Partner
Mark J. Miller
Mark's biography describes work in insurance defense and prosecution before his plaintiff-side practice. That background informs the firm's evaluation of liability disputes and insurance positions.
An impaired driver may be the start of the investigation.
Broward County Drunk Driving Accident Lawyers
Miller & Jacobs helps people injured in impaired-driving collisions across Broward County assess the civil claim. We examine the driver, vehicle, available insurance, and any additional claim supported by the facts, while documenting the effects on your recovery and work.
The consultation is free. No attorney fee is owed unless compensation is recovered for you. The written agreement explains fees and costs.
$300M+
Reported Recoveries for Injured Clients
50+ Years
Combined Legal Experience
230+
Combined Jury Trials Across Their Careers
Former Prosecutors
Experienced Trial Attorneys
Identify a supported claim against each party
Do not assume every connection to the driver creates liability.
A driver, vehicle owner, employer, or alcohol seller can have a different legal role. We begin with the collision sequence and the evidence connecting a party to the injury. Several names in a report do not establish several recoverable claims.
The driving conduct
Preserve the vehicle movement, original recordings, witnesses, and official report information. Impairment evidence may be important alongside the facts showing how the crash occurred. A charge does not by itself establish every civil element or a guaranteed result.
Ownership and work
Identify the vehicle owner and any work being performed at the time. A business vehicle or uniform can be a lead without proving the full legal relationship. Ownership, permission, scope of work, and applicable law need review before responsibility is assigned.
Where alcohol came from
Keep facts you actually know about service, purchases, age, or a relevant history. Do not guess from a receipt or a social-media post. A potential alcohol-furnisher claim needs its own factual and legal analysis, not simply a connection to drinking.
The alcohol-furnisher rule has narrow exceptions
Serving an adult is not automatically a claim against the business.
Florida section 768.125 generally prevents liability merely from selling or furnishing alcohol to a person of lawful drinking age. The statutory exceptions require specific facts. We assess those facts before treating an alcohol seller as a responsible defendant.
01
Underage service
The statute addresses willful and unlawful sale or furnishing to a person below the lawful drinking age. The age, service conduct, evidence, and connection to the resulting injury matter. The presence of a young-looking driver is not enough to establish the exception.
02
Habitual addiction and knowledge
Knowing service to a person habitually addicted to alcohol can present a statutory exception. An intoxicated customer on one occasion does not automatically establish the required history or knowledge. Relevant records and testimony may be needed.
03
Proof and record access
Identify actual witnesses, the business, dates, and original records where available. A preservation request does not promise immediate access to purchase or surveillance records. Formal processes may be needed, and a viable claim still depends on the applicable evidence.
A free consultation
Several possible parties, but no clear insurance answer?
Call our Pompano Beach office for a free review of the Broward impaired-driving injury. We can explain which responsibility, coverage, and recovery questions are supported by the facts you have.
Keep the civil investigation moving across agencies
A countywide crash claim can have several record sources.
A collision in Fort Lauderdale, Hollywood, Pembroke Pines, or another Broward community may involve different responders and businesses. Use the agency and location shown on the actual paperwork rather than assuming the county holds every record.
The incident and criminal references
Retain the crash number, responding agency, and any criminal-case reference. Reports, officer observations, testing material, and recordings can have different availability rules. We assess appropriate requests without promising access to an active investigative file.
Independent recordings
Preserve original dashcam, phone, or other camera files, including their surrounding context. Identify potential business cameras and a useful time window. A cropped clip or altered file should not replace the original material.
Witness accounts
Save contact details and separate what a witness saw from what they heard later. Do not ask someone to adopt a legal conclusion. A clear account of the approach, impact, and aftermath can be useful even when it does not address intoxication directly.
Our Broward County personal injury guide connects local record sources with the wider assessment of responsibility and losses.
The evidence and the recovery
A complicated claim still begins with what changed for you.
You may have several agency numbers and policy letters while dealing with care and lost work. Bring the practical concerns as well as the documents. We can identify the missing evidence and the next decision without asking you to solve the legal relationships first.
Coverage and damages require their own assessment
Neither a charge nor a punitive claim creates an insurance promise.
We review the actual policies and the documented injury consequences. A serious allegation may raise additional remedies without making them automatic or ensuring an insurer pays them. Keep all related offers and benefit decisions.
Compensatory losses
Medical care, work restrictions, income records, and necessary assistance costs help explain the supported injury loss. Earlier conditions and possible future care require appropriate medical evidence. The arrest report alone cannot measure how the collision changed your life.
Insurance and early benefits
Liability policies and applicable UM coverage have their own terms and limits. Where PIP medical benefits apply, qualifying initial care generally must occur within 14 days. Eligibility and priority need review; criminal proceedings should not be treated as medical-benefit advice.
Punitive requirements
Under section 768.72, an evidentiary basis and permission to plead punitive damages are required. An award requires the applicable clear-and-convincing showing of intentional misconduct or gross negligence, with additional rules for certain other parties. Neither punitive recovery nor insurer payment is guaranteed.
Assess an offer before closing a claim path
The release should be reviewed across the responsible parties.
A settlement with one party can raise questions about other claims, benefits, or repayment obligations. We compare the supported losses, available coverage, and complete release, including any related payment from the criminal process.
01
Account for actual payments
Retain benefit decisions, restitution orders and payments, and insurer correspondence. We assess overlapping losses and any reimbursement rights using the actual documents. A claim should not present a paid loss as if no payment occurred.
02
Review any fault dispute
In negligence actions governed by comparative-fault law, fault can reduce damages and more than 50 percent fault can bar recovery. Date and claim type matter. An impaired-driving allegation does not excuse examination of the full sequence or the opposing fault argument.
03
Check timing separately
Many current negligence claims have a two-year filing limit under section 95.11, subject to applicable dates and exceptions. The criminal case, an insurer investigation, or efforts to find other defendants do not automatically extend it. Ask about deadlines while evidence is being gathered.
Miller & Jacobs
The team serving injury clients across Broward.
The firm's South Florida office is in Pompano Beach. Partners Mark J. Miller and Rick S. Jacobs represent injured people across Broward County. Read their biographies for the experience behind the firm's work.
Partner
Rick S. Jacobs
Rick's biography describes his service as an Assistant State Attorney in Miami-Dade County and his trial work. Read the published background for details of his professional experience.
Our South Florida office is at 1600 S Federal Highway, Suite 1101, Pompano Beach, FL 33062. Call 954-465-8733 before visiting.
Decisions and practical questions
Questions about additional parties in a Broward impaired-driving claim
Is the vehicle owner always responsible for an impaired driver?
No automatic conclusion should be drawn from a name on the title. Ownership, permission, the relationship, applicable legal rules, and the facts need assessment. Identify the owner and keep available vehicle information for review.
Does serving a visibly intoxicated adult always make a bar liable?
No. Section 768.125 has narrow statutory exceptions involving specified underage service or knowing service to a habitually addicted person. Lawful adult service or visible intoxication alone does not establish every requirement for a claim against the business.
What evidence may matter to a habitual-addiction exception?
The required history, knowledge, service, and connection to the injury need a factual review. Relevant witnesses or records may help, but a single incident of intoxication is not automatically enough. Do not guess about a history you do not know.
Are punitive damages part of every drunk-driving injury settlement?
No. Section 768.72 sets procedural and proof requirements. The facts must support the applicable standard, and insurer payment cannot be assumed. A DUI charge does not guarantee an award or settlement component.
Can the civil investigation begin during an open criminal case?
Yes. Appropriate records and the available driving and injury evidence can be reviewed while the prosecution continues. Access to some material may be restricted. The civil filing deadline must still be assessed independently.
Should I tell you about a settlement offered by one of several insurers?
Yes. Keep the complete offer and release, not just the payment amount. We can assess the rights it closes and how it may affect other claims, benefits, or repayment obligations. Do not assume separate claim numbers mean every release is independent.
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