Florida Motorcycle Accident Lawyer | Broward County & Fort Lauderdale

When the Ambulance Is the One That Hit You — A Real Florida Motorcycle Case

One of our clients was riding his motorcycle behind an ambulance when it stopped short without warning. He collided with the ambulance, flew off his bike, and landed on the windshield of another vehicle. The police cited him at the scene. That citation could have ended his case.

It didn’t. Our team gathered testimony from multiple witnesses who saw the ambulance cut him off and stop suddenly with no warning. We proved the ambulance driver was negligent. The case resolved for $2,500,000.

This case is the reason we tell every motorcycle accident victim the same thing: do not accept what you are told at the scene. Citations, bias, and initial impressions are not the end of your story. Your story matters — and how it is told determines what you recover.

$2,500,000 — Motorcycle vs. ambulance — client cited at scene. Witness testimony proved ambulance liability. Recovered $2.5 million.

Past results do not guarantee future outcomes. Every case is evaluated on its individual facts.

Florida Motorcycle Accident Statistics — Why Broward County Is High Risk

Florida consistently ranks among the worst states in the country for motorcycle fatalities. In Broward County, there are more than 700 motorcycle crashes reported annually — over 80% resulting in injuries to the rider. Fort Lauderdale’s dense traffic, high-speed corridors like I-95 and US-1, and year-round riding season create conditions where a single moment of driver inattention can permanently change your life.

Motorcyclists are not protected by steel frames, airbags, or crumple zones. When another driver fails to see you, cuts you off, or misjudges your speed, the injuries that follow — traumatic brain injury, spinal cord damage, fractured bones, road rash — are often catastrophic. And yet, insurers routinely treat motorcyclists as suspect from the moment a claim is filed.

How Insurance Companies Handle Motorcycle Claims — And Why Susan Brown Is Different

Here is what most motorcyclists do not know going into a claim: the adjuster assigned to your file is working from a playbook designed to minimize your settlement. Common tactics include:

• Shifting blame onto the rider at the earliest opportunity
• Arguments that helmet use or non-use affected injury outcomes
• Claims the rider was speeding, weaving, or behaving recklessly
• A low initial offer before the full extent of injuries is known
• Pressure to settle before you have completed medical treatment

Susan Brown spent years as a bodily injury claims adjuster before she became an attorney. She has sat on the other side of these cases. When she evaluates your motorcycle accident claim, she is evaluating it the way the insurance company will — and building the case that defeats their strategy. In one of our motor vehicle cases, an insurer offered $55,000 and cited prior injuries to minimize the claim. Our team proved those injuries were exacerbated by the crash and recovered nearly four times the initial offer.

Common Causes of Motorcycle Accidents in South Florida

• Failure to yield at intersections — the leading cause of motorcycle crashes
• Distracted drivers who do not check mirrors before changing lanes
• Drivers who misjudge motorcycle speed when pulling into traffic
• Dooring in Fort Lauderdale’s urban corridors
• Impaired driving — particularly dangerous on I-95 and A1A
• Unsafe road conditions: uneven pavement, debris, construction zones
• Vehicles making left turns across oncoming motorcycle traffic
• Tailgating — motorcycles stop differently than passenger vehicles

Florida Law and Your Motorcycle Accident Claim

Modified Comparative Negligence (Effective March 2023)

Florida shifted to a modified comparative negligence system in March 2023. If you are found more than 50% at fault for an accident, you cannot recover any damages. If partially at fault below 50%, your recovery is reduced by your percentage. This is why the work done to counter fault arguments — as we did in the ambulance case — is critical to your recovery.

Florida’s Motorcycle Helmet Law

Riders over 21 may ride without a helmet if they carry at least $10,000 in injury insurance. The absence of a helmet does not bar your claim, but insurers routinely attempt to use it to argue reduced damages. We anticipate and counter this argument.

No-Fault Insurance Does Not Apply to Motorcyclists

Florida’s PIP (personal injury protection) law covers car accident victims — not motorcyclists. You must pursue the at-fault driver’s liability coverage, which requires proving fault. This makes legal representation essential from the earliest stages of the claim.

Statute of Limitations — Two Years

You have two years from the accident date to file a personal injury lawsuit in Florida. Missing this deadline permanently eliminates your right to compensation. Surveillance footage, witness memories, and physical evidence all deteriorate with time. Contact us immediately.

Damages You Can Pursue After a Florida Motorcycle Accident

• Medical expenses — emergency care, surgery, rehabilitation, and future treatment
• Lost wages and reduced future earning capacity
• Pain and suffering
• Emotional distress and psychological impact
• Permanent disability or disfigurement
• Motorcycle repair or replacement
• Wrongful death damages if a loved one was killed in the crash

About Attorney Susan Brown — Florida Advocates Personal Injury Lawyers

Susan Brown oversees the personal injury division at Florida Advocates. Before becoming an attorney, Susan worked as an insurance adjuster handling bodily injury and workers’ compensation claims. She was then recruited by the state’s largest personal injury firm — which is where she decided to pursue her law degree. That inside knowledge of how insurance companies evaluate, delay, and undervalue claims is what sets her apart from attorneys who have only ever worked on one side of a case.

Susan earned her J.D. with Honors from the University of Florida College of Law (1999), receiving the Book Award in Legal Drafting and a Trial Advocacy Scholarship. She is admitted to the U.S. District Courts for the Northern, Middle, and Southern Districts of Florida, and has argued and won cases before the Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals. Susan is a member of the Million Dollar Advocates Forum — a designation reserved for attorneys who have achieved million-dollar-plus verdicts and settlements — and the Broward County Trial Lawyers Association.

Steps to Take After a Motorcycle Accident in Florida

• Call 911 and obtain an official accident report
• Seek medical attention even if you feel okay — adrenaline masks injury
• Photograph the scene: road conditions, vehicle positions, damage
• Get names and contact information for witnesses
• Do not speak with insurance adjusters before consulting an attorney
• Preserve your motorcycle — do not authorize repairs until it has been documented
• Call Florida Advocates for a free consultation

Frequently Asked Questions — Florida Motorcycle Accident Claims

Serving Motorcycle Accident Victims Throughout South Florida

Florida Advocates Personal Injury Lawyers serves clients throughout Broward County, Miami-Dade County, and Palm Beach County — including Fort Lauderdale, Dania Beach, Hollywood, Pembroke Pines, Coral Springs, Plantation, Hallandale Beach, Miramar, Boca Raton, and surrounding communities.

Call us for a free consultation. You pay nothing unless we recover for you. After all, isn’t that what family would do?