Car Accident Lawyer Fort Lauderdale

Broward County records roughly 38,000 traffic crashes a year, according to the FLHSMV Crash Dashboard, and Fort Lauderdale's corridors account for a large share of them. When one of those crashes involves you, the insurance process starts right away, and it will not pause for you to recover.

Florida's 2023 tort reform (HB 837) changed the rules in ways most crash victims don't know yet. Florida moved from pure comparative negligence to a modified rule: a driver found more than 50% at fault recovers nothing (Fla. Stat. §768.81(6)). That one change can wipe out your entire claim if an insurer pins even half the blame on you.

A car accident lawyer Fort Lauderdale residents trust knows how to push back before that happens. Leeder Law handles car accidents across Broward County, from Flagler Village to Coral Ridge, and takes every case on contingency. That means you pay nothing unless we recover for you.

What HB 837 Means for Fort Lauderdale Crash Claims

Florida's 2023 HB 837 shifted the comparative fault bar to 50%, cutting off recovery for claimants found equally at fault, a rule Fort Lauderdale insurers now use aggressively.

Florida's HB 837 took effect on March 24, 2023, and it reshaped personal injury litigation in ways most Fort Lauderdale drivers haven't heard about yet.

Under the old rule, you could recover damages even if you were mostly at fault, reduced by your share of the blame. Now anyone found more than 50% at fault recovers nothing. If an insurer argues you share equal blame for a crash near Las Olas Boulevard, you recover nothing.

HB 837 also narrowed bad-faith claims against insurers: negligence alone is no longer bad faith, and an insurer that tenders the policy limits within 90 days of notice avoids a bad-faith action (Fla. Stat. §624.155). That shorter timeline changes how fast your car accident lawyer Fort Lauderdale team must move.

Sean Goldstein, Esq., of Leeder Law operates as a licensed legal practice across South Florida law-firm services, and he personally leads your claim as your point of contact while his team supports the work behind the scenes. Understanding these 2023 changes is now essential for any Broward County crash case.

Rental Cars, Tourists, and the Insurance Gap on A1A

Fort Lauderdale's tourist and rental-car volume creates layered insurance questions that standard PIP advice does not address. Knowing which policy pays first is critical.

Fort Lauderdale draws millions of tourists each year through Port Everglades and Fort Lauderdale Beach, and many of them drive rental cars. A crash involving a rental vehicle on A1A or near Hugh Taylor Birch State Park raises a question most drivers never think about: which policy actually pays?

The rental company's liability coverage is primary only if the renter declined the collision damage waiver (CDW). Credit card CDW coverage is usually secondary and covers property damage, not bodily injury. Florida PIP follows the driver, not the car, so your own policy pays first for medical bills.

Pain and suffering still flows from the at-fault driver's liability coverage. That may be the rental company's policy, the renter's personal auto policy, or both. NHTSA crash data shows rental-vehicle crashes produce serious injuries at rates similar to privately owned vehicles.

Sorting out these layers quickly is exactly where a car accident lawyer Fort Lauderdale team adds real value.

High-Crash Corridors in Fort Lauderdale

Oakland Park Boulevard, Broward Boulevard, and the I-95 interchange corridors generate a disproportionate share of Broward County's serious crashes each year.

Not all Fort Lauderdale roads carry the same risk. Oakland Park Boulevard sees high crash rates tied to heavy commercial traffic and frequent left-turn conflicts at signalized intersections. Broward Boulevard near the I-95 interchange is a consistent hotspot for rear-end and sideswipe crashes during peak commute hours. SR-84 west of downtown concentrates truck traffic heading to and from Port Everglades.

The CDC's motor vehicle safety data shows that urban corridor crashes with mixed commercial and passenger vehicle traffic produce higher injury severity rates than highway crashes at speed. Rio Vista and Victoria Park residents crossing these corridors face real exposure every day.

If you were hurt on any of these roads, the specific location matters for establishing liability. Our team also handles animal attacks, child injuries, and motorcycle accidents that arise from the same Fort Lauderdale traffic environment.