Experienced Doral Accident Lawyers — Fighting for Injured Victims for More Than 24 Years
Crashes happen throughout Doral every day, from the stop-and-go traffic on NW 41st Street and Doral Boulevard to the high-speed merges where NW 87th Avenue meets the Palmetto Expressway (SR-826) and the Dolphin Expressway (SR-836) near Miami International Airport. A serious car, truck, or motorcycle collision can leave you with painful injuries, lost income, and bills that pile up fast. For over two decades, the Law Offices of Suarez & Montero have represented injured people throughout Doral and Miami-Dade County, and our committed accident attorneys fight hard to recover every dollar you are owed. Reach out anytime — we are available 24/7 for a free, no-obligation consultation.
What Should You Do After a Car Accident in Doral?
What you do in the first few minutes after a crash near the Palmetto or on Doral Boulevard can shape both your recovery and your claim. Begin by making sure everyone is safe and calling 911 so officers and paramedics can respond. If your car is blocking traffic and you can move it without risk, pull it to the shoulder. Trade names, phone numbers, insurance details, and plate numbers with the other drivers, and share the same with the responding officer. Take photos of the vehicles, the scene, and your injuries, and write down the names of any witnesses. Finally, get checked by a doctor right away — serious injuries sometimes stay hidden for hours or days.
What Are the Most Common Car Accident Injuries?
More than half of Florida crashes injure a driver or passenger, and our attorneys know the full range of injuries caused by car accidents. At Suarez & Montero, we have seen how a serious injury can change a person’s health, livelihood, and family life. When another driver’s carelessness harms you, you deserve full and fair compensation for injuries that often include:
- Catastrophic injuries
- Broken bones
- Lacerations
- Bruising
- Whiplash
- Concussion
- Eye injuries
- Chest injuries
- Spinal cord injuries
- Traumatic brain injuries
- Amputation
- Paralysis
- Soft tissue injuries
- Wrongful death
What Are the Most Common Causes of Car Accidents in Doral?
Many people assume drunk driving is behind most wrecks, and it is certainly a major cause of fatal crashes in South Florida. Yet a great many car accidents stem from other dangerous habits, such as:
- Speeding: On Doral’s expressways and wide arterials, drivers frequently push past the posted limit, leaving little margin to brake or steer away from danger. Speed is a factor in a large portion of deadly crashes.
- Drunk driving: Drugs and alcohol dull judgment and reaction time, and impaired motorists put everyone on the road at risk, particularly after dark.
- Distracted driving: Phones, navigation screens, food, and other distractions take a driver’s focus off the road. A momentary lapse at expressway speed can end in a serious collision.
Should I Hire a Doral Car Accident Attorney?
Once a crash leaves you injured, you will typically file claims with both your own insurer and the at-fault driver’s. Since Florida follows a no-fault system, a PIP (Personal Injury Protection) claim comes first — but its $10,000 cap rarely covers the full cost of a serious injury. When your medical bills and lost wages climb past that limit, you must turn to the at-fault party’s coverage, and insurers are quick to stall, lowball, or deny valid claims. A seasoned personal injury attorney can take that fight off your shoulders and demand what your case is truly worth.
How to Choose the Right Doral Car Accident Attorney
Picking the right lawyer is just as important as deciding to hire one. As you weigh attorneys for your personal injury claim, consider these points:
- Education and qualifications: A trustworthy firm shares its credentials openly. Difficulty finding that information should give you pause.
- Reviews: Look at independent reviews from past clients. Their experiences tell you a lot about how the firm treats the people it represents.
- Experience: Choose an attorney with proven results in cases like yours throughout Miami-Dade County.
- The whole team: Consider the staff who will handle your file every day, not only the partners featured on the website.
When Can I Sue for a Car Accident in Florida?
After a car accident in South Florida, talking with a lawyer early pays off. Your attorney will collect the evidence, develop your claim, and negotiate with the adjuster toward a fair settlement amount. If the insurer refuses to negotiate fairly or offers far too little, the next step is to file a lawsuit and seek full compensation through the courts.
What Do I Need to Know About Florida Car Accident Laws?
A few core rules apply to every Florida driver after a crash:
You must stop and report the accident. Drivers must stop and assist anyone who is hurt, and any crash involving injury or major property damage must be reported to law enforcement.
You must not leave the scene. Share your name, address, and registration with everyone involved, and record witness details along with the road and weather conditions.
You must carry insurance. Florida requires at least $10,000 in PIP and $10,000 in property damage liability (PDL) coverage.
Florida is a no-fault state. Each driver’s insurer covers initial costs regardless of fault, but you may sue the at-fault driver when your injuries exceed your policy limits.
The statute of limitations applies. You have only a limited time from the crash date to bring a lawsuit, so acting promptly matters.
Comparative fault applies. Sharing part of the blame does not bar recovery; your award is simply reduced by your share of fault.
What Compensation Can You Receive After a Car Accident?
Damages are the compensation an injured person receives for losses caused by another’s negligence. The amount depends on the specifics of your case — the conduct involved, the seriousness of your injuries, and more. Because Florida uses comparative negligence, any fault on your part lowers your recovery. Typical categories of damages include:
Medical Treatment
Injuries range from mild whiplash to lasting disability, and recovery often calls for therapy, specialist treatment, medication, and supportive equipment — all recoverable. Your PIP coverage pays 80 percent of reasonable and necessary medical costs, provided you seek care within 14 days of the crash.
Damage to Your Property
You may claim the repair or replacement of your vehicle and other personal property damaged in the collision, including items like clothing, electronics, or jewelry.
Lost Wages
Wages lost while you recover are recoverable. Depending on your injury, you might miss work for weeks or months, or come back to lighter duties and fewer hours — each of which can support a lost-wage claim.
Pain and Suffering
Filing a car accident lawsuit also lets you pursue non-economic damages for the physical pain and emotional strain you have endured. These damages account for the severity of your injuries and their long-term effects, including anxiety, stress, and emotional distress as well as physical pain.
Loss of Companionship
When a serious injury harms a marriage, the uninjured spouse may bring a claim for loss of companionship, care, and support — a claim tied to the success of the injured person’s case.
Call Our Experienced Doral Car Accident Lawyers Today
At Suarez & Montero Car Accident Attorneys, clients rely on us for the determined, thoroughly prepared advocacy it takes to stand up to insurance companies. If a crash of any kind has injured you, our Doral car accident attorneys will work around the clock to hold the at-fault parties accountable and pursue the maximum compensation you deserve. Let us review your case and walk you through your options. We are available 24/7 for a free, no-risk consultation.
Here are some of the types of accident cases we handle:
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We serve clients throughout Florida including those in the following areas:
Miami-Dade: Aventura, Coral Gables, Doral, Fontainebleau, Hialeah, Homestead, Kendall, Miami, Miami Beach, Miami Lakes, North Miami, Tamiami, and Westchester.
Broward: Fort Lauderdale, Hallandale Beach, Hollywood, Pembroke Pines, and Weston; and Palm Beach County including Boca Raton, Lake Worth, and West Palm Beach.
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Car Accident Resources
Federal Trade Commission (FTC): Auto Warranties and Maintenance – Provides consumer education materials on automobile warranties and the importance of routine maintenance.
Insurance Information Institute: Auto Insurance – Great introduction to automobile insurance, with information to help you choose the right policy or make a claim.
National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) – Provides crash statistics and articles about automobile accidents, product safety, and child passenger safety.
National Safety Council (NSC): Driving information – Information about defensive driving, distracted driving, employer traffic safety, teen driving, and related topics.
U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission – Features consumer publications, product recalls, reports on unsafe products, statistics and more; including content pertaining to automobile safety.
U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) – Features automobile statistics, dockets, rules and references; with dedicated sections on distracted driving and other vehicle safety issues.
SaferCar.gov – Comprehensive resource for car owners, car shoppers, and parents; with crash test ratings, recalls, and other automobile safety information (NHTSA).
The Center for Auto Safety – Organization that provides news headlines and action alerts for defective automobiles and other vehicle safety information.
Motorcycle Safety Foundation – Organization that develops comprehensive safety training programs for motorcyclists.
Motorcycle Safety (NHTSA) – Motorcycle safety guide published by the NHTSA in conjunction with the Motorcycle Safety Foundation.
Frequently Asked Questions
What Do You Need to Prove to Win a Personal Injury Case in Florida?
Winning a personal injury case requires proving that the at-fault party acted negligently. Negligence is the failure to use the care a reasonably careful person would use under the same circumstances — whether by acting carelessly or by failing to act when a prudent person would have. You must establish that the other party owed you a duty of care, breached it, and that the breach was the direct cause of your injuries and losses.
Who Is Considered at Fault in a Doral Rear-End Crash?
Rear-end crashes are a constant on Doral’s busy roads, from backups along the Palmetto Expressway to low-speed taps in office and shopping-center lots. Under Florida law, the rear driver is generally presumed at fault, since every driver must keep enough distance to stop safely. Even so, proving the claim means showing a breach of that duty and that it caused the wreck. In chain-reaction crashes involving several vehicles, sorting out causation can get especially complex.
How Do Florida PIP (Personal Injury Protection) Benefits Work?
Securing your insurance benefits is one of our first tasks, because so many clients are unable to work and are already receiving medical bills after a crash. We promptly submit your Personal Injury Protection (PIP) application so benefits start as soon as possible. Florida law treats PIP as your primary coverage for accident-related medical expenses and lost wages, though any workers’ compensation benefits are credited against it for a work-related accident.
How Does Gap Insurance Work After a Crash in Florida?
Florida law does not mandate gap insurance, but many lenders and lease agreements require it. It protects you when you owe more on a newer car than the vehicle is worth, because ordinary policies pay only the current cash value and a car’s value falls quickly. If your vehicle is totaled, gap coverage covers the shortfall between its value and your remaining balance. Compare your balance to your car’s value over time, and once you owe less than the car is worth you can cancel the coverage.
What Is a Proposal for Settlement and Why Does It Matter?
A proposal for settlement is a pretrial litigation tool under Florida law. A plaintiff may serve one no sooner than 90 days after serving the defendant and no later than 45 days before trial. If the defendant turns it down and the plaintiff’s net recovery turns out to be at least 25 percent higher than the proposed amount, the plaintiff may recover attorneys’ fees and costs. To be valid, the proposal must include several required provisions.
Do I Need to Pay Court Costs Out of Pocket?
Because we work on a contingency-fee basis, our interests line up with yours — we collect a fee only if we recover compensation for you. Pursuing a claim involves real expenses, and in most cases we advance those costs as the case moves forward. They are then repaid from the recovery once the case concludes, so you are not asked to pay out of pocket while your case is pending.
