Fort Lauderdale Car Crash Lawyer

Injured in a Crash on I-95, US-1, or Las Olas Blvd? Palaidis Law Is Ready

Your car is sitting in a shop somewhere, and your body still doesn’t feel right. Medical bills are showing up before you’ve even seen a doctor twice. You still need a paycheck, even though you aren’t able to work. And somewhere in an office you have never seen, an adjuster is already deciding how little they can pay you for all of it.

Recovering from a crash on I-95, US-1, or Las Olas Blvd is hard enough without also having to prove your pain to the company that owes you money.

George Palaidis tried more than 35 cases in Miami-Dade County courts as a public defender before he founded Palaidis Law. Insurance companies negotiating with his clients already know he will take a case to trial if the offer isn’t fair. That is why Broward County crash victims come to us instead of settling for whatever the adjuster offers first.

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Contact us today for a free consultation and tell us what happened. We work on contingency, so you owe nothing unless we recover money for you.

Common Car Collision Types We Handle Across Broward County

Car crashes in Broward County happen in many ways including:

• Rear-end collisions: the driver in back is almost always responsible for leaving enough room to stop, whether the crash happens on I-95 or at a red light on Sunrise Blvd.
• Intersection and T-bone crashes: Broward Blvd, Sunrise Blvd, and other streets have frequent red-light and failure-to-yield collisions. These often happen when one driver enters an intersection before the other has cleared it.
• Head-on and sideswipe crashes: these usually happen when a driver drifts across a center line or merges without checking a blind spot. They tend to cause severe injuries.

What Causes Crashes on A1A and Sunrise Blvd

Behind every crash is a cause, and in Broward County a few causes show up again and again, including:

• Distracted driving: a driver glancing at a phone for even a few seconds at A1A speeds covers enough distance to miss a stopped car or a person stepping off the curb. Eating, adjusting a GPS, or reaching for something in the back seat creates that same blind window, even with no phone in hand.
• DUI: impaired drivers cause some of the most serious crashes we see. A DUI conviction, or evidence of impairment, can establish negligence under Florida law.
• Failure to yield: drivers who ignore right-of-way rules at intersections along Broward Blvd and Sunrise Blvd cause crashes that are often easier to prove, since traffic law spells out exactly who had the right of way.

Whether the at-fault driver stays at the scene or leaves in a hit-and-run crash, we work hard to pursue a fair recovery. If the at-fault driver flees, we may recover through your own uninsured motorist coverage while working to identify the driver who left the scene.

Florida’s No-Fault System Near Florida’s Turnpike and Your Right to Step Outside It

Florida requires every driver to carry Personal Injury Protection, known as PIP (Fla. Stat. § 627.736). PIP pays up to 80% of your medical bills and 60% of your lost wages, up to $10,000, no matter who caused the crash, whether it happened on I-595, Florida’s Turnpike, or a side street off Sunrise Blvd. You must see a doctor within 14 days of the crash or you lose this coverage completely, so treatment cannot wait.

The full $10,000 in PIP benefits is only available if a qualified medical provider determines your injuries meet the definition of an Emergency Medical Condition. Without that determination, PIP coverage caps at $2,500, no matter how much treatment you actually need.

PIP was never meant to cover a serious injury. If your injuries meet Florida’s serious injury threshold, meaning they are permanent, cause significant scarring, result in significant and permanent loss of an important bodily function, or result in death, you can step outside the no-fault system. That lets you pursue the at-fault driver directly for your full damages.

If the at-fault driver carries too little insurance, or none at all, your own uninsured and underinsured motorist coverage can fill that gap. 

This reflects Florida law as of July 2026.

How Fault and Deadlines Work at the Broward County Courthouse

Florida uses modified comparative negligence, which means a jury can still assign you a share of the blame for a crash. If you are found 50% or less at fault, you can still recover damages, just reduced by your share of liability. Insurance adjusters often try to inflate a victim’s share of fault, which is one reason documenting the scene matters from day one.

You also face a hard deadline. Florida law gives you two years from the date of the crash to file a negligence lawsuit. Cases that reach the Broward County Courthouse are stronger when evidence, witness statements, and medical records were gathered early, not two years later when memories have faded.

Damages you can recover include your medical bills, lost wages, and pain and suffering, and the value of each depends on the specific facts of your crash.

What to Do After a Crash Near Downtown Fort Lauderdale and Flagler Village

What you do in the hours after a crash in Downtown Fort Lauderdale or Flagler Village can shape your entire case.

Call the police and get a report on record. Photograph the vehicles, the road, and any visible injuries before anything gets moved or repaired. Exchange insurance information with the other driver, but keep the conversation limited to that.

See a doctor within 14 days to protect your PIP benefits, even if you think you feel fine. Adrenaline hides pain for days.

Do not give a recorded statement to the other driver’s insurance adjuster before you talk to us. Adjusters are trained to ask questions that shrink your claim. We represent clients across Victoria Park, Rio Vista, and Coral Ridge, and the sooner you call, the more we may be able to protect.

How Palaidis Law Investigates and Litigates Your Claim from I-95 to Davie

Once you hire us, we build your case the way we would prepare for trial, because that is what makes an insurance company take an offer seriously. We gather the police report, crash scene photos, and any traffic camera or dash cam footage along corridors like I-95 and I-595, where high speeds make reconstruction critical. We collect your medical records and document the full extent of your injuries. We handle every call and settlement offer from the insurance company directly, so you are never negotiating your own recovery.

George Palaidis is a member of The National Trial Lawyers Top 100 for Southeast Florida. His career has centered on trying cases in front of a jury, not just settling them.That trial record is why insurance companies in Broward County take our settlement demands seriously. 

If your crash also involved a commercial truck, a motorcycle, or a rideshare driver, our truck crash lawyer, motorcycle crash lawyer, and Uber and Lyft crash lawyer pages cover what changes in those cases, whether you are in Fort Lauderdale, Hollywood, Pompano Beach, Plantation, or Davie.

Frequently Asked Questions

How much is my car crash case worth in Fort Lauderdale?

Every case is different. Value depends on the severity of your injuries, your medical bills, lost wages, and pain and suffering, and a minor claim settles for far less than a catastrophic one. We review the specific facts of your crash and the available evidence before giving you a number.

How long does it take to settle a car accident case in Florida?

Straightforward claims often resolve in a few months, while serious injury cases can take a year or more, especially if we have to file suit. Settling before your treatment is finished usually undervalues your claim, so the timeline follows your recovery, not the calendar.

Do I need a lawyer after a car crash in Florida?

You are not required to hire one, but Florida’s no-fault rules, comparative negligence defenses, and insurance company tactics make claims more complicated than they look. A Fort Lauderdale car crash lawyer levels the playing field with the adjuster, and we work on contingency, so there is no fee unless you recover.

What should I do immediately after a car crash in Fort Lauderdale?

Call the police, get medical attention, and photograph the scene and both vehicles before anything is moved. Exchange insurance information, avoid a recorded statement to the other driver’s adjuster, and seek treatment within 14 days to protect your PIP benefits.

How long do I have to file a car accident claim in Florida?

Florida generally gives you two years from the date of the crash to file a negligence lawsuit. Waiting risks losing evidence and witnesses, so it is best to talk to a lawyer well before that deadline gets close.

What if the other driver was uninsured or fled the scene?

You may still recover through your own uninsured or underinsured motorist coverage and PIP. Hit-and-run and uninsured-driver crashes take careful investigation, and we work to identify every available source of compensation for Broward County victims.

What if I was partly at fault for the crash?

Under Florida’s modified comparative negligence rule, you can still recover if you are 50% or less at fault, with your award reduced by your share. Insurance adjusters often overstate a victim’s share of fault, which is why documenting your crash matters from the start.

If you have a question that isn’t answered here, contact us and we will walk through your specific situation during a free consultation.

Contact a Fort Lauderdale Car Crash Lawyer at Palaidis Law

You do not have to sort out medical bills, lost paychecks, and an insurance adjuster all at once. Contact us today for a free consultation, and we will review your crash and explain your options in plain language. We work on contingency, so you owe nothing unless we recover money for you.