Miami Beach Personal Injury Attorney

Miami Beach is a beautiful, international island city in South Florida’s Miami-Dade County that is connected to the mainland by several causeways, including I-195, the Julia Tuttle, and I-195, the Macarthur causeway. World-renowned South Beach, which is located on the southern portion of Miami Beach, is famous for its Art Deco historic district with pastel-colored buildings and its vibrant night life. Models, celebrities, and other famous people come to Miami Beach to play and sometimes own vacation homes on the island. With miles of beautiful beaches and year-round sunny weather, it is no wonder that residents and visitors alike are at risk of a personal injury.

Personal Injury Statistics

According to the National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS), accidental or unintentional injuries are the leading cause of death for Americans aged 35 and younger. In fact, deaths related to accidental or unintentional injuries rank fifth in the nation as the leading cause of death, higher than deaths resulting from suicide or homicide across all ages. The NCHS estimates 40% of all self-reported cases of non-fatal injuries occur during sports or leisure activities and occur in or around the home.

Florida’s Integrated Report Exchange System (FIRES) reported nearly 27,000 car crashes in Miami-Dade County just in the first six months of 2016. More than 14,000 of those accidents resulted in injuries. Over 132 crashes resulted in death and more than 17,500 accidents caused property damage. 25% of all crashes in Florida are hit-and-run accidents.

Holding Others Liable for Your Injuries

A victim who suffers harm in a personal injury accident may be entitled to receive monetary compensation for physical injuries and/or property damage caused by the accident. Depending on the facts of the case, criminal charges may even be brought against the at-fault party if he or she acted recklessly, negligently, or under the influence of drugs or alcohol and injuries resulted. If the incident involves an animal attack or a defective product, strict liability will likely be imposed on the other party. Sometimes a personal injury accident is so severe that it causes death. The most common types of personal injuries include defective products, medical malpractice, dog bites, construction accidents, and traffic accidents.

In most personal injury cases, Florida limits punitive damages. Punitive damages are meant to punish the wrongdoer for behavior that was particularly dangerous or reprehensive with the goal of the behavior not being repeated. State law limits punitive damages to three times the amount of compensatory damages or $500,000, whichever is greater. Beyond this, there are no other damage caps in Florida regarding standard personal injury lawsuits, but there are damages on medical malpractice claims.

Miami Beach Personal Injury Help

No matter if you are a long-time resident of Miami Beach or a tourist vacationing on the island city, if you have been injured due to the fault of another, your interests will be best served by a personal injury law firm that is familiar with Miami Beach, local insurance company representatives, and the local courts. The Law Offices of Joseph I. Lipsky, P.A. have offices located across Florida from the Keys to West Palm Beach and can guide you every step of the way, please call us 305-821-7333.