Whether you live, work, or commute in Fort Lauderdale, you may wonder how often car accidents occur. Although Fort Lauderdale is not the most populated city or metropolitan area in the state, it is home to over 180,000 residents and welcomes many visitors each year due to its proximity to the ocean and attractive location, home to many popular events and attractions. The high traffic in and out of the city that sits along the eastern coast of Florida can contribute to a higher incidence of motor vehicle accidents.
Motor Vehicle Accident Statistics for the Fort Lauderdale Area
It will not take long for you to encounter a car accident on the network of roads passing through Fort Lauderdale. Motor vehicle accidents happen in the area every day. While they are not all serious or fatal collisions, each accident can result in costly damages and painful injuries to victims. is a city in Broward County in Florida. The Department of Florida Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles tracks and reports the annual number of crashes throughout the state and each county.
Broward County Crash Statistics per FHSMV:
- In one year, over 35,000 car accidents take place.
- Of all of the accidents in Broward in one year, nearly 21,000 people will suffer some form of injury.
- Two hundred thirty-seven people suffer fatal injuries due to a motor vehicle accident in the county.
- Of the 35k plus accidents in the year in Broward, approximately 10,500 of those accidents are hit and run collisions.
- Over 2,000 victims of hit and run accidents suffer injuries and other damages.
Risky Areas for Motor Vehicle Accidents in Fort Lauderdale and Surrounding Areas
Many of the major arterial roadways in Florida pass through or near Fort Lauderdale. Just minutes from Port Everglades and home to the Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport, the city serves as a hub for cruise ships, domestic and international travelers, and major shipping transports. The influx of people throughout the year unfamiliar with the area and roadways, combined with the thousands of people that call Fort Lauderdale home, can create dangerous circumstances and increase the risk of car accidents.
Although a motor vehicle accident in Fort Lauderdale can happen anywhere, including on less trafficked neighborhood roads, some locations are more likely to experience accidents between vehicles.
For example, I-95 is a busy interstate traveling to the north and south of the area, which experiences heavy traffic and delays almost daily because of motor vehicle collisions. This interstate is notorious for serious motor vehicle crashes, including many injuries and fatalities of victims. The I-95 corridor is also heavily used by truck drivers transporting shipments in and out of the area, which can increase the danger of travelers using this roadway.
Other roadways with a higher risk of traffic accidents in or near Fort Lauderdale include:
- Las Olas Boulevard
- U.S. 1
- Florida’s Turnpike
- U.S. 441
- West Sunrise Boulevard
- Oakland Park Boulevard
- I 595
What Are the Causes of Most Car Accidents in Fort Lauderdale?
As the police and others investigate how the car accident occurred, it is likely to come to light that one or multiple parties acted in a negligent manner in the moments leading up to the crash. Negligence of a party is the root cause of almost all motor vehicle accidents.
A driver that engages in reckless and dangerous behaviors while behind the wheel of their vehicle, in turn, endangers the lives of everyone around them on the roadways. While you can do everything right as you travel along the roads in Fort Lauderdale, the actions of another can still cause you injuries and harm through no fault of your own.
Determining the cause of a crash is one of the first steps to determining who is then liable for a victim’s damages. Although the police and insurers can conduct their own accident investigation to make determinations based on their perspective, a lawyer working on your behalf can also investigate the accident to reveal any vital evidence or factors they may have missed. Negligence leading to a car accident can take many forms and look different depending on the facts and circumstances of each case.
Some of the most common scenarios of negligence in a car accident include:
- Distracted driving
- Speeding
- Driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs
- Ignoring traffic signs or traffic lights
- Violating traffic laws
- Reckless driving
- Aggressive driving or road rage
Most Common Type of Car Accidents
The events leading up to a car accident are unique to each crash. In some instances, a car accident victim may not see the dangers lurking, which can help them to avoid a crash.
How an accident happens, however, can affect not only the damages to the vehicle but the severity of the accident and the injuries a victim may sustain during the crash. The type of car accident can also give insight to the police officer that arrives on the scene and to those investigating the accident’s aftermath as to what happened.
Examples of types of car accidents that can occur include:
- Rear end collisions
- Head on crashes
- Sideswipe
- T bone accident
- Hit and run
- Rollover crash
- Underride or Override truck accidents
How Do You Know Your Rights as a Car Accident Victim?
After a crash, it can be hard to focus on anything but the pain, the severity of your injuries, and the mess the accident has caused in your life. Wading through the challenges after a car accident can become overwhelming, and knowing how to get the money you need to pay for your damages is a difficult responsibility.
Understanding what your rights are, however, can greatly impact whether a car accident insurance claim is successful and how much money you may be able to receive as compensation. To learn what your rights are and how to fight for compensation in your case, you should rely on a car accident attorney.
A Fort Lauderdale car accident lawyer deals with car accident cases every day. They represent clients like you who are negligence victims and suffer injuries and other damages in a car accident. A lawyer can help you by evaluating your case and letting you know your rights to compensation and who you can hold liable based on the evidence in your case.
Go into the process of filing an insurance claim prepared with as much information as possible. Without knowing your rights and without a lawyer representing your interests, you will be at a significant disadvantage against the insurance company and the party or parties at fault for your losses. Prioritize an attorney early on in your accident case.
What Damages Can You Seek in a Car Accident Claim?
After a crash in Fort Lauderdale, you will need to determine your actual losses to file a claim that accurately reflects the damages to you after the accident. Calculating damages is not as clear-cut as it may seem.
To begin with, you may not know the extent of your losses soon after a crash. For example, injuries can take time to heal. When you suffer serious injuries that require surgery and other medical interventions, you may not know the level of healing or the timeline for your recovery.
Damages depend not only on the severity of your injuries but whether you can or will heal from those injuries. The impacts on your ability to work and other day-to-day interruptions may continue for some time following an accident which can, in turn, affect the amount of compensation you may deserve.
When you hire a car accident attorney, they will help you account for all of your losses, including future losses that may become financially burdensome due to your car accident injuries.
Car accident damages can include:
- Medical expenses, including future medical expenses relating to continuing injuries or disabilities that arise from the accident.
- The loss of income due to missed work because of the accident and the injuries you sustained. Future earnings and losses are also recoverable in a car accident claim when our injuries persist and affect your ability to work in the future.
- Compensation for personal impacts such as pain and suffering, loss of quality of life, or enjoyment of life because of the injuries you sustain from the accident. Pain and suffering damages include physical, mental, and emotional effects experienced by the victim.
- The costs to repair your vehicle if damaged in the crash or the value of your vehicle if lost completely due to the extent of the damage.
- Wrongful death damages, which certain family members may recover under Florida law after a victim dies from injuries in a crash.
Will the Insurance Company Pay Your Damages Entirely?
As a car accident victim, you expect that you will be able to file a claim for your losses with the insurance company and that they will pay for those losses. Unfortunately, that is not how the car insurance claims process works. You do not simply make a claim, and the insurers send you a check for those damages.
Car insurance claims for motor vehicle accidents are complex. Knowing which insurance company will pay for what damages is a challenge in and of itself. Then getting the insurance company to pay the maximum compensation you may be eligible for under the law is another obstacle that can impede your ability to access the money you need after a crash.
The best approach to dealing with insurance companies after a car crash in Fort Lauderdale is to contact a lawyer for help with your claim and case. A car accident attorney is not only for when a car accident claim progresses into a lawsuit.
In fact, hiring a car accident lawyer early on in your case can increase the chance your case will settle and avoid the need to go to trial at all. A lawyer can help you fight for the maximum compensation for your losses and work to negotiate a settlement that is in your best interest, not the insurance company’s interests.
What Should You Do After a Fort Lauderdale Motor Vehicle Accident?
If you find yourself the victim of a car accident in Fort Lauderdale, you are not just a statistic, and you deserve to seek the compensation the law entitles you to for your injuries and additional damages. Act quickly to preserve and protect your rights to compensation under the law. The following steps can help you take the right steps following a crash and prioritize your actions.
Step 1—Focus on Healing
Your car accident injuries can stop you in your tracks and keep you from working and enjoying your life as you did before the crash. Continue to follow your doctor’s medical advice to reach the best possible recovery after an accident. By going to all of your follow-up appointments and rehabilitation sessions, you are ensuring you do everything in your power to get better, and it will help you prove the impacts of your injuries to the insurance company and other liable parties.
Step 2—Collect All Information Accessible to You
As you navigate your accident aftermath, you will need to keep safe the information pertaining to your injuries and damages. When you receive or come across any records or documentation you feel is relevant, set it aside to discuss with your lawyer.
Download reports and records and make copies when they are available. Sometimes what you may have access to now may not be there later when you try to retrieve it. Save copies as soon as you come across any evidence to avoid running into trouble getting the information later.
Step 3—Contact a Fort Lauderdale Car Accident Lawyer
Most car accident lawyers in Fort Lauderdale can offer victims free case consultations to go over their accident cases. Take advantage of this offering and consult a car accident attorney in your area to discuss your rights after a crash and what compensation you deserve.
Contact Our Car Accident Attorneys in Fort Lauderdale Today