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Florida Turnpike Accident Attorney — Coral Springs Area, FL

Crash on the Turnpike near Coral Springs? High-speed wrecks mean serious injuries. We fight for serious compensation.
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The Florida Turnpike — a toll expressway running through the western edge of Broward County — provides commuters from Coral Springs, Coconut Creek, and surrounding communities a high-speed route connecting to Miami-Dade, Palm Beach County, and Florida’s interior. The Coconut Creek interchange serves as the primary entry and exit point for western Broward, concentrating thousands of daily trips onto a limited-access highway where commercial trucks share lanes with commuters traveling at 70 miles per hour. Turnpike crashes carry a severity profile that exceeds typical highway accidents: high speeds, large commercial vehicles, limited escape routes, and interchanges where merging traffic creates violent collision scenarios.

If you were injured in a Florida Turnpike crash near Coral Springs or the Coconut Creek interchange, the legal process ahead involves large insurance companies, commercial trucking companies, and in some cases Florida’s Turnpike Enterprise — adversaries who answer claims with seasoned defense teams. Eric A. Hernandez at HLM Injury Lawyers is an experienced South Florida trial attorney who can stand with you. A former Assistant U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Florida and former clerk to Florida Supreme Court Chief Justice Charles T. Wells, Eric brings 25-plus years of trial experience to Turnpike accident claims. He is bilingual in English and Spanish, a Super Lawyer, and Florida Trend Legal Elite. Call (305) 842-2100 for a free consultation.

Why the Florida Turnpike Has So Many Accidents Near Coral Springs

  • High-speed travel and abrupt slowdowns: The Turnpike operates at 70 mph with limited exits and on-ramps, creating conditions where sudden slowdowns caused by incidents or congestion at the Coconut Creek interchange catch drivers with insufficient time to stop.
  • Commercial truck volume: The Florida Turnpike is a primary freight corridor. Tractor-trailers traveling at sustained high speeds have enormous stopping distances and broad blind zones — and when they are involved in crashes with passenger vehicles, the results are often catastrophic.
  • Coconut Creek interchange complexity: Entering and exiting traffic at the Coconut Creek interchange merges with high-speed through-traffic in compressed merge zones. Drivers who do not properly yield or adjust speed during interchange transitions create collision risk.
  • Aggressive merging behavior: Turnpike drivers accustomed to high-speed travel resist slowing for merging traffic. Drivers entering from on-ramps — particularly during peak commute periods — encounter drivers unwilling to yield lane space.
  • Distracted driving: Long stretches of Turnpike travel between exits breed complacency. Drivers check phones, adjust music, or eat during what they perceive as routine, low-demand driving — until conditions change without warning.
  • Construction zones: Turnpike construction and maintenance activities in Broward County involve lane closures, shifted travel lanes, and equipment near the travel way. Reduced lane widths at highway speed create head-on and sideswipe crash potential.

Common Injuries in Florida Turnpike Crashes

  • Catastrophic traumatic brain injury: The kinetic energy of a Turnpike crash at 70 mph produces TBI at severity levels that can cause permanent cognitive impairment, inability to work, and requirement for lifetime care.
  • Spinal fractures and paralysis: High-energy collision forces compress and shatter vertebrae, causing spinal cord damage that may result in permanent partial or complete paralysis — the most life-altering injury outcome.
  • Chest and rib trauma: Seat belt restraint during a high-speed crash, while life-saving, causes severe rib fractures and potential aortic injury that require immediate emergency evaluation.
  • Complex lower extremity fractures: Femur, tibial, and pelvic fractures in Turnpike crashes require surgical fixation, extended hospitalization, and prolonged rehabilitation that keeps victims out of work for months.
  • Internal organ lacerations: Abdominal and thoracic trauma from high-speed crash forces ruptures internal organs without obvious external signs — a life-threatening condition requiring immediate surgical diagnosis and intervention.
  • Wrongful death: Fatalities on the Florida Turnpike through Broward County are a documented reality. If you lost a loved one in a Turnpike crash, eligible surviving family members may pursue a wrongful death claim.

What to Do After an Accident on the Florida Turnpike

  • Get to safety off the travel lanes: The Turnpike has no safe roadside stopping zone in many sections. Move your vehicle to the shoulder or an emergency pull-off immediately. Stay behind the guardrail and away from traffic.
  • Call 911 and Florida Highway Patrol: Turnpike crashes are within FHP jurisdiction. An official crash report and any citations issued are essential to your legal claim.
  • Activate emergency flashers and use safety equipment: If you have road flares or reflective triangles, deploying them warns approaching traffic. Wait for FHP clearance before moving vehicles if possible.
  • Document the scene safely: Photograph vehicle damage, crash position, road conditions, skid marks, and visible injuries from the safety of the shoulder. Note the presence of any surveillance or tollway cameras.
  • Get emergency medical evaluation: Do not refuse EMS transport from a Turnpike crash. The forces involved can produce internal injuries not apparent at the scene. Hospital documentation from the date of the crash is foundational to your claim.

Florida Law — Your Rights After a Turnpike Crash

Florida’s PIP coverage provides $10,000 for initial medical expenses and lost wages after an accident, with treatment required within 14 days. Turnpike crashes almost always involve injuries exceeding PIP limits, making the at-fault driver’s bodily injury liability coverage — or your own UM/UIM coverage — the essential source of full compensation.

Under Florida’s modified comparative negligence rule, your recovery is reduced proportionally by fault attributable to you. If you are found 51% or more responsible, you cannot recover. Commercial truck crashes also trigger federal FMCSA regulations — violations of which establish additional grounds for liability.

Florida’s 2023 tort reform law, HB 837, gives you two years from the accident date to file a negligence claim. Electronic data recorder information from vehicles involved in Turnpike crashes is critical evidence that must be preserved immediately through legal action.

Why Hire Eric Hernandez

  • High-stakes adversary experience: Turnpike crashes involve large insurers and, in commercial truck cases, national companies with dedicated legal departments. As a former federal prosecutor, Eric has spent his career facing institutional adversaries head-on.
  • Comprehensive liability investigation: Eric pursues all potentially responsible parties — the driver, the trucking company, freight handlers, vehicle manufacturers, and where applicable the government — to ensure your recovery is maximized.
  • 25+ years of South Florida trial experience: Eric’s trial record throughout Broward and Miami-Dade County gives him deep familiarity with how these cases are valued and how juries evaluate high-speed accident claims.
  • Bilingual representation: Full legal services in English and Spanish for all Coral Springs area clients.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I sue Florida’s Turnpike Enterprise if a road defect caused my crash? Claims against government-related entities have specific requirements, including notice provisions with shorter timelines than standard negligence claims. If a Turnpike design or maintenance failure contributed to your crash, contact an attorney immediately to protect your claim.

What if a commercial truck caused my Turnpike accident? Commercial truck crashes on the Turnpike involve federal regulations, employer liability, cargo handler liability, and insurance policies with high coverage limits. These are among the most complex personal injury cases in Florida — and among the most valuable when properly litigated.

How is a Turnpike crash claim different from a regular highway accident? The speeds involved, the commercial vehicle presence, and the potential involvement of toll authority infrastructure distinguish Turnpike claims from standard highway crash cases. Electronic data, Sunpass records, and surveillance cameras at toll plazas can all be valuable evidence.

What compensation can I recover after a serious Turnpike crash? Depending on your injuries, you may recover medical expenses, future care costs, lost wages, reduced earning capacity, pain and suffering, permanent disability, and emotional distress damages. Fatal crashes may support a wrongful death claim on behalf of surviving family members.

Contact HLM Injury Lawyers — Free Consultation

A Florida Turnpike crash can change the trajectory of your life. You deserve legal representation that matches the seriousness of what happened to you. Call HLM Injury Lawyers at (305) 842-2100 for a free consultation. Eric Hernandez serves clients throughout Coral Springs, Coconut Creek, Parkland, Margate, Tamarac, Pompano Beach, Deerfield Beach, and all of Broward County.