Fort Lauderdale Car Accident Lawyer

Cowen Edwards Trial Lawyers represents car accident victims in the Fort Lauderdale area.

Our Fort Lauderdale car accident lawyers offer free consultations to all injured victims. Contact our offices to find out what your case may be worth and how to hold a car insurance company fully responsible for what you’ve been through.

HOW DO I KNOW IF I NEED A LAWYER AFTER A FORT LAUDERDALE CAR ACCIDENT?

If you are seriously hurt in a car crash caused by a careless driver, you may be able to get more out of your injury claim with the help of a car accident attorney.

When you fracture a bone, endure a neck or back injury, or suffer a Traumatic Brain Injury, your medical bills may go through the roof. These extreme costs make car insurance companies nervous and they begin to look for ways to get out of helping you with your financial hardships. Having an attorney handling your case protects you from their tactics. Your lawyer fights back to make sure you receive every benefit available.

You may also need the help of a Fort Lauderdale car accident lawyer if you are being unfairly blamed for an accident. Car insurers like to try to shift blame from their policyholders to innocent victims so they can stick others with car repair bills and hospital invoices. Your lawyer fights back to make sure the liability stays with the at-fault driver.

Take advantage of a free consultation whenever you feel you aren’t being treated fairly after an accident you didn’t cause.

WE SEEK FULL COMPENSATION FOR YOU AFTER A FORT LAUDERDALE COLLISION

Once your case is ready, our Fort Lauderdale attorneys file your claim with the at-fault driver’s auto insurance company. Each hospital, prescription, and physical therapy bill is submitted to the insurer, backed up with receipts and medical charts.

But those doctor bills won’t be the only things that will earn you money in an insurance check. Your attorney will be demanding compensation for several things you may not have known an at-fault driver is responsible for:

Totals on current medical bills and estimates on the cost of care in the future.
Long-term costs associated with a permanent physical disability.
Pain and suffering. This includes the physical pain you endure and the emotional trauma you are put through.
Loss of enjoyment of life.
Loss of consortium. Dealing with the loss of intimacy with a partner.
Travel costs as you must find ways to get to and from doctor appointments while you’re injured.
Money for car repairs or car replacement.
Income and benefits you’ve lost while missing work.

WHAT TO DO AFTER A FLORIDA CAR COLLISION?

Your lawyer with Cowen Edwards will be fully investigating the facts of your case so a car insurance company can’t attempt to shift blame for the accident.

You can also help build your case by taking action in the moments right after your crash. Some of the best evidence will be found at the scene. You should try to gather this proof if your injuries will allow you to and once the accident site has been secured:

Call 911. Allow paramedics to examine your injuries to determine if you need to go to the emergency room. Give a detailed account of what happened to the Fort Lauderdale Police or the Florida Highway Patrol. Investigators will write up an accident report that should be strong evidence in your favor.
Take cell phone pictures. Show the damage to each vehicle. Show any visible injuries. Note if any surveillance cameras are mounted on nearby businesses or homes. Jot down the addresses.
Exchange information with the other drivers. Get driver’s licenses and insurance information from everyone involved unless an officer provides it to you. If a truck driver or a delivery driver hits you, get information about where they work.
Talk to witnesses. Find out what they saw and find out how your lawyer can contact them.
Alert your own insurance company. You want to tell your insurance agents what happened in case they get calls from the at-fault driver or the driver’s car insurance provider.
Visit your doctor. Schedule an appointment with your family physician to get all injuries checked out. This includes any new pain that appeared the morning after your accident. Follow your doctor’s orders.
Contact a Skilled Fort Lauderdale Car Accident Lawyer. Evidence can disappear shortly after an accident and witnesses can be hard to track down. Speak to Cowen Edwards Trial Lawyers in a free consultation to find out what you’ll need to do to maximize the accident settlement check you receive.

What Type of Insurance Tactics Should I Watch Out for After a Car Accident?

If you are injured and another driver was to blame, it seems like a no-brainer that you should get the support you need to pay your medical bills and stay afloat while you can’t work.

Unfortunately, those insurance representatives for at-fault drivers are motivated by profits and not what’s best for victims. They can resort to tactics that limit the support you receive. They also keep you in the dark about what’s really available to collision victims.

Watch out for these strategies and contact a lawyer if you detect an insurer is trying to manipulate you into a smaller settlement:

Asking for a Recorded Statement– (Don’t do it!) The first step an insurance adjuster for an at-fault driver may take is to call you. They will usually ask you to make a recorded statement about what happened. Don’t comply. You are not legally obligated to give a statement, and it can hurt your case. Insurers want to secure this statement in the hopes they can twist something you say later to damage your claim. Offer just basic information and let your attorney handle all other communications.
Playing the Blame Game – Insurers can accuse you of causing an accident, despite what a crash report from the Fort Lauderdale police (FLPD) says. This may pressure you to give up your claim. It could also just delay your case as you scramble to prove you weren’t at fault. Either way, the insurance company often wins. A skilled Fort Lauderdale lawyer can gather the evidence necessary to keep the blame on the right driver and then focus on winning the most for your claim.
Offer a Quick Settlement – Car insurers will decide to move very quickly or very slowly depending on what gives them the best chance to limit the support you receive. They can offer you a settlement just days after your collision, but this usually means they want you to accept a “lowball” offer before you realize how much in support you’re truly going to need to recover. If you sign, you can’t ask for any more money when you realize your trips to the doctor aren’t through. The insurance company can walk away and pocket the money they should have given you. Insurers also seek to get you to sign a settlement agreement before you think to talk to a lawyer, to find out about the benefits you haven’t heard about.
Delaying Your Claim – Major car insurance companies can also hit the brakes on your claim. They can wait to respond, hoping you’ll become more desperate as you miss paychecks and hospital bills continue to add up. They hope they can come to you with a “lowball” settlement after weeks or months, and you’ll accept any amount because you feel like you have no choice. Your attorney can call out this shady behavior and force insurers to speed up their response and provide what’s fair.

What Type of Documents Should I Bring to My Consultation with a Lawyer?

You’ll meet with a Fort Lauderdale lawyer to figure out what you should receive for your hardships after an accident. It’s also a time to determine if you’ll need a lawyer to get the most out of your injury claim.

When you present your potential attorney with the most documentation possible, it’s much easier for them to assess your case and how much more they could help you earn.

Try to bring this information with you:

Medical invoices and your medical charts
Receipts or estimates from auto body shops
Other receipts for any expenses related to your accident and injury
Paystubs showing the changes in pay while you’ve missed work
The accident report from the investigating officer on your case, if you’ve obtained it
Driver’s License and Insurance information you obtained from the at-fault driver
Witness contact information if you got phone numbers and addresses at the scene
Turn over any photos you took at the scene of your accident
Any communication with insurance companies

If you don’t have some of this information, your attorney can help you track it down. Your attorney will secure your accident report for you if you hire one to represent your case. Visit our page to find out how to request a FLPD accident report on your own.

CAR ACCIDENT HAZARDS IN FORT LAUDERDALE

Florida drivers can try some crazy stunts that put a dozen other motorists in sudden jeopardy. A driver traveling 20 mph over the speed limit on I-95 could lose control and sideswipe your vehicle, sending you into the path of other cars.

A driver typing out a text while on Broward Boulevard may never see a light turn red up ahead. That driver may not look up until your SUV has been struck from behind and pushed into the car in front of you. A drunk driver or a hit-and-run driver may ram your car, leaving you wondering how to earn justice.

The Florida Highway Safety And Motor Vehicles Department (FLHSMV) tracks traffic accidents all year long across Broward County. In 2024, there were almost 38,332 reportable car accidents recorded in the county, which includes incidents in its biggest city, Fort Lauderdale. Those accidents in Fort Lauderdale and Broward County led to at least 268 tragic deaths. Overall, Broward County has averaged almost 39,000 accidents a year and 258 traffic fatalities. That’s over a recent five-year period (2020-2024).

These cases of careless and reckless driving can leave you or a family member with traumatic and life-threatening injuries. You may face weeks or months in the hospital and face a stack of medical bills all while you are unable to earn a paycheck. A Fort Lauderdale car accident lawyer stands up for you while you are in recovery and demands full support for you and your family.

Traffic and Safety Laws for Safe Fort Lauderdale Driving

Our state applies Florida Statutes (FS) to all interstates, highways, and streets. These are just a few of the important laws, and where to find the details.

FS 316.305 — Florida’s No Texting While Driving Laws

Drivers cannot manually type or enter multiple letters, numbers, or symbols into a device while driving. Drivers can text if they are reporting a crime or are receiving safety information. Drivers can text if they are dictating to a hands-free device. Drivers can text if in an autonomous vehicle.

FS 316.070 — Exchange of Information at Scene of Crash

Drivers involved in accidents are required to share information, including the name and address of the vehicle’s owner and the driver. The license number of the vehicle. Insurance information for the policy covering the driver and vehicle.

FS 316.123 Vehicle entering stop or yield intersection

Guidance on who goes first at a Fort Lauderdale stop-sign intersection.

FS 316.217 Move Over Law Around Emergency Vehicles

How to safely move over to allow an Emergency Vehicle to pass.

Fort Lauderdale Traffic Laws

Fort Lauderdale authorities follow Florida Guidelines, but set a few local laws to help keep traffic moving and prevent accidents.

These are just a few examples of local traffic ordinances that all drivers should be aware of:

Sec. 26-67. – Obstructing traffic by slow speed

“If any person shall drive a motor vehicle at a speed so slow as to impede the forward movement of traffic proceeding immediately behind such vehicle on any street whereon a higher speed shall be lawful, such person shall, when the width of the roadway permits, drive to the extreme right side of the street until such impeded traffic shall have passed by.”

Sec. 26-69. – Obedience to the signal indicating bridge opening

“(a) Whenever any person driving a vehicle approaches a bridge over a waterway and a clearly visible electric or mechanical signal device gives warning of the immediate opening of the bridge, the driver of such vehicle shall stop within fifty (50) feet but not nearer than ten (10) feet from the barriers or stop signals on approach to such bridges and shall not proceed until he can do so safely.

(b) The driver of a vehicle shall stop such vehicle and not traverse such bridge when a crossing gate is lowered or when a human flagman gives or continues to give a signal of the intended opening of such bridge.

(c) No such person shall drive any vehicle through, around, or under any crossing gate or barrier at a bridge while such gate or barrier is closed or is being opened or closed.”

F.A.Q.

Will I have to go to court to win compensation for my Fort Lauderdale car accident injury?

You probably won’t have to go to court to earn support. Something like 90% of all personal injury cases are settled before they reach trial. Insurance companies will provide you with what’s fair to avoid going before a judge and having to pay court costs.

How long do I have to file an injury claim after a Fort Lauderdale car accident?

The Florida statute of limitations on filing a car accident injury claim is two years from the date of the accident. You shouldn’t wait years to file. Evidence can be harder to find the longer you delay.

What if I can’t afford to pay for an attorney after a car accident?

You can secure powerful representation even if you aren’t left with any extra money at such a vulnerable time. Cowen Edwards Law doesn’t get paid unless we win your case for you. Then our attorney fee comes out of the settlement money insurance companies pay you.

CONTACT A FORT LAUDERDALE CAR ACCIDENT LAWYER

A car accident on a Fort Lauderdale street or highway can leave you feeling vulnerable and powerless. You may need major financial assistance to pay your medical bills and also your normal monthly bills before you go bankrupt. An at-fault driver’s car insurer may be telling you your injury is worth little or nothing at all in a settlement.

Allow Cowen Edwards Trial Lawyers to handle the stress and frustration of battling the car insurance companies while you use that time to focus on healing. Contact us to schedule a free consultation and tell us what happened. Let us know about your biggest hardships since the accident and then let us go to work holding an auto insurer fully liable.