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.
The first dispute may be about whose property you were on.
Broward County Slip and Fall Lawyers
Miller & Jacobs reviews slip, trip, and fall claims across Broward County by tracing the unsafe area and the duties attached to it. We help identify potential owners, operators, and maintenance providers, then connect the property evidence to your injury and supported losses.
Tell us the nearest address and exact location, even if you do not know the owner's name. Free consultation. No attorney fee unless compensation is recovered for you.
$150M+
Reported Recoveries for Injured Clients
50+ Years
Combined Legal Experience
230+
Combined Jury Trials Across Their Careers
Former Prosecutors
Experienced Trial Attorneys
Who controlled the place?
The name on the building may not identify the party with the duty.
A fall can occur at the boundary of a store, shopping center, parking area, or public walkway. The investigation starts with the precise spot and how it was used. Several businesses may be involved, but naming more parties is not a substitute for showing each one's relevant responsibility.
01
Locate the boundary
Save the street address, nearest entrance, business receipt, and wide views of the area. Mark the location accurately on a photograph if you can. A curb connecting two parcels or a path beside a business may need more work than a search for the building's owner.
02
Trace use and maintenance
An owner, tenant, operator, manager, or contractor may control different tasks. We examine relevant arrangements and actual conduct. A maintenance company's involvement does not automatically release the property owner or establish the contractor's fault; the duty and cause still must be assessed.
03
Identify a public-property issue
A sidewalk or facility may involve a city, the county, the state, or a private party. Do not determine the responsible agency from a mailing address alone. Government claims may have distinct notice procedures and limits, so tell us early if a public entity could be involved.
Choose the right legal analysis
A recurring spill and a permanent defect need different proof.
Broward fall cases should not all be forced into one template. We determine what condition caused the fall, which legal duties apply, and whether the available evidence supports a breach. That analysis is separate from how severe the eventual injury becomes.
01
Temporary substances in businesses
Under section 768.0755, covered business-spill claims require proof of actual or constructive knowledge. Duration and regular recurrence are possible ways to address constructive knowledge. Witness accounts, inspection material, and available recordings may help explain those facts.
02
Steps, surfaces, and rails
A damaged stair, uneven fixed surface, or missing support can present different questions about maintenance and use. Record dimensions only if it is safe, and avoid changing the condition. We assess appropriate records and, when warranted, whether qualified technical input could clarify the defect.
03
Causation and competing explanations
We need to understand how the condition produced the fall and how the fall caused the claimed harm. The property may raise a warning, footwear, or another cause. Medical severity alone does not answer those arguments, and a disputed account is not automatically a failed claim.
A free consultation
The owner and manager are pointing at each other.
Call with the address, incident date, and the communications you have. We can assess the property's roles and explain the next steps for a Broward fall claim.
Gather a record without chasing every office
Start with one location file and one medical timeline.
A countywide claim can involve records held by different businesses or agencies. You do not need to assemble all of them before calling. A short, accurate file gives us a way to identify the missing information and direct appropriate requests.
The location file
Keep original images, the incident reference, names of employees or witnesses, and any messages with management. Note which facts you saw yourself. If you learned something later, record who provided it and when. Clear attribution helps prevent conflicting descriptions of the same scene.
The treatment timeline
List the first care, referrals, tests, and ongoing restrictions. Tell us if providers are in different Broward cities or outside the county. The place of treatment does not itself decide the property's responsibility, but a coherent medical sequence helps explain the injury and care needs.
The communications folder
Retain insurance letters, call notes, forms, and proposed agreements. Separate correspondence from each company and keep the full document, including attachments. If one insurer refers you to another, keep that explanation so we can examine the relationships rather than restart the story every time.
For the larger picture, our Broward County personal injury guide explains how different injury matters fit into the firm's countywide service area.
The burden of being sent to another number
You should not have to identify every contractor while learning to walk comfortably again.
The exact location may be a legal puzzle, but your immediate needs are practical. Tell us which bill, work restriction, or request for a signature is troubling you. We can use that starting point to organize the investigation and explain what remains uncertain.
Measuring the effect on your life
Show which costs and limitations came from this fall.
An injury claim may address treatment, income effects, and other legally supported losses. We assess those losses using medical and financial evidence, the applicable law, and the liability facts. There is no reliable countywide payout figure for a case described only as a fall.
Care already received
Bring bills together with benefit statements and provider balances. The billed amount, insurance adjustment, amount paid, and amount owed can differ. Coverage and repayment obligations may affect a resolution, so a folder of invoices needs to be interpreted rather than simply totaled.
Changes to earning a living
Keep records of missed hours, altered duties, leave used, or lost assignments. Future income effects require support beyond an assumption that pain will last. Explain the physical demands of your work so restrictions can be connected to the tasks you ordinarily perform.
Daily limits and future care
Describe specific activities you stopped or changed, with dates and relevant medical guidance. Future treatment needs depend on appropriate evidence. We consider the care outlook before an injury release, while avoiding a promise that every inconvenience or possible future expense will be paid.
When an insurer passes you elsewhere
A referral is a lead to follow, not a decision about your rights.
It is frustrating to repeat an incident to an owner, manager, and insurer while bills keep arriving. We can review who has responded, what they actually said, and what records support their position. A denial should be assessed on its reasons and evidence.
Read the stated reason
A letter may dispute notice, the hazard, causation, coverage, or the company's role. Those are different issues. Keep the written explanation and policy information available to you. We can distinguish a coverage position from a claim that no one acted negligently.
Check the effect of your own conduct
Applicable Florida negligence rules may reduce recovery and can bar it when the injured person is more than 50% at fault. A property's initial accusation does not determine that percentage. We compare the alleged conduct with the physical evidence and witness accounts.
Protect filing and notice dates
Most negligence actions carry a two-year filing limit under Florida section 95.11. Public entities and other circumstances can raise additional requirements or exceptions. An ongoing insurance discussion does not by itself extend the time to act.
Miller & Jacobs
The team serving injury clients across Broward.
Partners Mark J. Miller and Rick S. Jacobs serve injured people throughout Broward County from Miller & Jacobs' Pompano Beach office. Their published biographies provide the background for the firm's work on disputed liability and injury losses.
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 when several properties or parties are involved
Should I name the store, the landlord, or the cleaning company?
The parties depend on control, duties, conduct, and the cause of the fall. We investigate those roles before deciding whom a claim should address. A business name on a receipt is useful evidence, but not a complete liability answer.
A sidewalk runs across two properties. Which address should I give?
Provide both nearby addresses if known and a wide photograph showing the exact spot. Note the entrance, curb, or landmark closest to the fall. We can investigate boundaries and maintenance responsibility.
Does a fall outside a county building always mean a claim against Broward County?
No. Ownership, control, and applicable duties must be checked. A government claim may also involve special notice and liability rules. Tell us the location promptly rather than assuming an ordinary private-property timetable applies.
Can we obtain inspection logs from a business?
Potentially through an appropriate request or discovery process. The records' existence, scope, and availability depend on the facts. We assess preservation early without promising that every business kept a usable log.
Can I use a witness who lives in another Broward city?
Yes. A witness's knowledge of the incident matters more than the city where they live. Keep their contact information and distinguish what they directly observed from what they learned afterward.
Does the store's insurer have to pay my bills before the claim is resolved?
Not automatically. Liability, coverage, and applicable benefits affect payment. We can review health coverage, other possible benefits, provider balances, and the terms of any proposed reimbursement or settlement.
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