A crash on I-95 or the Turnpike near West Palm Beach
The Florida Highway Patrol has authority to enforce traffic laws on every street and highway in the state, and the Turnpike is patrolled by its Troop K, whose West Palm Beach district office sits at mile marker 93. On I-95, the report itself shows which agency responded. Either way, you get the report from the same state portal, and you’re entitled to it right away.
Interstate crashes are different from city-street crashes in three practical ways: who responds, what you’re supposed to do at the scene, and how many vehicles and insurers are usually involved.
Who responds, and where the report comes from
The Highway Patrol has authority everywhere in Florida. The report shows who responded.
| Highway Patrol authority | Under section 316.640(1)(a), the Florida Highway Patrol has authority to enforce the traffic laws of the state “on all the streets and highways thereof and elsewhere throughout the state wherever the public has a right to travel by motor vehicle” |
| I-95 | Troop L covers Broward, Palm Beach, Martin, St. Lucie, Indian River and Okeechobee counties, and its Lake Worth District includes Palm Beach County. Its Lake Worth station is at the West Palm Beach Service Plaza, mile marker 94, (561) 357-4040. The Highway Patrol’s pages don’t say in so many words which troop works I-95 in this county, so the report itself is the proof of which agency responded |
| The Turnpike | Troop K patrols Florida’s Turnpike. Its West Palm Beach district office is at the West Palm Beach Service Plaza, mile marker 93, (561) 357-4299 |
| The report | Highway Patrol reports come through the Florida Crash Portal run by the Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles. A copy costs $10 under section 321.23, plus a $2 convenience fee per transaction, and the portal says a report can take up to 10 days to become available. Once purchased it is available immediately and has to be downloaded within 48 hours |
| When you can get it | Under section 316.066(2), a report that reveals personal information is confidential for 60 days after filing, but it’s available immediately to the people involved, their legal representatives and their insurers. A crash with injuries or with a commercial vehicle requires the long-form report within 10 days after the investigation |
At the scene of a crash on a limited-access highway
Get out of traffic if you can, and call for help even if you feel fine.
Move the car if you can. Under section 316.061(2), if a damaged vehicle is obstructing traffic, its driver must make every reasonable effort to move it so it doesn’t block the regular flow of traffic, and a driver who doesn’t can be cited. The statute also says anyone who moves a vehicle for that purpose isn’t at fault solely because of moving it. If someone is hurt, don’t move the injured person unless staying put is more dangerous, and take photographs before the vehicles are moved if it’s safe.
Get help that’s free. The Florida Department of Transportation’s District Four says Road Ranger services are available on I-95 throughout Broward and Palm Beach counties and the Treasure Coast, 24 hours a day, seven days a week, at no charge. On the Turnpike, the Road Rangers Safety Patrol provides free assistance every day of the year; dial *347 for the Highway Patrol. These services change a tire, give you gas or a jump start, and handle minor repairs.
Other drivers must give you room. The “move over” law, section 316.126(1)(b), requires drivers to vacate the lane closest to a stopped emergency vehicle, wrecker or a disabled vehicle displaying hazard lights on an interstate when it’s safe, and to slow down if they can’t.
If the other driver left. Under section 316.027 a driver involved in a crash that injures someone must stop and remain at the scene. A driver who drives away has committed a crime, and it’s the start of an uninsured motorist claim, not the end of the claim. Hit and run claims →
Why interstate crashes are different for a claim
The law is the same, but the facts are bigger and move faster.
More vehicles, more insurers. A chain-reaction crash can involve several vehicles and several policies, and each driver’s share of fault matters. Florida’s comparative fault rule, section 768.81, reduces recovery by the share assigned to the injured person and bars it entirely above 50 percent. What the 51 percent bar covers →
Commercial vehicles are common. A crash involving a commercial motor vehicle requires the long-form crash report under section 316.066(1)(a). Federal hours-of-service rules, 49 CFR 395.3, limit a driver to 11 hours of driving after 10 consecutive hours off duty and bar driving after 14 consecutive hours on duty. Those records, and the truck’s electronic data, are the sort of evidence that gets overwritten if nobody asks for it in time. Truck accident claims →
The injury still has to be treated within 14 days. A high-speed crash can leave you feeling fine for a day. PIP only pays if you receive initial care within 14 days of the crash. Florida PIP, explained →
For perspective on the county as a whole, the Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles’s 2024 crash report counted 26,550 crashes, 207 deaths and 16,564 injuries in Palm Beach County. The report doesn’t break those figures out for I-95 or the Turnpike, so we don’t either.
An illustration, not a prediction
A composite example of how cases like this typically unfold.
This is a composite example of how cases like this might go. Every case is different, and nothing here predicts a result.
On a weekday afternoon, traffic on I-95 slows near West Palm Beach and a driver is rear-ended and pushed into the car ahead. A Highway Patrol trooper responds and gives each driver a case number. Nobody feels hurt enough to ride in an ambulance. The driver drives home and wakes up with neck pain on day three.
On day five, they see a doctor, inside the 14-day window. The trooper’s report arrives after about a week and a half through the state portal. It lists three vehicles, and the insurer for the middle car says the first driver caused the chain by stopping suddenly.
What the file needed was the report, the photographs from the shoulder, the other drivers’ insurance disclosures and the medical records from day five. The driver’s claim turned on whether anyone could show that the car behind them hadn’t left enough room.
What to do now
Do these in order, starting with the report.
| Write down the case number and the agency | The trooper’s name, badge number and station. That’s how you find which agency has your report |
| Photograph the vehicles and the lanes | Before they are moved if you can do it safely. |
| See a doctor within 14 days | Even if you feel fine. The clock in section 627.736(1)(a) runs from the crash |
| Buy the report from the state portal | $10 plus a $2 fee, available to you right away as a party, even though it can take up to 10 days to appear |
| Ask the trucking company to preserve its records | If a commercial vehicle was involved. Paul sends the letter early |
| Don’t sign a release or give a recorded statement | Not before you know your treatment is done and what the policy limits are |
Do you need a lawyer after an interstate crash?
When a lawyer helps, and when you can handle it yourself.
You probably don’t need one if the crash involved two cars, nobody was hurt, and both insurers are handling the property damage. There’s nothing for a lawyer to add.
You probably do if you were injured, more than two vehicles were involved, a commercial truck was part of it, or the other driver left. Each of those multiplies the evidence, the insurers and the arguments about fault.
The consultation is free, so finding out which one you’re in costs one phone call.
Common questions
Who investigates a crash on I-95 in Palm Beach County?
The Florida Highway Patrol has statewide authority under section 316.640(1)(a), and Troop L covers Palm Beach County. The Highway Patrol’s pages don’t state in so many words that Troop L works I-95 here, so the report shows which agency responded.
Who handles crashes on Florida’s Turnpike near West Palm Beach?
Troop K patrols the Turnpike, and its West Palm Beach district office is at the West Palm Beach Service Plaza, mile marker 93.
How do I get a Highway Patrol crash report?
Through the Florida Crash Portal run by the Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles. A copy is $10 under section 321.23, plus a $2 convenience fee per transaction, and it can take up to 10 days to become available.
Can I get the report right away if I was in the crash?
Yes. Section 316.066(2)(a) makes a report confidential for 60 days, but (2)(b) makes it immediately available to the people involved, their legal representatives and their insurers.
Is roadside help on I-95 free?
According to the Florida Department of Transportation’s District Four, Road Ranger services are available on I-95 throughout Broward and Palm Beach counties and the Treasure Coast, 24 hours a day, seven days a week, free of charge.
Am I required to move my car after a crash on the highway?
If the damaged car is blocking traffic, section 316.061(2) requires the driver to make every reasonable effort to move it, and a driver who doesn’t can be cited. If someone is badly hurt, safety comes first.
What if the crash involved a semi-truck?
A commercial motor vehicle crash requires the long-form crash report under section 316.066(1)(a), and federal hours-of-service rules apply to the driver. The trucking company’s records can be overwritten, so a preservation letter should go out early.
What if the other driver drove away?
Section 316.027 requires a driver in a crash that injures someone to stop and stay. A driver who leaves is committing a crime, and your own uninsured motorist coverage may apply.
Talk to Paul, not a case manager
If you were hurt in a crash on I-95 or the Turnpike, the call costs you nothing and answers the questions that matter: which agency has your report, what evidence has to be saved now, and which coverage applies. Paul R. Shalhoub will take it himself. Consultations are free and confidential. We advance case costs, and you owe no attorney’s fees or reimbursement of those costs unless we recover compensation for you.
Call (561) 208-5058 Free case review
Shalhoub Law Injury & Accident, 1011 N Olive Ave, West Palm Beach, FL 33401. This describes Florida law as of November 6, 2026 and applies to claims in Florida. It is general information, not legal advice, and reading it does not create an attorney-client relationship. Past results do not guarantee or predict a similar outcome.