaction before drivers farther back understand what is happening.

Vehicle damage, final vehicle positions, witness accounts, dashcam footage, and the sequence of impacts can help determine which driver or drivers contributed to the crash.

What Types of Injuries Does an Auto Accident Attorney in Boca Raton Handle?

A Boca Raton auto accident attorney from Osborne, Francis & Pettis can handle a wide range of injuries that can result from car accidents, including:

• Head and brain injuries: Head injuries can range from mild concussions to severe traumatic brain injuries. These injuries can have long-lasting effects on cognitive function, memory, and other brain functions.
• Neck and whiplash injuries: Whiplash occurs when the head and neck are abruptly jerked forward and backward during a collision. This can damage muscles, tendons, and ligaments in the neck.
• Back and spine injuries: Back injuries can range from strains and sprains to herniated discs and spinal cord injuries.
• Burns and internal injuries: Road rash, vehicle fires, and other sources can cause painful burns and disfigurement. Internal bleeding and organ damage may also occur and may not be immediately apparent.
• Broken bones and amputations: The force of a collision can fracture the arms, legs, ribs, pelvis, and other bones. Severe crush injuries can sometimes result in amputation.
• Emotional injuries: Car accidents can also cause anxiety, depression, post-traumatic stress, sleep problems, and other emotional effects.

Even “minor” injuries from car crashes can cause chronic pain and lead to long-term loss of enjoyment of life.

More severe injuries may require long-term hospitalization, multiple surgeries, the use of a wheelchair or other mobility aid, and even alterations to a home to accommodate changes in mobility. The more severe an injury is, the higher the medical expenses are likely to become.

Why Should You Hire Osborne & Francis?

As a local Florida law firm, our Boca Raton car accident lawyers have handled car accident cases in the Sunshine State for decades. We understand the physical, emotional, and financial toll that a car accident can take on your life, and we are committed to fighting tirelessly on your behalf.

Whether you have suffered from whiplash, broken bones, or more severe injuries, we will work with you every step of the way to ensure that you receive the medical care you need and the compensation you deserve. Our team has recovered millions for our clients, including:

• $2.5 Million Car Accident Settlement: Our client was rear-ended by a box truck and required neck and back surgery due to serious injuries.
• $7.5 Million Trucking Accident Settlement: Our client, a passenger in a pickup truck stopped at a red light, was rear-ended by a speeding commercial truck and suffered brain hemorrhages, broken bones, and loss of consciousness.

Proudly Representing Boca Raton Residents