Researchers known as the “AxleGeeks” set out to answer this question in 2016, and they discovered that as many as six cities in Florida fit this description. The city occupying the number one spot for the 20 cities with the most car accidents was Pompano Beach. This was followed by:

• Miami Gardens
• Davie
• Fort Lauderdale
• Miami
• West Palm Beach

Auto accident statistics in Florida seem to support this number. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, traffic accidents went up considerably from 2014 to 2015. Between this time, the number of fatalities that occurred increased by 7.2%. This was the largest increase in 50 years.

Auto Accident Statistics in Florida

The Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles, or FLHSMV, compiles information on traffic accidents, and it discovered that there were 3,135 fatalities due to car collisions in Florida in 2018. In addition to that, 15,152 car collisions resulted in 19,196 catastrophic injuries.

Florida Car Accident Laws

Florida is a “no-fault state,” so the state requires that you purchase personal injury protection, or PIP insurance, that will pay in the event that you are hurt in a car collision. It doesn’t matter who caused the collision. Each motorist must file a claim with their own insurance company for payment of the driver’s and the passengers’ medical bills. Unfortunately, you cannot receive payment for pain and suffering through PIP, and it only pays to the limits of the policy.

Your injuries may require more than your PIP insurance can support, so Florida gives you the option of filing a third-party claim against the at-fault driver if your damages are over your policy’s limits. To do this, you must be able to meet the threshold.

Florida’s Serious Injury Law

Before you will be able to sue the at-fault motorist, your injuries must qualify as “serious.” This means that the car collision must have caused at least one of the following:

• A fully disabling situation for at least three months
• The inability to use a portion of your body
• The inability to use a portion of the body permanently
• Broken bones
• Serious disfigurement

If your injuries can meet this threshold, you will be able to file a claim against the at-fault driver for the extra compensation that you will need. You will be able to file a personal injury lawsuit against the at-fault driver if it is warranted. Then, you can obtain payment for pain and suffering from the at-fault driver.

The Pure Comparative Negligence Rule

Sometimes, it’s easy for the authorities to determine which driver is liable for a car collision. Then, that person receives the responsibility for paying all of the medical expenses for everyone injured in the crash. In other cases, both parties may share responsibility for the collision. This is known as “comparative negligence” in Florida.

In the event that your case goes to court, the jury determines each driver’s percentage of blame for the collision. After the jury decides how much you are owed in damages, this amount will be reduced by your percentage of the blame.

For example, the jury decides that your medical bills, pain and suffering, damage to your vehicle and lost wages are equal to $100,000, but the jury also determined that you deserve 40% of the blame for the collision because you were driving at an unsafe speed. Under the comparative negligence rule, the jury would reduce your award by $40,000, and you would receive $60,000.

Although the pure comparative negligence rule is in place, it isn’t a reason to keep you from hiring an attorney to help you obtain the compensation that you need. You may have been seriously hurt by the at-fault driver, and your PIP insurance may not cover all of your bills. You may be entitled to seek monetary damages that can make this situation better. The first step is contacting an attorney.