A serious crash or fall can upend everything at once — hospital bills, missed paychecks, and an insurance company that answers slowly, if at all. Our Fort Lauderdale personal injury lawyers protect your claim from day one: we document every loss, deal directly with the insurers, and pursue the full compensation Florida law allows for your treatment, lost income, pain, and future needs.
Injured in Fort Lauderdale? Our Personal Injury Lawyers Can Help
If someone else’s negligence injured you in Fort Lauderdale, Florida law entitles you to recover damages for your medical expenses, lost income, property damage, and pain and suffering — and Long & Jean, P.A. represents injury victims throughout Broward County.
- Fort Lauderdale roots: Partner Alex Jean, Esq. is a Fort Lauderdale native who tries cases in the county where he grew up.
- No upfront costs: Every case is handled on contingency — you pay nothing unless we recover money for you.
- Minutes away: Our office is just up Federal Highway in Pompano Beach, with free consultations by phone, video, or in person.
Call (954) 597-6770 for a free, no-obligation consultation with a Fort Lauderdale personal injury lawyer.
How Personal Injury Liability Works in Fort Lauderdale
Every successful injury claim comes down to proving that another party is legally responsible — liable — for what happened to you. Whether your claim settles with an insurer or is decided by a Broward County jury at the courthouse in downtown Fort Lauderdale, your attorney must establish four elements:
1. Duty of Care
The at-fault party owed you a legal duty. A driver on Broward Boulevard owes everyone nearby the safe operation of their vehicle. A shop or restaurant along Las Olas owes visitors hazard-free premises. A physician owes patients competent medical care. A dog owner owes neighbors a leashed or contained animal.
2. Breach of Duty
The at-fault party failed to meet that duty — running a red light at US-1 and Sunrise Boulevard, ignoring a spill in a store aisle, or leaving a stairwell unlit. We prove the breach with police reports, surveillance and dash-cam footage, witness statements, and, where needed, crash-reconstruction experts.
3. Causation
That breach caused your injuries. Florida law does not require the defendant to be 100% responsible — only that their negligence contributed to the harm you suffered.
4. Damages
You suffered real losses. Damages include your medical bills, lost income, and pain and suffering — and they exist even if you have not yet paid a single bill out of pocket.
When you contact Long & Jean for a free consultation, we evaluate whether all four elements are present in your case. If they are, we can begin representing you immediately on a contingency basis. For a statewide overview of these concepts, see our Florida personal injury liability guide.
Florida Laws That Shape Your Fort Lauderdale Injury Case
A handful of Florida statutes control how long you have to act and how much you can recover. Several of these rules changed significantly in 2023, so older articles you find online — and even some law firm websites — may no longer be accurate.
Statute of Limitations
For negligence claims arising from accidents on or after March 24, 2023, Florida allows two years from the date of the accident to file a lawsuit — down from the previous four. Wrongful death claims also carry a two-year deadline. Waiting costs you leverage: witnesses move, camera footage is overwritten, and insurers know exactly when your clock runs out.
Modified Comparative Negligence
Florida now follows a modified comparative negligence rule. If you are 50% or less at fault, your recovery is reduced in proportion to your share of fault; if you are found more than 50% responsible, you recover nothing. Insurance adjusters use this rule aggressively, looking for ways to inflate your share of the blame — one more reason to speak with a lawyer before giving any recorded statement.
Damage Caps
Florida places no statutory cap on compensatory damages in standard negligence cases. Punitive damages are capped at three times compensatory damages or $500,000, whichever is greater.
The Three Categories of Injury Claims
Negligence torts cover most Fort Lauderdale accident cases — crashes, falls, and other injuries caused by carelessness. Intentional torts, such as assault or battery, allow civil recovery even when a criminal case fails. Strict liability torts — defective products and certain dog bite cases — hold the defendant responsible regardless of the precautions they took.
The Injury Cases We Handle for Fort Lauderdale Clients
Long & Jean, P.A. is a full-service personal injury firm. These are the cases Fort Lauderdale clients bring us most often:
Car Accidents
Fort Lauderdale sits where I-95, I-595, US-1 (Federal Highway), and A1A converge, and Broward County records tens of thousands of crashes every year — more than any Florida county except Miami-Dade. Corridors like Broward Boulevard, Sunrise Boulevard, Oakland Park Boulevard, and Commercial Boulevard produce a steady stream of rear-end, intersection, and lane-change collisions. Our Fort Lauderdale car accident lawyers handle these claims daily; you can also read our full car accident practice overview.
Truck Accidents
Port Everglades makes Fort Lauderdale one of the busiest freight hubs in Florida, and I-595 and I-95 carry a constant flow of semi-trucks to and from the port. At up to 80,000 pounds, a commercial truck can cause devastating injuries even at low speed. Our truck accident attorneys know the federal safety rules trucking companies violate — and how to preserve the evidence that proves it.
Motorcycle Accidents
From A1A along the beach to weekend rides on Las Olas, Fort Lauderdale is motorcycle country year-round — and riders pay the price when drivers fail to see them. If you were hurt riding, our motorcycle accident lawyers can pursue every dollar of your damages.
Pedestrian & Bicycle Accidents
Between the beachfront promenade, the Riverwalk, Las Olas Boulevard, and dense downtown foot traffic, Fort Lauderdale sees far more than its share of pedestrian and cyclist injuries — often caused by distracted drivers turning across crosswalks and bike lanes.
Boating Accidents
Fort Lauderdale is the “Venice of America,” with roughly 165 miles of navigable waterways, the Intracoastal, and the New River winding through the city. When negligent operation on the water causes injury — including jet ski and personal watercraft crashes — our boating accident attorneys can help.
Premises Liability & Slip and Fall
Hotels, high-rise condos, restaurants, and shopping centers across Fort Lauderdale owe their guests safe premises: dry floors, working lighting, and grounds free of hazards. When owners cut corners and someone gets hurt, our slip and fall lawyers hold them accountable.
Dog Bites
Florida holds dog owners strictly liable when their animal bites someone in a public place or lawfully on private property. Our dog bite attorneys pursue compensation for medical care, scarring, and trauma.
Medical Malpractice
Fort Lauderdale residents rely on some of the busiest hospitals and outpatient centers in South Florida. Providers cannot guarantee outcomes — but when an injury results from care that falls below professional standards, our medical malpractice lawyers can evaluate your claim.
Nursing Home Negligence
Broward County has a large senior population and dozens of long-term care facilities. If a loved one has suffered neglect or abuse in a nursing home, contact our nursing home abuse attorneys immediately.
Product Liability & Mass Torts
Manufacturers must design safe products, keep defective units off the market, and warn of known risks. Our product liability lawyers handle individual defect claims and multi-plaintiff mass tort litigation.
Wrongful Death
When negligence takes a life, Florida law allows the personal representative of the estate to pursue damages for surviving family members. Our wrongful death attorneys guide Fort Lauderdale families through this process with the care it demands.
What Is a Fort Lauderdale Injury Claim Worth?
Every case is valued on its own facts, but Florida law lets injury victims pursue three categories of damages:
Economic Damages
The measurable financial cost of the accident: emergency care, surgery, therapy, medication, lost wages, reduced earning capacity, and property damage. In a wrongful death case, these extend to funeral costs and the income your loved one would have provided.
Non-Economic Damages
Money cannot undo physical pain, anxiety, or a lost lifestyle — but the law recognizes those harms. Non-economic damages compensate for pain and suffering, emotional distress, disfigurement, and loss of enjoyment of life.
Punitive Damages
Reserved for egregious or intentional conduct — a drunk driver, for example — and capped at three times compensatory damages or $500,000, whichever is greater.
Our Track Record
Long & Jean’s recent results include a $96,675,000 truck crash settlement, a $1,000,000 settlement for a bicyclist struck by a motorist, a $760,000 scooter crash settlement, and a $400,000 slip and fall recovery — along with dozens of six- and seven-figure motor vehicle settlements. Every case is different, and past results do not guarantee a similar outcome; they do show how we prepare every claim as if it were going to trial.
Fort Lauderdale Personal Injury FAQs
These are the questions Fort Lauderdale clients ask us most often. If you don’t see yours below, call (954) 597-6770 — the consultation is free and there is no obligation.