Miami Car Accident Lawyer
Were you injured in a car accident in Miami, Florida? You may be entitled to compensation for your medical bills, lost wages, and pain and suffering. An experienced Miami car accident lawyer at Shaked Law Personal Injury Lawyers can help you maximize your financial recovery. Call us today at (305) 937-0191 to discuss your legal options.
We’ve been fighting for clients like you since 2007. Our top-rated legal team has already recovered hundreds of millions of dollars in settlements for our clients.
Let us use our experience to make the process easier for you. Contact our Miami law offices to get started today.
How Shaked Law Personal Injury Lawyers Can Help After a Car Accident in Miami
Car accidents are common in Miami. However, handling an injury claim after a wreck in South Florida can be anything but simple. Insurance companies will fight to minimize the value of your claim. They may even deny responsibility altogether.
An experienced Miami personal injury lawyer can make a world of difference in the success of your claim. When you hire Shaked Law Personal Injury Lawyers, you’ll have over 165 years of experience in your corner. Our team includes Top 100 Trial Lawyers and a (double) Board Certified attorney. We’ve recovered six, seven, and even eight-figure awards in auto accident claims.
You can count on our car accident lawyers to:
- Conduct a thorough investigation to identify the cause of your accident
- Locate all liable parties and insurance coverage
- Consult with leading experts in medicine, accident reconstruction, and other relevant areas
- Defend you if the insurance company tries to blame you
We have one goal in mind when we take your case: maximizing your settlement. If insurance companies refuse to play fair, we aren’t afraid to advocate for your rights in court.
Are you ready to learn more about how a skilled attorney can make a difference in your case? Speak with our personal injury law firm for a free case review today. We work on a contingency fee basis.
How Common Are Car Accidents in Miami, FL?
Miami’s the second most populated city in the state of Florida. It also ranks ninth in the United States when it comes to traffic congestion. It’s no surprise that vehicle accidents are very common.
According to the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles, there were 62,255 traffic accidents in Miami-Dade County in 2022. That’s 170 accidents a day.
Miami Car Crash Statistics [April 2023 Update]
Despite a drop in the total number of accidents in 2020, crashes have remained fairly consistent over the past few years. In 2018 and 2019 there were 64,627 and 65,156 crashes, respectively.
Statistics for 2021 indicate that things picked up right where they left off before things were shut down due to COVID, there were 61,549 car crashes in Miami. In 2022, there were 19,187 injury crashes and 289 fatal crashes in Miami-Dade.
According to preliminary data for 2023, there have been 14,409 traffic accidents so far (as of 4/13/2023).
How Serious Are Car Accidents in Miami-Dade County?
Statistically speaking, nearly one out of every three car collisions in Miami-Dade County results in an injury.
- 2018: 21,770 injury-causing accidents and 31,270 injuries
- 2019: 21,377 injury-causing accidents and 31,700 injuries
- 2020: 16,486 injury-causing accidents and 24,241 injuries
- 2021: 19,116 injury-causing accidents and 28,278 injuries
- 2022: 19,187 injury-causing accidents and 28,192 injuries
- 2023: 4,530 injury-causing accidents and 6,647 injuries (as of 4/13/2023)
Many auto accidents in the Miami area are fatal, too.
- 2018: 273 crashes and 293 deaths
- 2019: 283 crashes and 299 deaths
- 2020: 320 crashes and 341 deaths
- 2021: 330 crashes and 357 deaths
- 2022: 289 crashes and 307 deaths
- 2023: 84 crashes and 96 deaths (as of 4/13/2023)
Since 2020, the number of fatal car accidents actually decreased in 2022.
What Are Miami’s Most Dangerous Roads & Intersections?
Miami-Dade County and nearby Broward County account for about 25% of all car accidents in the state of Florida. That makes Miami one of the most dangerous places to drive in the Sunshine State. Where do most of the car accidents in this area take place?
Studies show that the following roads and intersections in Miami are among the most dangerous:
- Northeast Second Avenue and 36th Street
- I-95 Express Toll in Little River
- NW 54th St, and
- NE First Avenue and NE Sixth Street.
Avoiding these (and other) stretches of road might decrease the odds of getting into a crash.
Should I Hire an Attorney After an Auto Accident?
Yes – if you want to make sure that you not only win your case, but maximize your financial recovery. Whether you’re dealing with your insurance provider or a third party’s, the company will do whatever it can to keep you from getting the money you deserve. They might try to pressure you into taking a lowball settlement. They might try to deny your claim without a valid reason – hoping that you give up and walk away with nothing.
Hiring an experienced auto accident attorney will level the playing field and force the insurer to play by the rules.
It’ll also give you the opportunity to focus on what really matters: your health — and recovering from your injuries. The more time you have to concentrate on getting better from your physical and emotional wounds, the better. At the same time, you won’t have to stress about your car accident case. It’ll be in trusted hands and you’ll know that your attorney will work hard to get you the full value of your claim.
What is My Car Accident Case Worth?
The value of your car accident case can depend upon:
- The severity and impact of your injuries
- Your out-of-pocket expenses and costs of medical care
- How the injury impacts your career, education, and home life
- Your trauma and suffering
Treatment for severe injuries will typically exceed the coverage limits on your insurance policy. At that point, it will become necessary to identify other sources of insurance coverage. Our Miami car accident lawyers are here to help injury victims fight for every dollar they deserve.
What Types of Damages Are Available to Car Accident Victims?
Car accident victims can suffer some type of damage including physical, emotional, or financial damages. Florida personal injury laws give you the right to demand damages from everyone responsible for your crash.
Your financial losses, or economic damages, may include:
- Medical expenses: including money for ER visits, doctor’s appointments, medications, and more – both present and future
- Lost wages: income, wages, and other financial support you’ve lost as a result of getting hurt
- Reduced earning potential: damages to make up for the difference between what you earned before your car accident and what you’re physically capable of earning now
- Rehabilitation: costs and expenses related to therapy and rehabilitation on your way to recovery
- Property damage: damage to compensate for the cost of replacing or repairing property damaged in the wreck
Non-economic damages in Florida include:
- Pain and suffering: the pain and/or suffering after being involved in a crash
- Emotional distress: trauma you’ve suffered as a result of your accident, including but not limited to anxiety, depression, and PTSD
- Diminished quality of life: an accident might fundamentally change the way you live your life and limit how much you can do the things you once loved
- Disfigurement and scarring: permanent or disabling injuries that alter your appearance and capabilities
- Loss of consortium: damage to a “companionship and fellowship” between spouses after an accident
Our lawyers will work with experts and specialists to ensure you’re getting the full range of damages you deserve. We’ll fight to recover compensation that accounts for both your past and future losses.
Can I Recover Damages If I’m Being Blamed for a Car Accident in Florida?
Florida is a modified comparative fault state. If the insurance company can prove you contributed to the crash, they can reduce your damages to account for your share of fault. However, if your assigned blame exceeds 50%, you’ll be barred from recovering any compensation.
The insurance adjusters understand these rules well. If your injuries were serious, they may try to blame you for the accident. It’s important to stay calm and avoid making any statements that might harm your case.
An experienced car accident attorney can challenge any accusations that you were responsible for your crash.
Who’s Responsible For My Bills After a Car Accident?
Florida currently has no-fault car insurance laws. This means that all drivers are required to purchase car insurance coverage and personal injury protection (PIP) benefits. After an accident, you’ll have to submit a claim to recover these benefits from your insurance company.
You can recover benefits up to your policy limits. If your injuries are severe, that coverage might not be enough to cover your medical care and other losses. Fortunately, you may also be entitled to file a personal injury lawsuit against another party.
Potentially liable parties might include:
- Other drivers
- Motorcyclists
- Bicyclists
- Pedestrians
- Truck drivers
- Trucking companies
- Employers of at-fault parties
- Companies that sell defective vehicles or safety equipment
- Business or property owners
- Government agencies responsible for road design and maintenance
In Florida, anyone who contributes to your accident can be on the hook for the resulting costs and trauma.
Whether you need to file an insurance claim or file a lawsuit against a third party, our injury lawyers are here to help you deal with this complex process on your behalf. We’ll do everything we can to maximize the amount of compensation you deserve.
How Long Will My Car Accident Claim Take To Settle?
There is no average timeline for a car accident claim because all cases are unique. Some are resolved within a few months, while others take over a year.
Many factors will affect how long your claim takes to settle, including:
- How long it takes you to receive medical treatment and reach maximum medical improvement
- The other party’s willingness to negotiate in good faith
- Whether liability is in question
- The strength of your evidence
- Whether your case goes to trial
Even if your car accident case seems straightforward, issues can arise that extend the timeline. The goal is to get you the money you deserve – which oftentimes means you must have patience during the process. An experienced Miami car accident attorney can help you with this.
What Are the Most Common Car Accident Injuries?
Most car accidents end up in an injury. The most common injuries include:
- Traumatic brain injuries
- Whiplash injuries
- Airbag injuries
- Seat belt injuries
- Broken bones
- Burns
- Spinal cord injuries
- Head and neck injuries
- Concussions
- Back injuries
- Organ damage
- Chest injuries
- Amputations
- Paralysis
- Catastrophic injuries
- Wrongful death of a family member
Our car accident attorneys at Shaked Law will fight to get a fair compensation amount for the full range of injuries you’ve suffered.
What Causes Most Car Accidents?
Some of the most common causes of car accidents include:
- Distracted driving
- Texting while driving
- High speed collisions
- Driver aggression
- Fatigued driving
- Failure to yield the right-of-way
- Tailgating
- Unsafe passing and lane changes
- Illegal or unsafe turns
- Running a red light or stop sign
- Drunk driving
- Driving under the influence of drugs
- Poor visibility and weather conditions
- Hazardous road conditions
- Defective vehicle parts, such as airbags, seatbelts, faulty brakes, tires, or safety equipment
At Shaked Law, we’ll launch a comprehensive investigation into the cause of your car crash. Once we discover why your accident happened we can help you hold all at-fault sides accountable for your injuries.
We Handle All Types of Car Accident Cases
No two car accidents are the same. In order to get the most out of your injury case, it’s important to work with a firm that has handled a variety of car accident lawsuits. The more skilled your lawyer is working with different crashes, the more prepared they’ll be to help you.
At Shaked Law, we represent clients who have been injured in:
- Head-on collisions
- Side-swipe collisions
- Rear-end accidents
- Drunk driving accidents
- Intersection accidents
- Hit-and-run accidents
- Rollover accidents
- Single vehicle accidents
- Multi-vehicle accidents
- Truck accidents
- Highway accidents
- Bicycle accidents
- Motorcycle accidents
- Pedestrian accidents
- Uber and Lyft accidents (rideshare accidents)
- Accidents involving passenger negligence, an uninsured motorist, or underinsured motorists
- Fatal car accidents, catastrophic accidents such as spinal cord injury or brain injury, and more
Our lawyers in Miami can help you uncover the evidence you need to support your insurance claim. If you were involved in a car accident because another driver was careless, contact our attorneys. We offer a free case evaluation so that you can get the legal representation you deserve.
How Much Does It Cost To Hire a Car Accident Attorney in Miami, FL?
Many people hesitate to contact an attorney after a collision because they believe they can’t afford one. However, most Miami car accident attorneys take cases on a contingency fee basis – meaning there aren’t any upfront costs to retain representation.
You will only pay attorney’s fees if your case is successful, and the fees will be deducted from your awarded settlement or jury award. Most Florida attorneys charge a contingency fee between 33-40%, depending on the complexity and duration of your case.
We’ll discuss our contingency fee arrangement with you during your initial consultation. We’ll answer your questions and ensure that you understand what to expect.
How Do I Prove Negligence After a Car Accident?
Most car accidents happen because a driver or someone was negligent. If you fall victim to a car accident, you will have to establish four elements to prove the driver acted negligently:
- A legal duty of care – All motorists have a responsibility to drive carefully and follow traffic laws to avoid causing accidents and injuring others (such as pedestrian injuries or bicycle accidents).
- Breach of duty – A party breaches their duty of care when they fail to act reasonably under the circumstances. For example, if a driver was exceeding the speed limit or focusing their attention on their phone when they caused an accident, they likely breached their duty.
- Causation – The party’s breach must have directly led to the collision and your injuries. For example, looking at their phone distracted them from driving, resulting in a rear-end crash that injured you.
- Damages – You must have sustained damages due to the other party’s actions, such as medical expenses, emotional trauma, and lost wages.
Many kinds of evidence can be useful in proving negligence, including:
- Police and accident reports
- Dashcam footage
- Video surveillance footage
- Eyewitness statements
- Data from the accident
- Medical records
- Testimony from experts
Our Miami car accident lawyers are here to help you find out what happened. We’ll gather the evidence to back up your claim and work tirelessly to prove your right to compensation. Just reach out to us to find out more.
How Long Do I Have to File a Lawsuit After a Car Accident in Florida?
The Florida statute of limitations for filing car accident lawsuits is two years. If you fail to file a car accident lawsuit within two years of the accident, you’ll forfeit your right to compensation.
Florida law used to implement a four-year statute of limitations for car accident cases and other personal injury claims. However, the deadline was shortened to two years by law on March 24, 2023. Therefore, if your Miami collision occurred after 3/24/23, you have two years to take legal action.
Don’t wait two years to seek legal advice. Our attorneys at Shaked Law Personal Injury Lawyers can get to work immediately to give you the best chance of maximizing your financial settlement.
What Should I Do After a Car Accident?
After an auto accident, these simple steps can help to keep you safe and protect your ability to file (and win) a legal claim for damages.
- Stay at the scene of the accident. Leaving can be considered a hit and run under Florida law.
- Call to report the crash and have first responders sent to the scene.
- Check to see if others are okay, but do not admit fault or apologize.
- Exchange insurance details, name, address, and phone number with others involved.
- Take photographs of the scene, damaged property, and injuries on any part of your body (no matter if they’re minor or major).
- Seek medical attention or visit a doctor as soon as you can.
- Refuse to provide a recorded statement for an insurance company or answer anything other than basic questions (e.g., name, address).
- Resist the urge to accept an early settlement offer or any terms – especially if you haven’t consulted with an attorney.
Finally, contact a lawyer in Miami, Florida to discuss your accident and get the representation you need.
Frequently Asked Questions
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What Are My Options After a Motor Vehicle Collision in Florida?
Because Florida is a no-fault state, after a car accident, you will first file a claim with your PIP insurance provider. However, these benefits may not cover the full extent of your damages.
If you suffered an accident that resulted in serious injuries or your losses exceed your PIP policy limits, you may be able to file a claim against the at-fault driver. There are a few different options:
- If the other driver has optional bodily injury liability insurance, you can file a claim with their liability insurance company
- You can file a personal injury claim against the at-fault party
Our Miami car accident attorneys know how to identify every potential source of compensation. We’ll investigate and evaluate the facts of your case, including the parties involved, to determine your options.
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What Is the Average Settlement for Car Accidents?
Every car accident case presents a unique set of facts. Victims have varying degrees of injuries, and some claims are more difficult to prove than others. While the average settlement is between $20,000 to $30,000, a majority of people receive less than $10,000. However, others receive millions.
Ultimately, the value of your case will depend on several factors, including:
- The type of injuries you sustained and the value of your medical bills and other expenses
- Whether you require ongoing medical treatment or rehabilitation
- Your lost earnings
- Whether you’re able to continue working in the same capacity as before the collision
- Your pain, suffering, and emotional trauma
- Whether you share any fault for the accident
- The available insurance coverage and parties involved
- Your property damage and associated costs
We’ll be able to give you a better idea of what your case is worth once we learn more about your crash and injuries.
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How To Deal With Insurance Companies?
While they may seem nice, an insurance adjuster’s primary goal is to pay you as little as possible. They’re trained to take statements out of context to minimize case values.
Insurers often make quick settlement offers that are far less than what you deserve. If you make the mistake of signing the agreement, you won’t be able to pursue further legal action – even if you discover additional damages later.
Accordingly, you should consult an attorney before you speak to anyone from the insurance company or sign anything. An attorney will protect your best interests. They know how to spot insurance tactics that serve to undervalue claims, and they’ll fight for the maximum compensation available.
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Will I Have To Go To Court for My Miami Car Accident?
Most Miami car accident claims settle before reaching the trial phase. Parties typically seek to resolve cases through a settlement agreement to avoid the uncertainty and cost of litigation and trial.
However, your case may proceed to trial if the opposing party refuses to settle for a fair amount. If the value of your damages is significant or the parties disagree on pertinent issues, a court hearing may be necessary. Our trial attorneys will be ready to advocate for you if your case reaches this stage.
What Does PIP Insurance Cover?
All drivers in Florida must carry at least $10,000 in Personal Injury Protection (PIP) insurance. When you’re involved in a crash, your first step is to file a claim with your PIP insurance provider – regardless of who was at fault.
PIP insurance will cover up to 80% of your medical bills and expenses, including:
- Ambulance bills
- Medical treatment
- Hospital visits
- Surgery
- X-rays
- Dental exams
- Rehabilitation
- Prosthetic devices
- Nursing services
- Physical therapy
Your healthcare costs must be necessary and reasonable. Additionally, to receive medical benefits, you must seek treatment within 14 days of your collision.
PIP insurance also covers up to 60% of your lost income and reduced earning capacity. If a car accident causes you to miss work, these disability benefits will cover a portion of your losses.
Lastly, PIP policies provide death benefits of up to $5,000 per person. If you lose a family member in a fatal crash, you may be entitled to compensation from their PIP policy.
Contact a Miami Car Accident Lawyer for a Free Consultation
A car accident can happen in the blink of an eye. Recovering from a serious injury takes much longer. If you are an accident victim and need legal presentation, an experienced Miami car accident lawyer at Shaked Law can help you get the compensation you need and will look out for your best interests.
We are a well-respected law firm within the legal community with a proven track record of success recovering over $100 million for our clients. We’re based in Miami, Fort Lauderdale, West Palm Beach, Palm Beach County, Broward County, and the surrounding areas. Call our injury law firm today or submit a new contact form to schedule a free case evaluation and explore your options. Our legal team will help you go through this difficult situation.
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Areas We Serve in Miami, FL
If you or a loved one were involved in a car accident and suffered injuries, property damage, losses, or wrongful death, contact our personal injury law firm to discuss your legal options. We’re serving the following locations: Aventura, Boca Raton, Coral Gables, Cutler Bay, Davie, Doral, Fort Lauderdale, Hallandale Beach, Hialeah, Hollywood, Kendall, Key Biscayne, Miami Beach, Miami Lakes, Miramar, North Miami, Oakland Park, Palmetto Bay, Pembroke Pines, Plantation, South Miami, Sunrise, Sweetwater, Weston, West Palm Beach, and surrounding areas.
Additional Car Accident Resources and Information
- Are You Suffering From PTSD After A Car Accident?
- What Are the Odds of Dying in a Car Accident?
- What Happens When You Are At Fault for a Car Accident?
- What to Know About Car Accident Reports in Miami, FL
- What You Should and Should Not Do After a Car Accident in Miami, FL
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Miami Auto Repair Shops
- Manny’s Auto Service, Inc. – 5609 NW 6th St, Miami, FL 33126
- E T Auto Repair – 773 NW 21st Terrace, Miami, FL 33127
- Mechanics in Motion LLC Mobile Mechanics – 1380 SE 14th St, Miami, FL 33145
- Green’s Garage – 2221 SW 32nd Ave, Miami, FL 33145
*Disclaimer – we do not endorse these companies or profit from having them listed on our website.
Miami Car Accident Infographic
