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 motorcycle can tell part of the story you could not record.
Fort Lauderdale Motorcycle Accident Lawyer
Miller & Jacobs represents riders and passengers injured in Fort Lauderdale motorcycle crashes. We examine vehicle movements, preserve relevant evidence, and review the coverage and losses that fit the facts. Your claim should be assessed on what happened, including the evidence beyond a driver's first explanation.
Call before authorizing disposal of the bike if you can. Free consultation. No attorney fee unless compensation is recovered for you.
$300M+
Reported Recoveries for Injured Clients
50+ Years
Combined Legal Experience
230+
Combined Jury Trials Across Their Careers
Former Prosecutors
Experienced Trial Attorneys
Keep the physical evidence
Repairing the motorcycle can remove details about the collision.
Treatment comes first. Once someone can help with the property questions, find out where the bike is stored and what authorizations have been requested. Damage, parts, and original photographs may help explain an impact on a local street, a beach approach, or a garage exit.
The storage location
Keep the tow receipt, lot address, and any notice of storage fees or disposal. Tell us promptly if the motorcycle is being moved or released. We can assess preservation needs while you address costs. Keeping a bike indefinitely is not a practical plan, so timing matters.
The bike and riding equipment
Photograph the motorcycle and retain damaged gear when possible. Avoid repairing, cleaning, or discarding relevant items before their evidentiary value is reviewed. A helmet or jacket may help document the event, but gear damage alone does not establish another driver's fault.
Your own original recording
Save a helmet-camera or other recording in its original form, including the sequence around the crash. Keep an unedited copy and relevant device information. A short clip on social media can omit context; do not alter the footage to make the account appear stronger.
Turning and crossing movements
Identify where the driver entered the rider's path.
A left turn, a driveway movement, or a lane change should be described precisely. Fort Lauderdale streets near shops, hotels, and parking access can involve several possible movement paths. We use the particular location without labeling an entire road dangerous or assuming a familiar crash pattern proves this one.
The approach and impact
Note each direction of travel, lane, signal, and point of contact if known. Wide photographs of the intersection or entrance can help. Separate what you remember from conclusions you drew later. You do not need to guess a vehicle's speed to report that it turned across your path.
Witnesses and nearby cameras
Identify people who saw the movement and nearby businesses that may have recordings. A camera facing an entrance may or may not capture the road. We assess appropriate preservation requests without promising that footage exists or that a business will voluntarily provide it.
The report and disputed account
Retain the crash number and investigating agency. A report is useful but may reflect limited observations or conflicting statements. We compare it with physical damage, witnesses, and other records. A driver saying 'I did not see the motorcycle' is not the end of the investigation.
The recovery behind the repair estimate
The bike can be replaced before your shoulder is ready for work.
A motorcycle crash may leave a long stretch of appointments and restrictions after the property claim closes. Explain what your job and ordinary activities require. We use those details to assess the injury record separately from the value of the damaged motorcycle.
Care and insurance after a riding injury
Do not plan your treatment around an assumed PIP payment.
Motorcycle coverage differs from the usual Florida car claim. Statutory personal injury protection generally does not cover injuries sustained while occupying a motorcycle. We review actual policies, health coverage, potential medical-payment benefits, and liability or uninsured-motorist issues rather than treating every rider's insurance as identical.
Policy review
The right policy documents
Bring declarations pages and the policy in force on the crash date, including endorsements or rejection forms you have. Florida's PIP definitions distinguish qualifying motor vehicles from motorcycles. Owning an insured car does not automatically provide PIP for a riding injury.
Medical care
Care while liability is disputed
A provider should determine necessary treatment. Health benefits or other applicable coverage may address some expenses, subject to their terms. Save benefit decisions and current balances. We can explain possible payment sources and repayment questions without promising immediate payment by the driver's insurer.
Uninsured motorist
A driver with insufficient coverage
Uninsured or underinsured motorist benefits may be relevant if an applicable policy provides them. Coverage, exclusions, limits, and notice terms require review. A severe injury or a driver with little insurance does not by itself establish that a separate policy will pay.
A free consultation
The tow lot, insurer, or rental company needs an answer.
Call with the request you received. We can review the evidence and coverage questions behind a Fort Lauderdale motorcycle claim before you authorize a repair, disposal, or injury release.
When recovery continues away from the crash
A visitor's follow-up care should still form one clear timeline.
Tell us if you live outside Fort Lauderdale, were using a rented motorcycle, or expect to continue treatment after traveling home. Your location after the crash does not remove the need for a consistent injury record. The rental and travel documents may also raise separate coverage or contract questions.
Keep treatment connected
Save the first medical records, referrals, and follow-up appointments. Explain which symptoms began at the crash and how they changed. If there is a gap in treatment, tell us the real reason, such as travel or coverage difficulty, instead of trying to hide it.
Show changes in work and mobility
Document restrictions, missed income, assistance, and transportation costs that connect to the injury. The effect on a physical job may differ from the effect on desk work. Future losses need medical and financial support; the motorcycle's repair estimate cannot measure them.
Separate rental and injury paperwork
Keep the rental agreement, damage demand, incident form, and every proposed release. A payment for the motorcycle can have different terms from an injury settlement. We can assess the whole document before you assume that accepting a property payment leaves every other right open.
Our Fort Lauderdale personal injury page explains the firm's local injury services and broader claim considerations when more than one issue arose in the crash.
Answering blame with evidence
Rider stereotypes are not a substitute for reconstructing the event.
A claim requires a fair look at each person's conduct and the causal evidence. We address allegations about speed, lane position, visibility, or protective equipment individually. The aim is to explain supported facts, including difficult facts, before assessing an offer or taking a case further.
01
Review crash responsibility
Driving conduct and the physical sequence help establish fault. Florida's applicable modified comparative-fault rule can reduce recovery and may bar it when the injured person is more than 50% at fault. An initial accusation does not itself determine that allocation.
02
Separate helmet issues
Florida helmet requirements include a limited exception for qualifying adults with specified coverage. Whether a helmet was worn can raise distinct legal and injury questions. It does not automatically establish who caused the collision; we assess both the rule and any relevant causation evidence.
03
Evaluate a complete resolution
We review supported losses, policy issues, future care, and release terms. Most negligence actions have a two-year filing period under section 95.11, with claim-specific exceptions. Insurance notice obligations can arise sooner, so do not treat that period as a reason to wait.
Miller & Jacobs
Experience behind your next decision.
Partners Mark J. Miller and Rick S. Jacobs serve Fort Lauderdale riders from Miller & Jacobs' Pompano Beach office. Their biographies set out experience relevant to assessing contested accident accounts and preparing supported injury claims.
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
Decisions riders and visitors ask about
Should I let the insurer take the motorcycle for salvage?
Ask about evidence preservation before authorizing disposal or transfer. The need depends on the dispute and the bike's condition. Keep storage notices and tell us about deadlines or accumulating charges so the issue can be addressed promptly.
Can a passenger have a claim even if the motorcycle operator was at fault?
Potentially. A passenger's claim may involve the operator, another driver, and relevant insurance. The passenger's own conduct and applicable coverage still need review. Do not assume the rider's and passenger's legal positions are identical.
Does my Florida car policy provide PIP when I am riding?
Generally, statutory PIP does not cover an injury sustained while occupying a motorcycle. Other coverages may differ. We review the applicable policies and endorsements instead of assuming car benefits follow you onto the bike.
I rented the bike during a visit. Can you still review the crash?
Yes. Keep the rental agreement, coverage documents, incident forms, and communications about damage. The rental relationship may affect the investigation or insurance, but it does not itself resolve who caused the crash.
The driver says the motorcycle was invisible. How can that be checked?
We assess sight lines, lighting, vehicle movements, damage, witnesses, and available recordings. The statement is one account to test, not proof that no one was negligent.
Can I discuss the claim after receiving follow-up care in another state?
Yes. We can begin by phone. Save the initial and later treatment records so the medical sequence remains clear, and tell us about any travel or care gaps that affected your recovery.
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