Motorcycle accident lawyer in Miami and South Florida

Riders in South Florida

Warm weather keeps motorcycles on the road in Miami-Dade, Broward and Palm Beach counties through every month of the year. The same heavy traffic that fills the highways also fills the intersections where riders are hit, usually by drivers who say they did not see the bike.

Our Miami office, at 1111 Brickell Ave, 10th Floor, Miami, FL 33131, meets injured riders by appointment in English or Spanish. The consultation is free and confidential. Our statewide motorcycle accident page covers the Florida-wide rules.

Short answer: a rider hurt by a driver's carelessness may seek compensation for medical expenses, lost income and the effect on daily life. Expect questions about helmets, speed and lane position. Evidence gathered in the first days is the best answer.

What the federal records show

The Fatality Analysis Reporting System lists 731 fatal crashes involving a motorcycle in Miami-Dade, Broward, Palm Beach and Monroe counties from 2019–2023, about 20% of all 3,730 fatal crashes in the four counties. The count covers crashes in which someone died; crashes with serious injuries but no deaths are not included.

Miami-Dade County accounts for 318 of the motorcycle crashes and Broward County for 252. Palm Beach County has 147, and Monroe County 14.

The roads

FARS lists US 1, SR 9, I-95 and US 27 most often in Miami-Dade; I-95, US 1, US 441 and I-75 in Broward and I-95, SR 809, US 1 and US 441 in Palm Beach. Those include interstates and long surface highways with many signals and driveways. Riders on high-speed roads can be thrown clear of the bike, while riders on surface streets are more likely to be struck by turning vehicles.

Helmet and equipment rules

Florida requires riders and passengers to wear helmets that meet federal standard FMVSS 218. A rider over 21 may ride without one only if covered by an insurance policy providing at least $10,000 in medical benefits for motorcycle crash injuries, and operators must wear approved eye protection (Fla. Stat. § 316.211). Expect the other side to bring up helmet use if a head injury is part of your case, even though the driver's conduct is judged separately. Our helmet law guide explains more.

Collecting proof as a rider

• Keep your helmet, jacket, gloves and boots unwashed and unrepaired.
• Leave the bike as it is until it has been photographed and, if needed, inspected.
• Photograph skid marks, debris, lane lines and signal positions.
• Ask nearby businesses whether they have cameras, and note the time.
• Write down what you remember: speed, direction, what the driver did.

Insurance for riders

Florida's PIP rules are written around vehicles with four or more wheels, so a motorcycle policy does not automatically work like a car policy. Which benefits apply depends on every policy in your household and the vehicle that hit you. Because many drivers carry little bodily injury coverage, uninsured and underinsured motorist coverage can be critical. Gather every policy you can, including from relatives you live with.

Hospitals

Rider injuries are often treated at a trauma center. The state's list (updated July 23, 2026) includes these in the counties we cover:

Keep every record. Insurers often question gaps in treatment, so follow your doctors' plan and keep appointments.

Courts

A suit over a Miami-Dade incident is heard in the Eleventh Judicial Circuit, a Broward incident in the Seventeenth Judicial Circuit, a Palm Beach incident in the Fifteenth Judicial Circuit, and a Keys incident in the Sixteenth Judicial Circuit. County court covers the smaller claims, up to $50,000, and circuit court the rest. Fla. Stat. § 95.11 gives most negligence plaintiffs two years from the incident, for incidents after March 24, 2023.

Communities nearest our Miami office

These are the larger communities for which Miami is the nearest of our three offices, with straight-line distances.

First steps after a crash

1. Call 911 and get checked, even if you feel fine.
2. Document the scene and your gear before anything is moved, if safe.
3. Collect witness and driver details.
4. Make sure the police and your own insurer have a record of what happened.
5. Skip the recorded statement for now.
6. Keep every medical record and bill.

Common ways motorcycle crashes happen in busy traffic

Riders in South Florida are most often hurt when a driver turns left across their path, changes lanes into them, or opens a car door. Rear-end crashes at stoplights are also frequent, and a rider can be thrown even at modest speeds. Each of those leaves different evidence. A left-turn crash leaves the point of impact and the position of the car's front end; a lane-change crash may leave paint transfer or a mirror fragment.

Photographs of damage taken before repairs are valuable, and if a shop has already begun work, ask them to stop and to keep any removed parts.

Recovery and records

Orthopedic and nerve injuries are common among riders, and recovery is often long. Keep a record of work you miss, tasks you cannot do, and every appointment, including physical therapy. Those records usually matter more in a claim than any single bill.

Passengers

If you were carrying a passenger, they may have claims of their own, and their medical care, their statements and their insurance may differ from yours. Ask them to keep records too, and avoid discussing fault with them in writing.

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Other Miami pages: personal injury, car accidents and truck accidents.

General information, not legal advice. Reading this page does not create an attorney-client relationship, and every case depends on its own facts. For qualifying personal injury matters the firm works on a contingency-fee basis, so attorney fees are not collected unless there is a recovery. Last updated: 2026-10-16.

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