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West Palm Beach Car Accident & Personal Injury Lawyer
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Quick Answer: What To Do After an Accident in West Palm Beach, FL
If you were hurt in a West Palm Beach accident, get medical care within 14 days (Florida PIP requires it) — the closest emergency rooms are Good Samaritan Medical Center on Flagler Drive downtown and St. Mary's Medical Center on 45th Street, with HCA Florida JFK Hospital in Atlantis as a Level II trauma option. Photograph the scene, collect witness information, request the crash report number from West Palm Beach PD or Florida Highway Patrol, and do not give a recorded statement to any insurance adjuster before speaking with a lawyer. Your case will be filed in the 15th Judicial Circuit for Palm Beach County, and Florida's 2023 tort reform means you have only two years from the date of the crash to sue.
For a free case review with a West Palm Beach personal injury attorney, call Kaiser Romanello, P.A. at (844) 877-8679. No fee unless we win.
West Palm Beach is the commercial, legal, and transportation hub of Palm Beach County, and that density drives an outsized share of the county's serious injury cases. The combination of Palm Beach International Airport sitting three miles from downtown, I-95 and Florida's Turnpike running the length of the county with PBI and CityPlace exits in between, Okeechobee Boulevard funneling every airport-to-Palm-Beach-island run past Clematis Street nightlife, and a steady flow of tourism tied to the Kravis Center, Rosemary Square (formerly CityPlace), Palm Beach Outlets, and the Palm Beach resort corridor produces a consistent volume of crashes — especially along the Okeechobee, Southern, Forest Hill, 45th Street, and Palm Beach Lakes Boulevard arteries.
Our firm, Kaiser Romanello, P.A., represents injured West Palm Beach residents and visitors in car accident, truck, motorcycle, rideshare, pedestrian, and wrongful death cases. Our office is in Parkland — roughly 45 minutes south of West Palm via I-95 or the Turnpike — but the Palm Beach 15th Judicial Circuit is a venue we've litigated in for years, and we know how West Palm cases are defended, valued, and tried.
Why a West Palm Beach Injury Case Needs a Local Attorney
Personal injury cases are won and lost on local knowledge. A lawyer who doesn't know that a Phase 3 Uber crash at Okeechobee and I-95 is routinely defended with a comparative-fault argument tied to the exit geometry, or that Good Samaritan's emergency department documentation reads differently at Palm Beach mediations than trauma records from St. Mary's or JFK, is starting every case a step behind. West Palm Beach injury claims layer three specific complications on top of Florida's already-complex injury framework.
First, West Palm's corridors produce distinctive crash patterns. I-95 bottlenecks at the 6th Avenue South, Okeechobee Boulevard, Palm Beach Lakes Boulevard, 45th Street, Blue Heron Boulevard, and PGA Boulevard exits generate rear-end and side-impact cases at predictable hotspots. Florida's Turnpike parallels I-95 and produces its own cluster of high-speed crashes at the Lake Worth Road, Southern Boulevard, and Okeechobee Boulevard interchanges. The Rosemary Square and Clematis Street nightlife districts drive late-night impaired-driving and rideshare volume. PBI airport, Port of Palm Beach (Riviera Beach), and cruise-port traffic mean out-of-state drivers, rental vehicles, and the unique insurance questions that come with them.
Second, Florida's 2023 tort reform dramatically changed the rules. HB 837 shortened the statute of limitations for negligence to two years, rewrote comparative negligence so that a plaintiff found 50% or more at fault recovers nothing, and altered how medical expenses are proven at trial. Any lawyer advertising the "old" four-year window is operating on outdated information — and any West Palm case filed on that assumption is dismissed.
Third, Palm Beach County is a sophisticated defense venue. The 15th Judicial Circuit attracts the county's top defense firms, and the carriers litigating West Palm crashes deploy aggressive first offers designed to resolve cases before a lawyer is retained. The high-net-worth demographic of the county also means umbrella and excess policies are more common here than in many other venues — which is both an opportunity and an investigative obligation. Our firm is built to hold first offers accountable and chase every available coverage layer. Preparation posture moves money more reliably than anything else.
West Palm Beach Personal Injury Cases We Handle
We represent West Palm clients across the full range of serious injury matters. Every case is prepared as if it will go to trial — that posture is what makes fair settlements happen.
Car Accidents
Our core West Palm practice — rear-end, T-bone, rollover, multi-vehicle, and DUI crashes on I-95, the Turnpike, Okeechobee, Southern, and Military Trail.
Truck Accidents
Commercial truck, 18-wheeler, and delivery vehicle crashes. Trucking cases involve federal regulations and multiple potentially liable parties.
Motorcycle Accidents
Florida motorcycle cases require specialized handling — the helmet-law argument, comparative fault attacks, and catastrophic injury patterns are unique to the practice.
Uber & Rideshare
West Palm is heavy rideshare territory — CityPlace, Clematis, PBI, and Palm Beach island runs generate steady Uber and Lyft claims across all three coverage phases.
Pedestrian & Bicycle
The downtown core, the waterfront Flagler Drive path, and the Okeechobee corridor produce a disproportionate share of pedestrian and cyclist injury cases.
Hit-and-Run
When the at-fault driver flees, recovery typically runs through your own uninsured motorist coverage — a process insurers rarely make easy.
Traumatic Brain Injury
TBIs from West Palm crashes are routinely minimized by defense medical experts. Proper neuropsychological documentation is essential.
Spinal Cord Injury
Lifetime-care cases — we work with life-care planners and economists to document the full future-damages picture.
Wrongful Death
When a crash takes a loved one, Florida's Wrongful Death Act allows specific survivors to recover. The claim structure is narrow and technical.
For the firm's full range of catastrophic injury representation, see our practice-area hub.
Florida Accident Laws That Affect Your West Palm Beach Case
Every West Palm Beach accident claim runs through four Florida rules that function as the skeleton of the case. Missing any one of them can end recovery before it starts.
1. The PIP 14-Day Rule
Florida is a no-fault state. Your own Personal Injury Protection (PIP) coverage — the $10,000 minimum every Florida driver must carry under Fla. Stat. §627.736 — pays your initial medical bills and 60% of lost wages regardless of fault. But PIP benefits are forfeited if you do not receive initial medical treatment within 14 days of the crash. That deadline is absolute. Clients who "tough it out" for two weeks before seeing a doctor frequently learn the rule too late.
2. The Serious Injury Threshold
To step outside PIP and pursue the at-fault driver's liability coverage for pain and suffering, Florida's serious-injury threshold under Fla. Stat. §627.737(2) must be met — permanent injury, significant and permanent loss of an important bodily function, permanent scarring or disfigurement, or death. How injuries are documented in the first 30 days largely determines whether this threshold is met.
3. Modified Comparative Negligence (HB 837, 2023)
Florida used to follow pure comparative negligence — a plaintiff could recover even if 99% at fault, just reduced by their share. HB 837 changed that in 2023. A plaintiff found 50% or more at fault for a crash recovers nothing. Defense teams now build every case around pushing the plaintiff's comparative share over the 50% line — seatbelt, attention, speed, lane position, phone use. Handling that attack is central to what we do.
4. Two-Year Statute of Limitations
Also changed by HB 837: the statute of limitations for negligence claims in Florida is now two years from the date of the crash under Fla. Stat. §95.11. The prior four-year window no longer applies. Missing this deadline bars the claim permanently. Claims against governmental entities (if a Palm Tran bus, a Palm Beach County vehicle, a PBSO cruiser, or a road defect contributed) require separate written notice under Fla. Stat. §768.28.
Hurt in a West Palm Beach accident?
The 14-day PIP clock and the 2-year statute of limitations both start at the moment of the crash.
Call (844) 877-8679 Start Free Case ReviewWhat Compensation Can You Recover?
Florida allows recovery of both economic and non-economic damages in West Palm Beach cases that meet the serious-injury threshold. In catastrophic cases — TBI, spinal cord injury, or wrongful death — damages frequently exceed standard liability limits, which makes identifying every potentially responsible party (and every layer of umbrella or excess coverage, which is more common in Palm Beach County than most venues) essential from day one.
Economic Damages
- Past and future medical expenses (ER at Good Samaritan, St. Mary's, or JFK, surgery, imaging, rehab, in-home care)
- Lost wages and lost earning capacity
- Vocational retraining when injuries end a career
- Property damage (vehicle, personal belongings, mobility equipment)
- Out-of-pocket costs — co-pays, transportation, home modifications
Non-Economic Damages
- Pain and suffering
- Emotional distress, anxiety, and PTSD
- Loss of enjoyment of life
- Permanent disability, scarring, and disfigurement
- Loss of consortium for spouses
What to Expect When You Hire Us
Every West Palm Beach injury case runs on a sequence. Here's what the first 60 days typically look like.
Free Case Review
We talk through the crash, your medical picture, and your goals — no fee, no obligation. Call (844) 877-8679 or request a review online.
Evidence Preservation
We send preservation letters to insurers and Palm Beach County intersection-camera authorities within 48 hours — demanding dashcam, traffic-cam, and private property video (including PBI airport roadway cameras where applicable) before it's overwritten.
Medical Coordination
We help ensure you're treating with qualified Palm Beach County providers, protect your PIP benefits under the 14-day rule, and document injuries to meet the serious-injury threshold.
Liability & Coverage Investigation
We identify every potentially liable party (drivers, vehicle owners, employers, premises, municipalities) and map every available insurance source — including your own UM/UIM stack and any personal or commercial umbrella policies, which are more common in Palm Beach County than most Florida venues.
Demand & Negotiation
Once treatment stabilizes, we send a formal demand supported by medical records, wage loss, and expert evaluations. Most cases resolve here — on terms driven by file strength.
Litigation & Trial in Palm Beach
If the insurer won't pay fair value, we file in the 15th Judicial Circuit, litigate discovery, and take the case to trial at the Palm Beach County Main Courthouse in downtown West Palm Beach.
What NOT to Do After an Accident in West Palm Beach
Don't skip medical care past 14 days. Florida PIP is forfeited if you don't see a provider in that window — no matter how tough you are.
Don't give a recorded statement to any adjuster before speaking to a lawyer. The questions are designed to lock in facts that hurt your claim later.
Don't accept a fast settlement. First offers almost always come before injuries have fully declared themselves. Once you sign a release, the case is over.
Don't sign a blanket medical authorization. The other side will mine pre-existing conditions to blame your current pain on an old injury.
Don't post about the crash on social media. Defense counsel routinely screens Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok for captions or photos that can be weaponized against you.
Don't wait past the 2-year statute. Under HB 837, Florida's negligence statute of limitations is now two years — not four.
West Palm Beach Neighborhoods & Corridors We Serve
We handle car accident and personal injury cases throughout the City of West Palm Beach, Palm Beach County, and surrounding South Florida communities. These are the corridors and districts we see most often in our files.
Downtown / Clematis & Rosemary Square
The Clematis Street nightlife corridor and Rosemary Square (formerly CityPlace) drive heavy late-night crash and pedestrian volume. The Okeechobee Boulevard / Dixie Highway / Olive Avenue grid is a frequent comparative-fault battleground.
I-95 Corridor (6th Ave S. to PGA)
The interchanges at 6th Avenue South, Okeechobee Boulevard, Palm Beach Lakes, 45th Street, Blue Heron, and PGA Boulevard are among Palm Beach County's highest-frequency crash zones — rear-end, merge, and lane-change cases dominate.
Okeechobee Boulevard Corridor
Okeechobee is the main east-west artery from Royal Palm Beach and Wellington through downtown West Palm and across to Palm Beach island. The PBI-to-Clematis run produces a steady stream of Phase 2 and Phase 3 rideshare claims and DUI cases.
Palm Beach International Airport (PBI)
PBI sits three miles from downtown, with rideshare pickup zones, rental car returns, and rapid airport-to-Palm-Beach-island transfer traffic. Out-of-state drivers, rental vehicles, and commercial auto policies complicate liability analysis.
Northwood, Flamingo Park & El Cid
The historic residential districts north and south of downtown — Northwood Village, Flamingo Park, El Cid, and Grandview Heights — produce the steady intersection and backing-up cases that form the bulk of any local PI practice.
Southern & Forest Hill Corridors
Southern Boulevard (SR 80) and Forest Hill Boulevard carry heavy west-side commuter volume from Wellington, Royal Palm Beach, and Loxahatchee. Multi-vehicle crashes at Military Trail, Jog Road, and Haverhill are common.
45th Street & Palm Beach Lakes
The 45th Street and Palm Beach Lakes Boulevard arteries serve the St. Mary's / Good Samaritan medical corridor and a dense commercial strip. Rear-end and turning-movement crashes are heavily represented at Military Trail, Congress, and I-95 interchanges.
SoSo & Waterfront / Flagler Drive
The South of Southern (SoSo) neighborhood and the Flagler Drive waterfront generate pedestrian, cyclist, and scooter cases along the shared-use path, plus turning-movement crashes at Flagler / Southern and Flagler / Okeechobee.
Nearby Cities We Also Serve
We also represent injury victims in Palm Beach (island), Lake Worth Beach, Riviera Beach, Greenacres, Wellington, Royal Palm Beach, Loxahatchee, and Jupiter, plus the surrounding Palm Beach County communities of Palm Beach Gardens, North Palm Beach, Lake Clarke Shores, and Palm Beach Shores. For Uber and Lyft crashes in West Palm Beach specifically, see our West Palm Beach Uber accident lawyer page. For Boca Raton and Delray Beach matters, see our Boca Raton personal injury lawyers page.
Why Choose Kaiser Romanello, P.A. for Your West Palm Beach Case?
Palm Beach 15th Circuit Experience
We regularly litigate in the 15th Judicial Circuit at the Palm Beach County Main Courthouse. We know the local defense bar, the judges, and how West Palm cases settle and try.
HB 837 Fluency
We've adapted our case intake, investigation, and litigation strategy to Florida's 2023 tort reform. Cases we file are built for the new rules.
Trial-Ready From Day One
Insurers offer more when they know your lawyer will file, depose, and try the case. We prepare every file that way.
No Fee Unless We Win
Contingency fee. You pay nothing up front, and nothing at all unless we recover for you.
Umbrella & Excess Coverage Hunters
Palm Beach County has more personal umbrella and excess policies than most Florida venues. We look for every layer of coverage — the policy no one else finds can be the one that pays your catastrophic damages.
Direct Attorney Access
You will speak with the attorneys handling your case — not an intake specialist — from the first call through resolution.
Meet Our West Palm Beach Personal Injury Attorneys
Lorne Adam Kaiser, Esq.
Lorne has represented injured Floridians in car accident, catastrophic injury, and wrongful death matters for decades — including a substantial Palm Beach County docket of West Palm Beach, Boca Raton, and Wellington crashes. He has tried cases to verdict and negotiated recoveries against carriers ranging from personal auto insurers to Fortune 500 self-insured defendants.
- Admitted to the Florida Bar
- Member, Florida Justice Association
- Focus: catastrophic injury & serious motor vehicle crashes
Steve Romanello, Esq.
Steve litigates serious West Palm Beach car accident and rideshare claims with an emphasis on complex liability — cases where identifying every responsible party and every layer of umbrella or excess coverage is the difference between a policy-limits result and a life-changing recovery. His practice covers the full Palm Beach County court system.
- Admitted to the Florida Bar
- Member, Florida Justice Association
- Focus: complex liability & Palm Beach County litigation
See representative outcomes on our case results page. Past results are not a guarantee of future outcomes; every case is evaluated on its specific facts.
West Palm Beach Personal Injury FAQ
What should I do after an accident in West Palm Beach, FL?
Call 911 and get medical attention — the closest emergency rooms are Good Samaritan Medical Center on Flagler Drive downtown and St. Mary's Medical Center on 45th Street, with HCA Florida JFK Hospital in Atlantis as a Level II trauma option south of the city. Florida PIP requires you to see a provider within 14 days. Photograph all vehicles, license plates, the scene, and any visible injuries. Get witness contact info before anyone leaves. Request the crash report number from the responding West Palm Beach Police Department, Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office (PBSO), or Florida Highway Patrol Troop L officer. Do not give a recorded statement to any insurer before calling Kaiser Romanello, P.A. at (844) 877-8679.
How do I choose the right West Palm Beach personal injury attorney?
Look for three things: local court experience in the Palm Beach 15th Judicial Circuit, actual trial record (not just a settlement-mill operation), and direct attorney access — not an intake specialist who hands you off. Ask whether the firm has adapted to HB 837's 2023 changes; any lawyer still quoting a four-year statute of limitations is working from outdated law. A free consultation should involve a real attorney explaining your specific situation, not a sales pitch.
How much is my West Palm Beach case worth?
No honest lawyer will quote a number without reviewing your medical records and the insurance picture of your crash. Major drivers of value include injury severity and permanence, whether surgery was required, impact on earning capacity, available insurance limits (the at-fault driver's bodily injury coverage plus your own UM/UIM stack and any umbrella or excess policies, which are more common in Palm Beach County than most Florida venues), comparative fault under HB 837, and the strength of the liability evidence. Serious-injury cases with clear liability regularly produce six- and seven-figure recoveries; minor soft-tissue cases with shared fault are much smaller. We give you a realistic range at your free consultation.
What is the average settlement for a West Palm Beach car accident?
There is no meaningful "average" because every case is driven by its specific facts — injury severity, treatment, liability clarity, comparative fault share, and available insurance. Minor PIP-only soft-tissue claims resolve for a few thousand dollars; cases with surgery, permanent impairment, and clear liability can reach policy limits and, where umbrella or excess policies are identified, substantially more. Anyone advertising a specific average for West Palm is overstating what such numbers actually mean.
How long do I have to file a personal injury lawsuit in West Palm Beach?
Florida's statute of limitations for negligence is two years from the date of the crash under Fla. Stat. §95.11, as amended by HB 837 in 2023. The prior four-year window no longer applies. Wrongful death claims also have a two-year window. Claims against governmental entities (if a Palm Tran bus, a Palm Beach County vehicle, a PBSO cruiser, or a road defect contributed) require separate written notice under Fla. Stat. §768.28. Don't rely on the full two years — evidence, video, and witness memories disappear long before the deadline.
Where are West Palm Beach personal injury cases filed?
Civil cases arising from West Palm Beach crashes are filed in the 15th Judicial Circuit for Palm Beach County, at the Palm Beach County Main Courthouse located at 205 North Dixie Highway in downtown West Palm Beach. Smaller-value matters may proceed in the Palm Beach County Court within the same courthouse system. Our firm regularly litigates in both venues.
What if my crash was on I-95 or Florida's Turnpike in Palm Beach County?
Crashes on I-95 and the Turnpike are typically investigated by Florida Highway Patrol Troop L rather than a local police department. FHP crash reports often take 7–10 days to become available and can be more detailed than local-agency reports — including diagram, roadway conditions, and narrative observations that matter to liability analysis. For Turnpike crashes specifically, Florida's Turnpike Enterprise may hold roadway data separate from FHP. We know how to pull both.
What does it cost to hire a West Palm Beach personal injury lawyer?
Nothing up front. Our fee is contingent — we only get paid if we recover compensation for you, and our fee is a percentage of the recovery. The initial case review is free. We advance the costs of investigators, experts, depositions, and filing fees, and we're only reimbursed for those costs if you win. If there's no recovery, you owe nothing — for our work or the advanced costs.
Talk to a West Palm Beach Personal Injury Lawyer Today
Free, confidential case review. No fee unless we win. Serving West Palm Beach and all of Palm Beach County from our Parkland office.
(844) 877-8679 Start Your Free Case ReviewThe hiring of a lawyer is an important decision that should not be based solely upon advertisements. Before you decide, ask us to send you free written information about our qualifications and experience. Past results do not guarantee, warrant, or predict future outcomes. Every case is different and must be evaluated on its own facts. Information on this page is for general educational purposes and is not legal advice. Reading this page does not create an attorney-client relationship. Kaiser Romanello, P.A., 11555 Heron Bay Boulevard, Suite 200, Parkland, FL 33076.
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“Kaiser Romanello changed my life. They are The Dream Team! Could not recommend them anymore! If you want to get the most money for your personal injury claim call Kaiser Romanello today!”
-Lu R
Former client
“l just got off the phone with Mr. Loren Kaiser for a free consultation and he was absolutely amazing. He was extremely helpful, detail oriented and did not add any “rushed” feeling to the phone call. If I have anything substantial to move forward with, I will proudly utilize this law office. Thank you, Mr. Kaiser, for your help, input and advice! It is greatly appreciated.”
-Trina R
Former client
“Steve and his partner are just very knowledgeable, amazing client service, Steve it is the kind of persons who loves what he is doing, he went about and beyond his lawyer responsibilities in my case, they care about you, If you are looking for professionals at the highest levels, use their services. Not only you will be represented by top lawyers, but you feel like part of the family. Thanks for everything, God bless you.”
-Carlos V
Former client