Fort Lauderdale Car Accident Lawyer

A serious collision can leave you dealing with surgery, missed work, insurance calls, and questions about whether your injuries will affect the rest of your life.

When another driver caused the crash, a Fort Lauderdale car accident lawyer at Hollander Law Firm can determine what happened, identify the available insurance and other sources of recovery, and build the evidence necessary to pursue the losses the collision actually caused.

Gregg Hollander has practiced law for more than 30 years, and the firm has represented injury victims in South Florida since 1996. Hollander Law Firm combines the attention of a selective practice with the resources required for serious injury litigation. The firm has recovered tens of millions of dollars in settlements and verdicts.

We offer free consultations. Same-day appointments are available, along with home and hospital visits for injured clients who cannot travel. We can listen to what happened, review the available evidence and insurance coverage, and give you a direct assessment of your legal options.

Get started by calling (561) 347-7770 or filling out our short form today.

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Do I Need an Experienced Florida Car Crash Injury Lawyer for My Recent Car Crash?

You are not legally required to hire a lawyer after a Florida crash, but serious injury cases can become difficult. If another person’s negligence caused the collision and your injuries, you may have the right to pursue compensation.

The harder issues involve the following:

• Proving exactly how the crash occurred,
• Connecting the collision to the injuries being claimed,
• Documenting whether those injuries are permanent, and
• Finding sufficient insurance coverage to pay the resulting losses.

A Fort Lauderdale auto accident lawyer may need to preserve surveillance footage, vehicle data, cellphone evidence, witness accounts, photographs, medical records, employment information, and other evidence before it disappears.

At Hollander Law Firm, we evaluate the entire case. We understand the mechanics of the collision, the medical consequences, and the defenses an insurer is likely to raise. We also provide regular case updates so you’re never left wondering about your claim’s status.

What Should I Do Immediately After a Car Accident in Fort Lauderdale?

The immediate aftermath of a Fort Lauderdale car accident can affect both the medical documentation of your injuries and the evidence available to support a later claim.

After a serious Fort Lauderdale collision, take the following steps:

• Call 911 and report the crash. Fort Lauderdale Police may respond to collisions within the city, while crashes on major state highways such as I-95 may involve the Florida Highway Patrol.
• Get medical care. Prompt evaluation helps identify conditions that need treatment and creates medical records documenting when your symptoms began. Florida PIP medical benefits generally require that initial services and care be provided within 14 days of the crash, so don’t delay initial treatment.
• Photograph what can safely be documented. Vehicle positions, impact damage, skid marks, debris, traffic controls, construction conditions, and sight obstructions may help reconstruct the collision later.
• Look for nearby cameras. A collision on streets like Las Olas Boulevard, Sunrise Boulevard, or another commercial corridor may have been captured by a business, building, dashcam, or traffic-related camera.
• Identify any witnesses. Get the names and contact information of anyone who saw the collision. Independent witnesses can become important if the drivers later give conflicting accounts about the light, right-of-way, speed, lane position, or sequence of events.
• Notify your insurer, but be careful with recorded statements and releases. An early statement, made before you understand the extent of your injuries, can later become evidence.
• Do not delay initial treatment. Florida PIP medical benefits generally require that initial services and care be provided within 14 days of the crash, so don’t delay initial treatment.

Consider speaking with a car accident lawyer before important evidence disappears or the insurance company begins shaping the claim around its own interests. Hollander Law Firm can review how the crash occurred, identify evidence that should be preserved, evaluate available insurance coverage, and help protect you from statements or decisions that could later be used to reduce the value of your claim.

What Are the Causes of Car Accidents in Fort Lauderdale?

Fort Lauderdale combines interstate traffic on I-95 with heavily traveled urban roads such as Sunrise Boulevard, Broward Boulevard, and SE 17th Street. The cause of a serious crash may determine which evidence must be secured and whether responsibility extends beyond the other driver.

Distracted Driving

Distracted driving can involve any activity that pulls a driver’s eyes, hands, or attention away from safely operating the vehicle. 

Common examples include:

• Cellphone use,
• Navigation and infotainment systems,
• Eating or drinking,
• Talking to passengers,
• Reaching for objects,
• Personal grooming, and
• Outside distractions.

Proving distraction may require more than showing that the driver made a mistake. Depending on the circumstances, cellphone records, vehicle data, dashcam footage, surveillance video, witness testimony, or the driver’s own statements may help establish what diverted their attention immediately before the crash.

Impaired Driving

Alcohol or drugs can affect reaction time, judgment, lane control, and speed. In a Fort Lauderdale DUI collision, the criminal investigation may yield breath or blood test results, body-camera footage, officer observations, and witness statements that later become relevant to the civil injury case. The civil claim does not depend on a criminal conviction.

Fatigued Driving

Fatigue cases may involve a driver who falls asleep, drifts from a lane, fails to react to stopped traffic, or crosses into opposing lanes. A late-night collision on I-95 or I-595 may require examination of travel history, work schedules, phone activity, surveillance video, and other evidence to determine how long the driver had been awake or on the road.

Speeding

Speed affects stopping distance, available reaction time, impact energy, and frequently the severity of the resulting injuries. Florida requires motorists to drive at a speed that is reasonable given existing hazards, even when it is below the posted limit. That can matter during heavy rain, congestion, construction, or dense pedestrian traffic.

Aggressive Driving

Tailgating, abrupt lane changes, weaving through traffic, racing to close a gap, or deliberately intimidating another motorist can trigger a collision sequence involving several vehicles. Dashcam footage, independent witnesses, vehicle damage, and roadway evidence can help separate aggressive driving from competing accounts given after the crash.

Failure to Yield

Left-turn collisions can cause severe side impacts because the oncoming vehicle may have little time to brake before reaching the turning vehicle. Florida requires a driver turning left to yield to oncoming traffic at the intersection or when it is close enough to pose an immediate hazard.

Failure to Stop at a Traffic Light or Stop Sign

A driver who enters an intersection against a red light or rolls through a stop sign can produce a T-bone collision. Witness accounts, nearby video, signal timing information, vehicle locations, and impact patterns may help establish which vehicle had the right of way.

Poor Road Conditions

Standing water, construction lane shifts, defective traffic controls, obscured signs, pavement defects, or unsafe work zones can contribute to a crash. These cases may require investigation of the entity responsible for designing, maintaining, or controlling the roadway, and claims involving governmental entities can raise additional procedural requirements.

Mechanical Failure

Brake failure, tire separation, steering defects, defective safety systems, or negligent repairs can shift the investigation beyond driver error. The vehicle itself may be critical evidence. Preserving it can allow engineers to determine whether a defective component, inadequate maintenance, or improper repair contributed to the collision.

What Types of Car Accident Cases Do Our Fort Lauderdale Car Accident Lawyers Handle?

Hollander Law Firm has handled a broad range of motor vehicle claims, including cases involving:

• Rear-end accidents,
• Head-on collisions,
• Sideswipes and side-impact collisions,
• High-speed crashes,
• T-bone accidents,
• Single-vehicle and multi-vehicle accidents,
• Truck accidents,
• Bicycle and pedestrian collisions,
• Buses and mass transit vehicles,
• Hit and run accidents,
• Highway accidents,
• Intersection accidents, and
• Red and yellow light accidents.

Contact Hollander Law Firm for a free consultation and speak with a seasoned Fort Lauderdale car accident lawyer to discuss what caused your crash, what evidence matters, what compensation may be available, and what may affect the time required to resolve the claim.

What Are Some Florida Car Accident Settlement Amount Examples?

Past results do not guarantee a similar result in another case. Settlement value depends on the facts, injuries, causation evidence, liability disputes, available insurance, and damages that can be proven. However, the following results illustrate the kinds of serious motor vehicle cases Hollander Law Firm has handled.

$4.3 Million Auto Accident Lawsuit Settlement Payout

A front-seat passenger in an SUV received a $4.3 million settlement after a commercial vehicle ran a stop sign and struck the SUV in Fort Lauderdale. The passenger suffered a spinal cord injury resulting in permanent paraplegia. The passenger was not wearing a seatbelt, adding a potential comparative-fault issue to a case with catastrophic, lifelong consequences.

$750,000 Rideshare Accident Lawsuit Settlement Payout

A rear-seat rideshare passenger received a $750,000 settlement after the rideshare driver attempted a left turn into the path of oncoming traffic in Fort Myers. The passenger suffered facial lacerations and permanent scarring, a fractured nose and deviated septum, neck injuries, and bilateral ulnar nerve subluxation requiring multiple surgeries.

$1 Million Auto Accident Lawsuit Settlement Payout

A driver received a $1 million settlement following an improper left-turn collision in Fort Myers. The crash caused multiple lumbar fractures and a new disc herniation, aggravated a preexisting lower-back condition, and contributed to spinal stenosis requiring a lumbar laminectomy. The case illustrates why preexisting conditions require careful comparison of prior records, post-crash imaging, symptoms, and treatment.

What Damages Are Available for Car Accident Injuries in Fort Lauderdale, FL?

The compensation available after a serious car accident depends on the injuries you suffered, how they affect your life and work, and what losses can be supported with medical, financial, and other evidence.

Economic Damages

These compensate you for measurable financial losses, which may include:

• Past and future medical expenses,
• Surgery,
• Rehabilitation and therapy,
• Prescription medications,
• Medical equipment,
• Lost wages,
• Reduced future earning capacity,
• Vehicle damage and other property losses, and
• Future assistance or care required because of permanent limitations.

In catastrophic injury cases, future losses may require input from treating physicians, life care planners, vocational professionals, or economists.

Noneconomic Damages

A qualifying injury may also support compensation for losses that do not come with an invoice, including:

• Physical pain and suffering,
• Mental anguish,
• Permanent disability or impairment,
• Scarring and disfigurement, and
• Loss of enjoyment of life.

Florida generally limits recovery of pain-and-suffering damages arising from a motor vehicle accident to cases involving 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.

Available Insurance Can Affect the Recovery

A Fort Lauderdale car accident attorney evaluating a substantial claim should examine all insurance avenues. At Hollander Law Firm, we can review PIP benefits, bodily injury coverage, uninsured/underinsured motorist coverage, applicable commercial or employer policies, and other potential sources of recovery.

We also evaluate medical liens and reimbursement claims before settlement, so the amount recovered is considered alongside what must be repaid.

FAQs

How Long Do I Have to File an Injury Claim After a Fort Lauderdale Car Crash?

Florida generally gives you two years to file a negligence lawsuit arising from a recent car accident. Missing the applicable statute of limitations can prevent you from recovering damages through the courts.

Also, camera footage can be overwritten, vehicles can be repaired, witnesses can become difficult to locate, and physical evidence can disappear long before two years pass. Early investigation protects options that a last-minute lawsuit cannot recreate.

How Much Does It Cost to Hire a Fort Lauderdale Auto Accident Lawyer?

Hollander Law Firm offers a free initial consultation and handles personal injury matters on a contingency fee basis. That means attorney fees are tied to obtaining a recovery rather than being paid hourly up front.

You owe us nothing if you get nothing. A written contingency agreement will explain the fee arrangement and how case expenses are handled.

Can I Still Recover Damages If I’m Partly Responsible for My Car Accident in Florida?

Yes, as long as you are not more than 50% responsible in a negligence action governed by Florida’s modified comparative fault rule. Your compensation is reduced according to your percentage of responsibility. Someone who suffers $500,000 in damages but is found 20% at fault, for example, would have the award reduced by 20% to $400,000. A person found 51% responsible generally cannot recover damages under this rule.

That percentage gives an insurer a direct financial reason to shift fault. An adjuster may argue that you were speeding, following too closely, or distracted. Even a relatively small allocation of fault reduces what the insurer may ultimately owe.

Does Florida Have No-Fault Insurance Rules?

Yes. Personal injury protection coverage, or PIP, generally becomes the first source of covered medical and disability benefits after a crash, regardless of who caused it. Florida PIP generally pays 80% of covered, reasonable, and medically necessary medical expenses and 60% of covered lost income, subject to policy limits and statutory requirements.

Medical treatment timing matters. Initial services generally must occur within 14 days after the accident.

PIP does not necessarily determine the value of the entire injury claim. When another driver causes a serious injury, additional recovery may come from that driver’s bodily injury coverage, uninsured/underinsured motorist insurance, or another responsible party or policy. The coverage analysis becomes especially important when medical expenses and future losses substantially exceed the limited benefits available through PIP.

What Happens If the At-Fault Driver Is Uninsured or Does Not Have Enough Insurance?

You may still have options for recovering compensation. Florida’s basic vehicle registration requirements generally require personal injury protection (PIP) and property damage liability coverage, but they do not necessarily mean that a driver carries bodily injury liability insurance sufficient to pay for another person’s serious injuries. That can become a major problem after a crash involving surgery, permanent impairment, or substantial lost income.

Your own uninsured/underinsured motorist (UM/UIM) coverage may provide an additional source of recovery if you purchased it. Uninsured motorist coverage can apply when the responsible driver has no applicable insurance, while underinsured motorist coverage may help when the driver’s available liability coverage is less than the damages you can establish.

Hollander Law Firm can examine the policies covering you, the at-fault vehicle, its owner, and any other potentially responsible party. In a serious injury case, identifying additional coverage early can be just as important as proving who caused the collision.

Contact a Fort Lauderdale Car Accident Attorney About Your Case

When a negligent driver causes a Fort Lauderdale crash that seriously injures you or a family member, delaying the investigation can make an already difficult case harder to prove. Medical expenses, lost income, property damage, future treatment, permanent limitations, and other losses need to be documented before an insurer can fairly evaluate what the collision has cost you.

Contact Hollander Law Firm at (561) 347-7770 or reach us online today for a free case evaluation. Injured clients who cannot travel can request a home or hospital visit. Tell us what happened, and we can determine what needs to be investigated, what insurance may apply, and what it will take to present the full consequences of the crash.

Legal References Used to Inform This Page

To ensure the accuracy and clarity of this page, we referenced official legal and other resources during the content development process:

• Required personal injury protection benefits, Fla. Stat. § 627.736.
• Limitations other than for the recovery of real property, Fla. Stat. § 95.11.
• Motor vehicle insurance; uninsured and underinsured vehicle coverage, Fla. Stat. § 627.727.
• Comparative fault, Fla. Stat. § 768.81.
• Tort exemption; limitation on right to damages, Fla. Stat. § 627.737.
• Vehicle turning left, Fla. Stat. § 316.122.
• Vehicle entering stop or yield intersection, Fla. Stat. § 316.123.
• Unlawful speed, Fla. Stat. § 316.183.
• Driving under the influence, Fla. Stat. § 316.193.

Fort Lauderdale, FL Car Accident Infographic