Car Accident Lawyer — North Miami Beach, FL

The steps you take in the hours and days after an accident can significantly affect your ability to document your injuries and pursue a claim. Here is a practical list:

• Call 911 and get a police report number — officers will document the scene
• Seek medical care even if you feel fine — some injuries, including neck and back injuries, may not appear immediately
• Photograph damage to all vehicles, the road, traffic signals, and any visible injuries
• Get the other driver's name, insurance, and license plate
• Note the names and contact information of any witnesses
• Do not post about the accident on social media
• Do not give a recorded statement to any insurance company before speaking with an attorney

Florida is a no-fault insurance state. This means that after a car accident, your own Personal Injury Protection (PIP) coverage generally pays your first $10,000 in medical bills and lost wages, regardless of who caused the accident.

However, if your injuries meet Florida's “serious injury threshold” — which generally includes significant and permanent loss of a bodily function, permanent injury, significant scarring, or death — you may have the right to step outside the no-fault system and pursue a claim against the at-fault driver.

Insurance adjusters evaluate claims by reviewing medical records, police reports, photographs, witness statements, and the gap between your accident date and when you first sought medical care. A gap in treatment is one of the most common reasons adjusters offer lower settlements.

• Police report and case number
• Photographs of all vehicle damage, the scene, traffic conditions, and visible injuries
• Medical records and bills from every provider you see
• Documentation of all missed work and lost income
• Written notes about your symptoms — keep a daily log
• All correspondence from insurance companies
• Dashcam footage if available
• Surveillance camera footage from nearby businesses — request it quickly, as it is often overwritten

• Declining medical treatment at the scene — injuries may worsen or become harder to document later
• Giving a recorded statement to the other driver's insurance company without legal guidance
• Accepting a quick settlement offer before understanding the full extent of your injuries
• Posting about your accident or injuries on social media — this is commonly used by insurance adjusters
• Missing the 14-day PIP deadline — Florida requires you to seek initial medical treatment within 14 days of the accident to preserve your PIP benefits

Florida changed its comparative negligence law in 2023 from “pure comparative fault” to “modified comparative fault.” Under the current law, if you are found to be more than 50% at fault for an accident, you generally cannot recover damages from the other party. This makes how fault is documented — in the police report, witness statements, and photographs — particularly important.

Florida's statute of limitations for personal injury claims is generally two years from the date of the accident under the 2023 change. This is down from four years under the prior law. Waiting can affect your options.

Gonzalez Munoz Law is a personal injury firm based at 16211 NE 12th Ave in North Miami Beach. We represent injured people in car accident cases throughout Miami-Dade and Broward County.

Attorney Julio Muñoz has experience working on the insurance side of personal injury claims, including handling PIP, bodily injury, and uninsured motorist matters. That background informs how we approach claims — we understand how adjusters evaluate files, what they look for, and how documentation affects outcomes.

We handle personal injury cases on a contingency fee basis, which means there is no attorney fee unless we recover on your behalf. This is something we are willing to discuss in detail during your consultation.