Attorney advertising. This page is for general information and is not legal advice. Prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome.
A Miami personal injury lawyer helps people who were hurt by someone else’s negligence pursue compensation for medical bills, lost income, and other losses. The Perazzo Law Firm handles a broad range of injury claims across Miami-Dade — from car, truck, and rideshare crashes to slip-and-fall, pedestrian, bicycle, and wrongful death cases. Whether your claim is worth pursuing depends on liability, injury severity, and available insurance, not a fixed formula. The consultation is free, and there is no fee unless we recover for you.
Attorney Jonathan Perazzo is admitted in Florida, Georgia, and Texas, and the firm serves injured clients throughout Miami and Miami-Dade County with a bilingual English- and Spanish-speaking team. If you were seriously hurt and are trying to figure out where your case fits and what it could realistically involve, this page walks through the case types we handle, how Florida injury law actually works, and the factors that shape what a claim is worth.
Free case evaluation, 24/7. Call 888-PERAZZO or request a review through our contact page.
Personal Injury Cases We Handle in Miami
Personal injury is not a single type of case — it is a body of law that applies anytime one person’s carelessness causes harm to another. In a dense, fast-moving city like Miami, that harm shows up in many forms. The firm represents clients across the full range of injury claims described below, and each has its own evidence, deadlines, and insurance dynamics.
Car, Truck, and Motorcycle Accidents
Motor-vehicle collisions are the most common source of serious injury claims in Miami-Dade, on corridors like I-95, the Palmetto Expressway (SR-826), and the Dolphin Expressway (SR-836). Passenger-car crashes, commercial truck accidents involving tractor-trailers and delivery vehicles, and motorcycle accidents each carry distinct issues — from federal trucking regulations to the severe injuries riders face without a vehicle frame around them. Establishing who was at fault and identifying every insurance policy that may apply is central to each of these claims.
Rideshare (Uber and Lyft) Accidents
Rideshare accidents add a layer most drivers never think about: coverage changes depending on what the app driver was doing at the moment of the crash. Whether the driver was offline, waiting for a ride request, or actively transporting a passenger affects which policy — the driver’s personal insurance or the rideshare company’s commercial coverage — is responsible. Passengers, other drivers, pedestrians, and cyclists can all be injured in these crashes, and sorting out the right insurer is a threshold problem in every one.
Slip-and-Fall and Premises Liability
Premises liability covers injuries that happen because a property was kept in an unreasonably dangerous condition — a wet grocery-store floor with no warning sign, a broken stair, poor lighting in a parking garage, or a hazard a business knew about and failed to fix. In Florida, these slip-and-fall cases often turn on whether the property owner had actual or constructive knowledge of the danger. Proving that notice is frequently the hardest and most contested part of the claim.
Pedestrian and Bicycle Accidents
Miami consistently ranks among the more dangerous metro areas in the country for people on foot and on bikes. Pedestrian accidents and bicycle accidents tend to produce catastrophic injuries because there is nothing between the person and the vehicle. These cases can involve driver inattention, failure to yield, poorly designed intersections, or hit-and-run drivers — and they often require moving quickly to preserve traffic-camera footage and witness accounts before they disappear.
Wrongful Death
When a person dies because of someone else’s negligence, Florida’s Wrongful Death Act allows certain surviving family members to seek compensation through a claim brought by the estate’s personal representative. These cases can recover losses such as lost support and services, funeral expenses, and the survivors’ loss of companionship and guidance. They are among the most emotionally difficult matters a family will ever face, and they carry their own procedural rules.
Medical Negligence
Medical malpractice claims arise when a healthcare provider’s care falls below the accepted professional standard and injures a patient. Florida imposes special pre-suit requirements on these cases — including expert review before a lawsuit can be filed — and they are governed by their own timelines and procedures. Because of that complexity, medical-negligence matters demand early, careful investigation.
Not sure which category fits your situation? Call 888-PERAZZO — we will tell you honestly whether you have a claim worth pursuing.
How Florida Personal Injury Law Works
Almost every personal injury claim in Florida is built on negligence — the legal idea that people and businesses must act with reasonable care, and are responsible when their failure to do so hurts someone. To recover, an injured person generally has to prove four elements. Understanding them helps explain why some cases are strong and others are not.
- Duty of care — the at-fault party owed you a legal obligation to act reasonably (for example, a driver’s duty to obey traffic laws).
- Breach — they failed to meet that obligation, by doing something careless or failing to do something they should have.
- Causation — that breach actually caused your injury, not some unrelated event.
- Damages — you suffered real, provable harm, such as medical bills, lost wages, or physical pain.
An accident with no breach, or an injury with no clear causal link to it, may not support a claim — which is exactly why the investigation matters.
Florida’s Modified Comparative Negligence Rule (51% Bar)
Florida changed a core fault rule in 2023. Under the state’s current modified comparative negligence standard, an injured person who is found more than 50% at fault for their own injuries is barred from recovering damages at all. If you are 50% or less at fault, you can still recover, but your award is reduced by your percentage of blame. This is a significant shift from Florida’s older “pure” comparative system, and it is one reason insurers work so hard to pin fault on the injured party. Building a clear liability record is now more important than ever.
Premises Liability: Duty Depends on Why You Were There
In slip-and-fall and other property cases, how much care a property owner owes depends on the visitor’s legal status. At a high level, Florida recognizes three categories: an invitee (someone on the property for the owner’s benefit, like a customer in a store) is owed the highest duty, including reasonable inspection and warning of dangers; a licensee (a social guest) is owed a somewhat narrower duty; and a trespasser is generally owed only limited protection. Determining your status is often the first question in a premises case because it defines what the owner was legally required to do.
These are general summaries of Florida law, not legal advice for your specific situation. Confirm how the rules apply to your case with a licensed attorney.
Damages: What a Florida Personal Injury Claim Can Cover
“Damages” is the legal word for the losses a claim seeks to compensate. Florida law divides them into two broad categories, plus a rare third. No lawyer can tell you a number at the outset — anyone who promises a specific figure before investigating is not being straight with you — but understanding the categories tells you what belongs in a claim.
Economic Damages
These are the measurable, out-of-pocket financial losses tied to your injury:
- Past and future medical expenses — emergency care, surgery, therapy, and ongoing treatment
- Lost wages and lost earning capacity if the injury affects your ability to work
- Future care costs for long-term or permanent conditions
- Property damage and related out-of-pocket costs
Non-Economic Damages
These compensate real harms that do not come with a receipt:
- Pain and suffering from the injury and its treatment
- Mental anguish, anxiety, and emotional distress
- Loss of enjoyment of life and the ability to do things you once could
- Permanent disfigurement or disability
Punitive Damages
In rare cases involving intentional misconduct or gross negligence — not ordinary carelessness — Florida law may allow punitive damages, which are meant to punish and deter rather than compensate. These are the exception, not the rule, and are subject to strict statutory limits.
What Raises or Lowers the Value of a Claim
Rather than a set payout, the realistic value of a personal injury case is driven by a handful of factors:
- Injury severity and permanency — lasting or disabling injuries generally support larger claims than those that fully heal
- Clarity of liability — the stronger and clearer the evidence of fault, the harder a claim is to dispute
- Your own share of fault — under the 51% rule, comparative fault directly reduces recovery
- Available insurance coverage — a claim’s practical value is often capped by the policy limits that apply
- Documentation — consistent medical treatment and thorough records make losses provable
Every case is different, and past results do not predict future outcomes. These factors describe how value is assessed, not a promise of any particular result.
Deadlines: Florida’s Statute of Limitations
Florida law sets strict deadlines for filing an injury lawsuit, and missing one can end a claim permanently. For most negligence causes of action that accrued on or after March 24, 2023, Florida shortened the general statute of limitations from four years to two years. Claims that accrued before that date may fall under the older four-year period. Certain case types — such as medical malpractice and wrongful death — run on their own timelines and separate rules.
Because the deadline that applies to you depends on your case type and the exact date your claim arose, do not rely on a general summary. Confirm your specific deadline with a licensed attorney as early as possible — waiting also lets evidence fade and witnesses scatter, which weakens even a timely claim. You can review common timing questions on our FAQ page or call us directly.
The Insurance Reality in Florida
Florida’s auto-insurance system surprises many injured people, and it is one of the biggest reasons a claim can fall short of covering real losses. Here is the practical picture.
No-Fault and PIP
Florida is a no-fault state for car crashes. Every registered vehicle is required to carry Personal Injury Protection (PIP), which pays a portion of your own medical bills and lost wages after a crash regardless of who caused it, up to your policy limit. PIP is limited, and to step outside the no-fault system and pursue the at-fault driver for full damages — including pain and suffering — an injury generally has to meet Florida’s “serious injury” threshold.
Bodily Injury Liability and Coverage Gaps
Here is the gap that catches people off guard: Florida does not require ordinary drivers to carry bodily injury liability coverage — the insurance that pays for injuries they cause to others. That means the driver who hurt you may carry only the state-required PIP and property-damage minimums and little or nothing to cover your injuries. When that happens, recovery often depends on other sources.
Uninsured and Underinsured Motorist Coverage
Uninsured/underinsured motorist (UM/UIM) coverage on your own policy can be one of the most valuable protections you have — it steps in when the at-fault driver has no coverage or not enough to cover your losses. Many Miami drivers do not realize they carry it, or wrongly assume they cannot use it. Identifying every applicable policy — the other driver’s, your own, and sometimes a third party’s — is a core part of how the firm builds a claim.
What It’s Like to Work With The Perazzo Law Firm
The decision of who to hire after a serious injury is not a small one — it shapes how your case is handled and how you are treated through the hardest stretch of your life. At The Perazzo Law Firm, that experience is built on a few commitments:
- Personal attention from Jonathan Perazzo — your case is not handed off to be run entirely by staff
- Bilingual team — we serve Miami’s English- and Spanish-speaking communities
- No fee unless we recover — you pay nothing up front, and our fee comes only from a recovery
- Prepared for trial, not just settlement — cases are built to be litigated if the insurer will not deal fairly
- Available 24/7 — injuries do not keep business hours, and neither does our intake line
- Experienced in handling Florida personal injury matters
Because we work on a contingency-fee basis, there is no financial risk in finding out where you stand. Spanish-speaking clients can also review our services in Spanish on our página de lesiones personales en español.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I know if my injury is worth pursuing as a claim?
A claim generally makes sense when someone else’s negligence caused your injury, there is provable harm such as medical bills or lost income, and there is insurance or another source to pay a recovery. The strength of the liability evidence and the severity of the injury both matter. The most reliable way to find out is a free case evaluation, where we review the facts and tell you honestly whether pursuing it is worthwhile.
What types of personal injury cases does the firm handle in Miami?
The firm handles a broad range of injury claims, including car, truck, motorcycle, and rideshare accidents; slip-and-fall and other premises-liability cases; pedestrian and bicycle accidents; wrongful death; and medical-negligence matters. If you are not sure your situation fits a category, call us — many strong claims do not look obvious to the person who was injured.
How does Florida’s comparative negligence rule affect my recovery?
Under Florida’s modified comparative negligence rule adopted in 2023, if you are found more than 50% at fault for your own injuries, you cannot recover damages. If you are 50% or less at fault, you can still recover, but your award is reduced by your share of the blame. This is why insurers try hard to shift fault onto injured people, and why documenting what actually happened is so important.
How long do I have to file a personal injury claim in Florida?
For most negligence claims that accrued on or after March 24, 2023, Florida’s statute of limitations is two years. Claims that arose earlier, and certain case types like medical malpractice and wrongful death, can follow different timelines. Because the deadline depends on your specific facts, confirm it with a licensed attorney as soon as possible rather than relying on a general rule.
What determines how much a personal injury case is worth?
Value is driven by factors, not a fixed formula: the severity and permanency of the injury, how clear the liability is, your own share of fault, the amount of insurance coverage available, and how well your losses are documented. No responsible attorney will promise a dollar figure before investigating. We assess these factors and explain realistically what your case involves.
What if the driver who hit me had no insurance or too little?
This is common in Florida, because ordinary drivers are not required to carry bodily-injury liability coverage. In those situations, recovery may come from your own uninsured/underinsured motorist coverage, from another responsible party, or from additional policies that apply. Part of our work is identifying every source of coverage, which many injured people do not realize exists.
How much does it cost to hire a personal injury lawyer?
The Perazzo Law Firm works on a contingency-fee basis, which means there is no up-front cost to you and no fee unless we recover compensation in your case. The initial case evaluation is free. This structure lets people pursue a legitimate claim without taking on financial risk during an already difficult time.
How do I choose the right personal injury lawyer in Miami?
Look for a lawyer who handles your type of case, communicates directly with you, prepares cases for trial rather than only quick settlements, and explains your options honestly instead of promising outcomes. Meeting with an attorney before deciding is worthwhile, and because consultations here are free, comparing your options costs you nothing.
Talk to a Miami Personal Injury Lawyer Today
If you or a loved one was seriously injured in Miami-Dade, the sooner your case is evaluated, the better positioned it is — evidence is fresh, deadlines are met, and insurers have less room to shift blame. The Perazzo Law Firm offers a straightforward, no-pressure review of your situation.
- Free case evaluation, available 24/7
- No fee unless we recover for you
- Bilingual English- and Spanish-speaking team
- Experienced in Florida personal injury matters
- Personal attention from attorney Jonathan Perazzo
Call 888-PERAZZO now, or request your free case evaluation through our contact page.
The Perazzo Law Firm serves injured clients throughout Miami and Miami-Dade County. Attorney Jonathan Perazzo is admitted to practice in Florida, Georgia, and Texas.
The Perazzo Law Firm
1372 Peachtree St NE, Atlanta, GA 30309
Phone: (404) 669-6997 | 888-PERAZZO
The hiring of a lawyer is an important decision that should not be based solely upon advertisements. This information is not legal advice, and no attorney-client relationship is formed by reading it or contacting the firm. Prior results do not guarantee or predict a similar outcome in any future case.