I was hurt working at Port Everglades. Is that a Florida workers’ comp claim?

Often it is not. Injuries to workers loading, unloading, repairing or building vessels on or near navigable water generally fall under the federal Longshore and Harbor Workers’ Compensation Act, which pays different benefits than Florida workers’ compensation and is litigated before a federal administrative law judge. If you were a crew member of a vessel, the Jones Act may apply instead. Templer & Hirsch handles all three, and the first question we answer is which one governs your claim.

Where would my Fort Lauderdale injury lawsuit be filed?

In the Seventeenth Judicial Circuit at the Broward County Courthouse, 201 SE 6th Street in Fort Lauderdale. Most cases resolve before trial, but the venue matters for scheduling, local rules and which judges hear the case.

How long do I have to file after a Fort Lauderdale crash?

Florida generally allows two years from the date of the injury for most negligence claims under Florida Statutes section 95.11, as amended in 2023. Claims against a government entity, including the City of Fort Lauderdale or Broward County, carry a separate written notice requirement and a shorter practical window, so those need attention immediately.

Fort Lauderdale Personal Injury Lawyer

Injured in Fort Lauderdale? We Can Help.

If you were hurt in Fort Lauderdale, Templer & Hirsch can take your case. We handle car, truck and motorcycle crashes across Broward County, premises injuries, wrongful death, and the maritime and Longshore claims that arise out of Port Everglades and the marine industry along the New River. Consultations are free and there is no fee unless we recover for you.

Call Now 305-937-2700

Where Fort Lauderdale Crashes Actually Happen

Fort Lauderdale concentrates several kinds of traffic risk into a small footprint. The I-95 and I-595 interchange feeds commuter traffic into the same corridors used by port trucking, and the stretch of US-1 (Federal Highway) through downtown mixes turning traffic with pedestrians. Las Olas Boulevard and the beach end of Sunrise Boulevard see evening and weekend crashes involving impaired drivers and pedestrians crossing mid-block. Crashes on the drawbridge approaches over the New River and the Intracoastal have their own pattern, with sudden stops and rear-end collisions when spans open. We ask for the specific intersection early, because the crash report, the signal timing data and the available camera footage all depend on it.

Port Everglades, the Marine Trades and Federal Injury Claims

Fort Lauderdale is one of the few cities in the country where a workplace injury may fall under federal maritime law rather than Florida workers’ compensation. Port Everglades is a working cargo and cruise port, and the yacht repair yards and marine trades along the New River and the 17th Street corridor employ thousands. If you were hurt loading or unloading a vessel, working on a dock, or repairing a boat, your claim may fall under the Longshore and Harbor Workers’ Compensation Act rather than state comp, and the benefit structure is entirely different. If you were injured as a crew member, the Jones Act may apply instead. Getting this classification right at the start changes what you can recover.

Filing an Injury Suit in Broward County

A personal injury lawsuit arising in Fort Lauderdale is filed in the Seventeenth Judicial Circuit at the Broward County Courthouse, 201 SE 6th Street, a few blocks from the crash corridors on Broward Boulevard. Serious trauma from Fort Lauderdale crashes is usually taken to Broward Health Medical Center, the Level I trauma center on North Federal Highway. Those medical records are the backbone of an injury claim, and we start requesting them immediately, because emergency department documentation of the mechanism of injury is what insurers attack first when they argue a soft tissue injury was pre-existing.

Fort Lauderdale Practice Areas

We maintain dedicated pages for the Fort Lauderdale case types we handle most often. Each covers the deadlines, evidence and insurance issues specific to that kind of claim.

Courts, Roads and Hospitals in Fort Lauderdale

Where suit is filed: Broward County Courthouse, 201 SE 6th Street, Fort Lauderdale
Judicial circuit: Seventeenth Judicial Circuit
Roads we see most: I-95, I-595, US-1 (Federal Highway), Broward Boulevard, Sunrise Boulevard, Las Olas Boulevard and the A1A beach corridor
Where the injured are treated: Broward Health Medical Center, the Level I trauma center serving Broward County

Fort Lauderdale Injury Claims: Common Questions

I was hurt working at Port Everglades. Is that a Florida workers’ comp claim?: Often it is not. Injuries to workers loading, unloading, repairing or building vessels on or near navigable water generally fall under the federal Longshore and Harbor Workers’ Compensation Act, which pays different benefits than Florida workers’ compensation and is litigated before a federal administrative law judge. If you were a crew member of a vessel, the Jones Act may apply instead. Templer & Hirsch handles all three, and the first question we answer is which one governs your claim.
Where would my Fort Lauderdale injury lawsuit be filed?: In the Seventeenth Judicial Circuit at the Broward County Courthouse, 201 SE 6th Street in Fort Lauderdale. Most cases resolve before trial, but the venue matters for scheduling, local rules and which judges hear the case.
How long do I have to file after a Fort Lauderdale crash?: Florida generally allows two years from the date of the injury for most negligence claims under Florida Statutes section 95.11, as amended in 2023. Claims against a government entity, including the City of Fort Lauderdale or Broward County, carry a separate written notice requirement and a shorter practical window, so those need attention immediately.

Nearby Communities We Serve

Hollywood Car & Pedestrian Accidents · Premises Liability · Beach and Hotel Injuries
Plantation Car Accidents · Medical Negligence · Premises Liability
Davie Car Accidents · Campus & Student Injuries · Premises Liability
Pompano Beach Car Accidents · Boating & Marine Injuries · Premises Liability
Sunrise Car Accidents · Arena & Retail Premises Injuries · Wrongful Death