Broward County Personal Injury Attorneys

Dedicated to Serving Residents of South Florida

With over 75 years of combined experience, the skilled personal injury attorneys at the Law Offices of Cohn & Smith provide advice and representation to residents of many South Florida communities in a variety of matters. At our personal injury law firm, we understand how physically, emotionally, and financially challenging it can be to deal with the aftermath of an accident. While our goal is to resolve disputes swiftly by pursuing a favorable settlement, we are not afraid to zealously advocate for your rights in the courtroom. Serving people in Pembroke Pines and beyond, our personal injury lawyers have gained experience in many types of claims, including those arising from motor vehicle collisions, slip and falls, medical malpractice, and dog bites.

Assert Your Rights by Filing a Negligence Claim

If you or someone close to you has been harmed because of the carelessness or recklessness of someone else, you may be able to seek compensation for your injuries. The amount of money an accident victim can recover will depend on the nature and extent of the harm that he or she sustained. There may be both economic damages, which are based on relatively objective costs, and non-economic damages, which are based on more subjective types of harm. Economic damages may include past, present, and future medical expenses as well as property damage and lost income, while non-economic damages can include pain and suffering as well as emotional distress. A compensation award can come in the form of one lump sum or in installments over time.

It is important to remember, however, that a victim likely will need to establish the elements of negligence in order to be able to recover compensation. Negligence is the failure to take proper care in one’s behavior. It is a legal principle intended to encourage people to be vigilant in their conduct.

In order to establish negligence, the injured person must show that the defendant owed a duty of care to him or her, that the defendant breached this duty, that the defendant’s breach was the direct cause of the harm, and that he or she was forced to incur actual damages. The duty of care often refers to an obligation to act as a prudent person would behave in the same circumstances, although it may vary in some specific contexts, such as medical malpractice.

Under Florida law, an accident victim has two years from the date of the injuries to file a lawsuit for accidents occuring after March 23, 2023. This time frame is known as the statute of limitations. Failing to file a claim within the statute of limitations may prevent the injured person from ever recovering compensation. Thus, adhering strictly to deadlines and consulting a Pembroke Pines personal injury attorney without delay can be vital in asserting your right to the damages you need.

If a close family member has been killed due to the negligence of someone else, you may be able to file a wrongful death claim. These types of lawsuits can be complex, but they often allow you to pursue damages for expenses that you incurred because of your loss, including medical bills and burial expenses, as well as the conscious pain and suffering of your loved one before death. Depending on your relationship to the victim, you also may be able to seek more subjective types of damages, such as the loss of companionship and support. In the state of Florida, the statute of limitations for a wrongful death claim is two years from the date of the death.

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