Spend enough time driving in South Florida and you’ll witness scenes that stay with you: a sedan sideways across I-195, a severely dented pickup truck near the Golden Glades, a three-car pileup near the entrance to a Publix parking lot. You don’t have to be a rubberneck to see that motor vehicle accidents are common in this region, and that their outcomes are, more often than not, life-changing for the victims.
From rear-end crashes to head-on collisions, side-impact crashes, and rollover accidents, there are many ways for vehicles to collide. Sometimes, a single vehicle even collides with a fixed object. In every case, the victim is entitled to fair compensation for their crash-related damages, and that’s the only outcome we are satisfied with at Englander Peebles.
If you’re reading this because you or someone you love has suffered an injury in a South Florida traffic accident, the most crucial step after medical care is calling Englander Peebles, a trusted Fort Lauderdale, FL, motor vehicle accident lawyer, at (954) 500-4878 or contacting us online to discuss your accident. The consultation is free and pressure-free, so don’t wait to reach out.
Key Takeaways About Common Car Accident Scenarios
- Motor vehicle accidents in South Florida include rear-end collisions, head-on crashes, T-bone accidents, sideswipes, rollovers, and multi-vehicle pileups.
- Even low-speed crashes can cause serious injuries that cause lifelong pain, disability, and financial expense.
- Drivers cause most crashes, but defects, poor road conditions, and other factors can also cause motor vehicle accidents.
- Motor vehicle accident victims may recover compensation for medical bills, lost income, pain and suffering, and several other damages.
- You should get medical care immediately after the accident, but do not wait any longer than you have to before calling Englander Peebles.
- From the urgency of evidence collection to the unmovable deadline for filing car accident lawsuits, there is every reason for you to reach out to Englander Peebles right now.
Harm Comes in Many Forms: Categories of Motor Vehicle Accidents in Florida
Between 2021 and 2023, Florida averaged 1,091 traffic accidents per day. Of the hundreds of thousands of collisions that happen each year, no two happen in precisely the same way—speeds, angles, causes, and outcomes all vary.
Yet, we can categorize accident types in a few ways, including the manner in which vehicles collide, how a car moves after impact (or as a result of an evasive maneuver, and the number of vehicles involved at an accident scene.
Some of the most common ways of labeling traffic accidents are:
Rear-End Collisions
Of all the accident types, the rear-end collision may be the most predictable. When millions of motorists take their eyes off the road to look at their phones (in defiance of Florida law), it’s not particularly surprising when those distracted motorists eventually hit a braking vehicle in front of them.
Texting-while driving is only one high-risk behavior that can cause rear-end crashes, and other contributing factors are:
- Following too closely
- Impaired driving (which also happens far too often in Florida, despite driving under the influence being grounds for possible imprisonment)
- Sudden braking (especially when motorists don’t have a good reason to brake)
- Speeding
Even seemingly minor rear-end crashes can leave a victim with lasting pain—whiplash and spinal injuries are rarely “minor,” no matter how lightly dented the bumper looks.
Head-On Collisions
Head-on accidents tend to be among the most catastrophic crashes—violent, abrupt, unforgiving. It can be the only outcome when two multi-ton objects moving at rapid speed strike.
Some of the common causes of head-on accidents are:
- A vehicle drifting over the centerline
- Driver impairment
- Driver fatigue
- A motorist driving the wrong way
- Passing dangerously on two-lane roads
Head-on collisions often lead to catastrophic injuries and even fatalities, and families turn to Englander Peebles for help navigating the emotional and financial devastation from these crashes.
T-Bone (Side-Impact) Collisions
Intersections throughout Miami-Dade, Broward, and the rest of Florida are hotspots for T-bone crashes. Drivers who rush through yellow lights, misjudge turns, and disregard stop signs are more likely to be involved in side-impact collisions.
Some of the other risk factors for T-bone crashes include:
- Failing to yield the right of way
- Running red lights
- Distracted driving
- Speeding
- Unsafe left turns
These crashes can cause severe injuries, especially when a vehicle hits the side of another where the driver or a passenger is sitting. Indoor airbags only provide so much protection, and the force of a direct impact can cause life-changing brain injuries, broken bones, and other severe ailments.
Sideswipe Collisions
Sideswipe accidents happen when vehicles scrape together while traveling in an almost parallel formation. These collisions often result from unsafe or simultaneous lane changes, and some more specific causes can include:
- Failure to check blind spots
- Drifting out of one’s lane
- Unsafe merging
- Driver fatigue
- Weaving through congested traffic
- Racing
- Driver impairment
A sideswipe accident can lead to a spin-out, rollover, multi-vehicle crash, or other hazardous events that cause severe injury.
Multi-Vehicle Crashes
The only on-road event more dangerous than a motor vehicle accident is a motor vehicle accident involving multiple collisions. When multiple vehicles collide, those involved may face the jarring jolt of two or more crashes, increasing the likelihood that they will be injured and traumatized.
Tailgating, speeding, and sudden braking—especially in dense traffic—can contribute to multi-vehicle accidents. Determining liability for such accidents is uniquely challenging, and our motor vehicle accident attorneys have overcome it many times.
Rollover Crashes
A rollover is not the same kind of accident type as a side-impact or head-on crash. “Rollover” does not describe how vehicles collide, but instead the way that a vehicle may move as a result of a direct impact or an evasive maneuver.
A vehicle might roll over because:
- It is hit with significant force from the side
- It receives a glancing blow that propels one side of the vehicle upward
- The driver must make a sharp, high-speed turn to avoid striking another vehicle (or pedestrian)
- The vehicle becomes unbalanced through another series of events
Rollover accidents are frightening and violent. While SUVs and trucks flip more easily than cars, any vehicle may roll under the right conditions.
Hit-and-Run Accidents
Sadly, South Florida has one of the highest rates of hit-and-run crashes in the country. This fact goes hand in hand with Florida’s higher-than-average uninsured motorist rates.
A motorist might flee an accident scene because:
- They know they caused the crash (and may suspect they injured someone)
- They are drunk
- They are on drugs
- The accident resulted from illegal driving behaviors, such as speeding, illegal passing, or racing
- Their vehicle is uninsured
- They are unlicensed
- They panic
Drivers aren’t typically just fleeing the scene of an accident. They are trying to escape responsibility for their negligent actions. The auto accident lawyers at Englander Peebles work with law enforcement to track these fleeing motorists down and hold them accountable for the harm they have caused our client(s).
The Most Common Causes of Motor Vehicle Accidents
We have discussed some of the hazards associated with specific accident types; however, it is also worth providing a comprehensive list of the causes of motor vehicle accidents. Note that vehicle drivers are not always the primary cause of a crash, although they are most often.
In our many years of service to accident victims, we have seen collisions result from:
- Distracted driving (especially phones)
- Drunk driving
- Drugged driving
- Fatigued driving
- Driving while visually impaired (such as an individual driving without their glasses or contacts)
- Speeding
- Racing
- Unnecessary braking
- Tailgating
- Failure to yield
- Dangerous lane changes (including unsafe passing)
- Running red lights and stop signs
- Mechanical failure (which can result from manufacturer defects, poor maintenance by the vehicle owner, and shoddy mechanic work)
- Dangerous road conditions (which may be the fault of a South Floridian municipality, like the City of Miami)
- Negligence by companies that own vehicle fleets
- Dangerous behaviors by pedestrians
South Florida’s mix of tourist traffic, vibrant nightlife, daily commuting, ongoing construction, and unpredictable weather creates hazardous driving conditions. When individuals don’t do their part to prevent crashes, they impose a heavy price on their victims.
Why Even “Minor” Motor Vehicle Crashes Can Become Major Problems
It’s one of the costliest, most regrettable, and most common mistakes victims of traffic accidents make. They assume their crash is too “insignificant” or “minor” to warrant the involvement of a lawyer. Heck, some victims even feel bad asking for compensation in such cases—their inner pride and toughness get the best of them, and the consequences can be catastrophic, both financially and in terms of quality of life.
Always assume your accident will result in years of pain, financial instability, and inconvenience. This way, even if you do not face such outcomes, you will have fought for fair compensation. You won’t face the regret that comes with paying substantial out-of-pocket expenses because of an accident someone else caused.
Plus, these outcomes are realistic. Even a slow-speed crash can trigger injuries that years of:
- Physical therapy
- Chiropractic care
- Orthopedic evaluation
- Injections
- Surgery
- Missed work
- Physical limitation
- Psychological and emotional suffering
- Financial hardship
Expect insurance companies to play into your inner voice, telling you to “just tough it out, you don’t need any more money than they are offering.” Fight back against this voice for your own sake, and allow Englander Peebles to fight for all the compensation you deserve.
How Insurance Companies Minimize Claims (and Why You Must Be Cautious)
As we mentioned, you can expect insurance companies to minimize your injuries. It’s in their financial interest to do so. Insurers’ attempts to avoid financial losses can range from subtle to aggressive, and may include:
- Pressuring victims to give recorded statements that will benefit the insurer
- Taking the victim’s statements out of context
- Engaging you in settlement talks before you’ve even had a complete medical evaluation
- Offering lowball settlements (which are almost always tempting to accident victims who don’t understand that these are truly lowball offers)
- Blaming the victim for the crash
- Suggesting you don’t need a car accident attorney
They suggest you don’t need a lawyer because it serves insurance companies when you represent yourself. Allow Englander Peebles to step between you and the insurer, shutting down these tactics immediately so your rights stay protected.
How a South Florida Motor Vehicle Accident Lawyer from Our Team Will Help After Your Crash
Englander Peebles will spare you from worrying about your case. Every detail will be our responsibility, and we provide comprehensive representation that includes:
- A thorough investigation
- Identification of all liable parties
- Evidence preservation
- Strategic witness interviews
- Collaboration with highly credentialed experts
- Monitoring, documentation, and facilitation of your recovery
- Comprehensive calculation of your damages
- Aggressive settlement negotiations
- Litigation, when necessary
The Englander Peebles brand of representation is personal. Our clients know we care not only about securing fair compensation, but also about helping them heal and re-establish their lives as they were before the crash.
Recoverable Damages We Can Seek for You
Crash victims may be entitled to compensation for:
- Present and future medical bills
- Lost income
- Lost earning ability
- Property damage
- Pain and suffering
- Disability (which can have a broad ripple effect of economic and non-economic harm)
- Scarring or other types of disfigurement
- Loss of enjoyment of life
When motor vehicle accidents are fatal, survivors who bring a wrongful death claim may get compensation for:
- Funeral costs
- Loss of financial support
- Loss of companionship
- Loss of parental guidance
- Grief and emotional anguish
Englander Peebles builds every case around the full human impact of a crash, not just the obvious financial losses.
Frequently Asked Questions – Car Accidents
We have been loyal allies for South Florida’s motor vehicle accident victims, and we often hear them ask:
Do I need medical care even if I feel okay?
Yes. Many injuries take hours, days, or even weeks to display obvious symptoms. Every accident victim should receive a comprehensive evaluation, as this is the surest way to diagnose and treat injuries promptly.
What if the other driver in the crash is uninsured?
You may still be able to recover through your uninsured/underinsured (UM/UIM) motorist coverage, a lawsuit, or other avenues. We handle this case type frequently.
Why shouldn’t I talk to the insurance company before speaking with you guys?
Insurance companies have their own agenda. Trust us when we tell you that the agenda does not align with yours. You have a ton to lose by speaking with them without our protection in place.
Call a Motor Vehicle Accident Lawyer Immediately
Florida’s statute of limitations for motor vehicle accident cases is strict. Miss it, and your right to compensation is gone forever. Evidence fades quickly. Witnesses become harder to locate. Insurance companies grow more aggressive.
The safest step—medically, financially, and legally—is to call Englander Peebles today at (954) 500-4878 to complete your free consultation with a trusted Fort Lauderdale, FL, personal injury attorney. If it is easier, you can also contact us online, and we will be in touch soon after submission.
There is no stress in hiring us. We only get paid if we win your case. Let’s not wait any longer to get you the justice you deserve.