Fort Lauderdale Red Light Accident Lawyer

Drivers and passengers in Fort Lauderdale who were hurt when someone ran a red light are usually weighing two things at once: how to get their medical care covered, and how to prove who actually entered the intersection on red. Spencer Morgan Law handles Fort Lauderdale red light accident cases for injured people in Broward County and across Florida, working on auto collisions, rideshare crashes, bicycle accidents, and other injury claims.

Red light crashes are rarely simple, because the two drivers almost always tell different stories. Each says the light was green or yellow for them, and the only neutral evidence may be a traffic camera angle, a nearby business’s security footage, a witness who stayed at the scene, or the timing data stored in the signal controller. Strong claims are usually built in the first days after the crash, before video is overwritten and memories harden.

Florida adds its own wrinkles. The no-fault system pays some of your early medical bills no matter who ran the light, but a strict 14-day treatment window controls whether that coverage exists at all, and a fault rule adopted in 2023 can wipe out a claim entirely if a jury places most of the blame on you. Both points are covered below.

What Red Light Collisions Look Like Around Fort Lauderdale

• T-bone and broadside crashes: The classic red light injury. One driver enters on a stale yellow or red and strikes the side of a car crossing on green. Side impacts offer little crush space, so occupants often suffer rib fractures, pelvic injuries, shoulder trauma, and head injuries.
• Left-turn conflicts: Many disputes arise at wide arterial intersections where a driver turns left across oncoming lanes on a signal that the other side believes was red. These cases often turn on signal phasing, including whether a protected arrow was in effect.
• Pedestrian and cyclist strikes in crosswalks: People crossing on a walk signal or riding through downtown, along the beach corridor, or near the Las Olas area can be hit by a driver who never stopped. Injuries tend to be severe because there is no vehicle frame between the person and the impact.
• Rideshare and commercial vehicle crashes: Delivery vans, tour vehicles, and rideshare drivers rushing between fares run lights too. These claims involve additional insurance layers, such as a company policy that may apply depending on whether the driver was logged in to an app or carrying a passenger.
• Chain-reaction collisions: A driver who runs a red light may strike one car that is then pushed into another or into a pedestrian. Florida divides fault by each party’s percentage, so identifying every contributor matters.
• Crashes caused by impairment or distraction: Drivers who blow through a signal are sometimes impaired, texting, or drowsy. Evidence of that conduct, from phone records to a bar receipt, can strengthen the liability case and may bring additional parties into the picture.
• Malfunctioning or poorly timed signals: Occasionally the signal itself is the problem, whether dark, stuck, or badly timed. A claim of that kind involves a government entity and follows special notice rules discussed later.

Why Choose Spencer Morgan Law for a Red Light Crash Claim

The work most relevant to an intersection crash is automobile accident litigation: negotiating against insurers, building liability when drivers dispute the light, and taking cases through the circuit courts when an insurer will not pay fairly. Our Fort Lauderdale injury lawyer team also handles rideshare and bicycle claims that frequently arise from the same kind of collision.

The firm’s published results show what that experience looks like on the auto side: a $1,000,000 auto accident settlement, a $1,000,000 semi-truck crash result, and numerous policy limits recoveries, including cases in which the insurer initially denied liability. Other listed outcomes include a $400,000 recovery involving a cervical disc replacement, a $310,000 recovery for knee arthroscopy after a motor vehicle accident, a $225,000 recovery in a truck accident, and a $125,000 recovery for an Uber passenger. Past results do not predict any particular outcome, but they reflect the range of injuries and insurers the firm has handled.

Clients consistently describe the same things: prompt replies to calls and emails, plain explanations of each stage, and a lawyer who speaks to the insurance company forcefully on their behalf. The firm helps with the practical fallout of a crash too, including getting vehicles repaired, securing fair reimbursement for total losses, resolving medical bills, and arranging needed medical care. You pay nothing unless we recover, consultations are confidential, and Spanish-language services are available.

What to Do After Being Hit by a Driver Who Ran the Light

Start with medical care, and do it quickly. Florida’s no-fault personal injury protection (PIP) pays nothing for treatment unless you get initial services within 14 days of the crash. Even then, the full $10,000 in benefits is available only if a qualified provider (a physician, dentist, physician assistant, or advanced practice registered nurse) determines you have an emergency medical condition. Without that determination, benefits stop at $2,500. PIP covers 80 percent of medical expenses and 60 percent of lost wages regardless of who caused the crash, so it is a floor, not the full measure of your claim.

At the scene, if you are able, photograph the intersection from several angles, the signal heads, the position of the vehicles, skid marks, and any visible damage. Get names and contact details for witnesses, since an independent witness who saw the light cycle is often worth more than anything else. Ask Broward Sheriff’s Office or the responding city police department for the report number. Note nearby businesses with exterior cameras and have someone request the footage immediately, because many systems record over themselves within days. Do not guess about fault, apologize, or tell the other driver’s insurer you are fine.

Be careful with recorded statements to the at-fault driver’s insurance company. Adjusters ask questions designed to pin down details that can later be used to assign you a share of the blame, and a single offhand answer about speed or timing can shape the whole claim. You are generally better off letting your attorney handle that contact.

Timing matters on the legal side too. For negligence claims that accrued on or after March 24, 2023, Florida’s general limitations period is two years, down from four. Wrongful death actions also carry a two-year deadline. If a government vehicle or a government-controlled signal is involved, a written claim must be presented before suit, the agency generally has 180 days to respond, and recovery is capped at $200,000 per person and $300,000 per incident absent a legislative claim bill. Suits arising in Broward County are filed in the Seventeenth Judicial Circuit, and appeals go to the Fourth District Court of Appeal. Smaller claims may be heard in county civil court, while larger ones belong in circuit court.

Proving Who Had the Red: Evidence and Fault in Florida

Because most red light cases come down to competing accounts, the strength of the claim depends on corroboration. Useful sources include traffic and red-light camera footage where the intersection has it, dash cameras, surveillance video from gas stations and shops, cell phone data showing a driver was texting, vehicle event data recorders that capture speed and braking in the seconds before impact, and signal timing records. Accident reconstruction can also work backward from crush damage and final rest positions to show how fast each car was moving and whether a driver could have stopped.

Fault allocation is where Florida law has the sharpest consequences. At 50 percent or below, damages are reduced by the plaintiff’s share. Judgment is entered against each defendant according to that defendant’s own percentage of fault rather than under joint and several liability. So an insurer will try to push your share past the line, arguing you entered on a late yellow, were speeding, or were distracted. Defending against that argument is often the single most important task in the case.

Medical bill evidence has changed as well. If you treated under a letter of protection, meaning a provider agreed to wait for payment from your settlement, Florida law requires you to disclose that arrangement, including any referral source, to claim those expenses. Evidence of what health insurance would have paid can also come into play. These rules reward careful, well-documented treatment and make it important to choose providers and billing arrangements thoughtfully from the start.

Questions Fort Lauderdale Drivers Ask About Red Light Crashes

Who is at fault when two drivers both claim they had the green light?

Fault is decided by evidence, not by whose account sounds more confident. Camera footage, independent witnesses, vehicle damage patterns, event data recorders, and signal timing records all help. If the evidence is truly evenly split, the case may end with a negotiated allocation of fault, which is why gathering corroboration quickly matters so much.

How long do I have to file a lawsuit after a red light accident in Florida?

For negligence claims that accrued on or after March 24, 2023, the deadline is two years. Claims that accrued before that date keep the older four-year period. A wrongful death claim also has a two-year deadline, and claims involving government entities have separate written-notice requirements.

Does Florida’s no-fault system mean I cannot sue the driver who ran the red light?

No. PIP covers part of your early medical costs and lost income regardless of fault, but it does not prevent a claim against the at-fault driver for losses beyond PIP, including pain and suffering where the injury meets Florida’s requirements, and other damages that go beyond what no-fault pays.

What if I was partly at fault, for example by entering on a yellow?

Partial fault does not automatically end your claim, but it matters a great deal. If a jury puts you at more than 50 percent responsible, you recover nothing. At 50 percent or less, your damages are reduced by your percentage. Insurers lean on this rule heavily, so how the evidence frames the final seconds before the crash is critical.

Will the other driver’s red light camera ticket prove my case?

A citation can be helpful, but it does not settle civil fault on its own, and the way it is used at trial is limited. Camera footage itself, though, can be powerful evidence of what the signal showed and how each vehicle moved. Ask your attorney to preserve it early.

What happens if the driver who hit me has only minimum insurance?

Florida requires only modest coverage for registration, so serious injuries can exceed the at-fault driver’s limits. In that situation your own uninsured or underinsured motorist coverage, if you purchased it, may fill the gap, and other sources such as an employer’s policy or a rideshare company’s coverage may apply. Reviewing every available policy early is part of building the case.

Can I recover if I was a passenger in the car that ran the red light?

Often yes. A passenger is generally not blamed for the driver’s choices, and may be able to pursue claims against the driver of the car they were in, the other driver, or both, depending on who was responsible. PIP through your own household policy or the vehicle’s policy may also apply.

Do I need a lawyer if the crash seemed minor and the other driver admitted fault?

Admissions made at the scene often disappear once an insurer gets involved, and symptoms from neck, back, and knee injuries can take days or weeks to fully appear. Several recoveries listed on this firm’s results involved surgery months after a seemingly modest crash. Getting advice before accepting any early offer is worth the call.

What if the crash involved a rideshare driver or a company vehicle?

Those cases can involve layered insurance that depends on the driver’s status at the time, such as whether a trip was in progress, and on the employer’s responsibility for the vehicle. The firm has recovered for rideshare passengers, and sorting out which policy applies is usually one of the first tasks.

Will my health insurance pay for treatment while my claim is pending?

It can, and in some cases using it is wise because of how Florida now treats evidence of medical expenses. Your attorney can explain how PIP, health coverage, and any provider arrangements interact so that you get care promptly without creating avoidable problems for the claim later.

How are legal fees handled?

Spencer Morgan Law works on a basis under which you do not pay unless there is a recovery. Consultations are confidential, so you can discuss the crash and your options before making any commitment.

Serving Fort Lauderdale and Broward County Injury Clients

Spencer Morgan Law represents people hurt in red light collisions throughout Fort Lauderdale and Broward County, including downtown Fort Lauderdale, the Las Olas corridor, Victoria Park, Rio Vista, Coral Ridge, and Lauderdale-by-the-Sea. We also serve clients in Oakland Park, Wilton Manors, Pompano Beach, Deerfield Beach, Coconut Creek, Margate, Coral Springs, Tamarac, Lauderhill, Plantation, Sunrise, Davie, Weston, Pembroke Pines, Miramar, Hollywood, Hallandale Beach, and Dania Beach.

Our reach extends south into Miami-Dade County, including Aventura, North Miami, Miami Beach, Hialeah, Doral, Coral Gables, Kendall, and Homestead, and across the State of Florida. Red light crashes happen wherever busy arterials meet traffic signals, and the same evidence-driven approach applies whether the intersection is along a Broward beachside route or inland near the county’s western suburbs.

Speak With a Fort Lauderdale Red Light Accident Attorney Today

If someone ran a red light and hurt you, the evidence that proves it and the treatment window that unlocks your benefits are both running on a clock. Contact Spencer Morgan Law to talk with a Fort Lauderdale red light accident attorney about what happened, what coverage may be available, and how the claim should be built. The consultation is confidential, Spanish-language services are available, and you pay nothing unless we recover. Call today to get started.