Miller & Jacobs · Orlando, Florida
Help after being hit by a drunk driver. Defense when you are accused of DUI.
Miller & Jacobs represents people injured by drunk drivers and people facing DUI charges. Your situation determines the legal work, deadlines, and next steps.
Choose the help that fits what you are facing. We explain how an injury claim can address your losses and how DUI defense can protect your rights.
Free consultation. Fees explained for your type of case.
of combined legal experience
jury trials across the partners’ careers
Office on South Kirkman Road
consultation about your next steps
For people injured by a drunk driver
We investigate who caused the crash, identify insurance, handle claim communications, and pursue compensation for the harm you suffered. You can ask for help before the police file is complete.
Get medical attention for your injuries and follow your provider’s instructions. When Florida personal injury protection (PIP) applies, qualifying initial care generally must occur within 14 days. A claim review is not a reason to put off care.
A release may end rights you still need. Before accepting an injury settlement or giving a broad medical authorization, ask what it covers. Keep insurer notices so we can check any response dates.
Keep the report number, photos, witness contacts, and messages about the crash. Tell us where it happened and which agency responded. You do not need to investigate the other driver yourself.
Bills now. The full loss over time.
The first medical bill rarely captures everything an injury will cost. We review payment options while building a clearer picture of your recovery.
While you are getting care
Bring the policies or insurance cards you have. We can check coverage, notice requirements, and how the different claims fit together.
Before an injury settlement
We use medical records, work records, and the facts of your recovery to support a demand. Policy limits and proof affect what can be recovered.
Where Florida’s motor-vehicle injury threshold applies, pain-and-suffering damages generally require a qualifying permanent injury, significant permanent scarring or disfigurement, or death.
The disruption does not end at the scene
A shift you cannot finish. A child you cannot lift. A drive across town that now makes you tense. These changes may be hard to explain when someone only asks for a claim number.
Tell us what has become difficult. Those details help us understand the injury and document its effect on your life.
Building the civil case
We investigate how the collision happened, who may be legally responsible, and how it caused your injuries. A suspicion of intoxication alone does not answer all three.
Vehicle damage, witness accounts, scene photos, and available camera footage can help show movements before impact. The location helps identify where useful footage may exist.
Officer observations, witness statements, and available testing or video may support evidence of impairment. We review what can lawfully be obtained and used in the civil case.
Treatment records, prior health history, wage records, and medical opinions help connect the crash to the harm being claimed. We also address an insurer’s claims about another cause.
Depending on the facts, vehicle ownership, work duties, or letting an unsafe driver use a vehicle may require a closer look. None makes another person or business automatically liable.
Florida sharply limits claims against alcohol sellers. Possible exceptions involve unlawful service to someone underage or knowing service to someone habitually addicted to alcohol. Serving a visibly intoxicated adult, by itself, does not establish the statutory exception.
Read Florida’s alcohol-provider liability ruleWhat we do for an injured client
Some claims resolve through negotiation. Others require a lawsuit. These stages show the work involved, without promising a result or a fixed timetable.
When we represent an injured person, our role is to pursue the civil claim. The prosecutor handles the driver’s criminal charges. We can investigate or pursue the injury claim without waiting for a conviction.
Florida generally gives two years to file a negligence lawsuit. The crash date, claim type, and exceptions matter. We check the deadline for your case rather than relying on the next criminal court date.
Understand the situation
We discuss the crash, injuries, available insurance, and urgent paperwork. Before you hire us, we explain the fee agreement and how case costs are handled.
Build the record
We seek available crash records, request preservation of relevant evidence, and investigate possible defendants and insurance. This work can begin while criminal proceedings continue.
Understand the loss
We evaluate the medical course and financial impact. When appropriate, we seek expert input on future needs and avoid valuing the injury from the first bill alone.
Seek a resolution
We present the supported claim and explain offers. If a lawsuit is needed, we discuss the risks and next steps. You decide whether to accept a settlement.
Orlando residents and visitors
A crash on I-4, International Drive, or a neighborhood street can disrupt a workday or a trip. Tell us whether you are still here, already home, or helping an injured relative from another state.
Keep the crash location and responding agency’s details with your discharge papers. Ask your medical provider about follow-up care and travel. We can discuss document sharing, communication, and any appearances the claim may require.
Miller & Jacobs · Orlando office
Call to discuss your situation and arrange a consultation.
For injured people and their families
You may have questions that the crash report cannot answer. These are starting points for a conversation about your own facts.
Yes. We can review the collision without a test result in your possession. Witness accounts, officer observations, video, and other evidence may matter. A civil negligence claim can also turn on unsafe driving even when intoxication has not been established.
No. Restitution is ordered through the criminal case. A separate civil claim may address losses beyond that order. Florida law requires restitution to be credited against an independent civil recovery so the same loss is not paid twice. We review both together.
No. Punitive damages seek to punish qualifying misconduct and require a separate legal and evidentiary basis. Florida has an intoxication exception that can remove ordinary statutory limits in qualifying cases. That does not guarantee an award or mean an insurance policy will pay it.
Yes. Knowing the driver does not by itself decide your rights. We can review who caused the crash, which policies may cover you, and any facts that could affect fault. The answer depends on the circumstances and policy terms.
We examine the evidence behind that claim. In negligence cases covered by Florida’s comparative-fault rule, your share of fault can reduce damages. Being more than 50% responsible for your own harm can bar recovery. An intoxicated driver’s involvement does not erase every dispute about fault.
Some communication and document sharing can happen remotely. Depositions, examinations, hearings, or trial may require your participation, and the available arrangements vary. We discuss those needs before you make travel plans rather than promising you will never need to return.
For people facing a DUI accusation
We review the reason for the stop, officer observations, statements, and available video. If a crash occurred, we look closely at the evidence about who was driving and what happened.
We examine field exercises, breath or blood testing, and the records behind the results. We look for supported grounds to challenge the evidence or its use, rather than treating the report as the last word.
We address court dates and release conditions, assess possible motions, and explain negotiation and trial options. Before any plea decision, we discuss the possible consequences of your actual charge.
If you receive an administrative suspension notice under Florida’s DUI license law, you generally have 10 days from its issuance to request formal or informal review. Do not assume your criminal court date protects that deadline.
We check the notice and discuss review options and any eligibility for restricted driving privileges. Eligibility depends on your record and circumstances.
Read Florida’s license-review ruleHave your citation, arrest or release paperwork, suspension notice, and court date ready if available. Tell us whether the allegation involves a crash, injuries, or a prior DUI so we can review the specific issues.
DUI defense uses a separate fee agreement. We explain defense fees and costs before you decide to hire us.
Meet the partners
Mark J. Miller and Rick S. Jacobs have handled criminal prosecutions and civil injury matters across their careers. Their backgrounds inform how the firm evaluates evidence, insurance disputes, and preparation for court.
Partner
Mark’s background includes prosecution and insurance defense. His work includes more than 70 jury trials to verdict.
Read Mark’s biography
Partner
Rick served as a Miami-Dade prosecutor before private practice. His work includes more than 160 jury trials to verdict.
Read Rick’s biographyInjury claims and criminal defense.
