Helping injured clients in Miami pursue full recovery in serious injury and wrongful death matters for more than 46 years.
If you were hurt in a crash on the Palmetto, a fall at a local business, or a hospital stay that went wrong, we may be able to help you. A Miami, FL personal injury lawyer at Needle & Ellenberg, P.A. can investigate the negligence, document your losses, and press the claim through settlement talks or trial. We have represented injured people and grieving families across South Florida for 46 years, and we invite you to bring your questions to a free consultation.
Personal Injury Lawyer Miami, FL
A personal injury lawyer holds careless people and companies financially accountable for the harm they cause. That work begins with an investigation into how the injury happened and who bears legal responsibility. It continues through medical documentation, negotiation with insurance carriers, and litigation when negotiation fails.
Florida negligence law requires proof that the defendant owed you a duty of care, breached that duty, and caused injury and damages as a result. Meeting that burden takes evidence, and evidence is easiest to gather in the days and weeks right after an incident. The earlier an injury lawyer in Miami gets involved, the more there is to work with.
Types of Personal Injury Cases We Handle in Miami
Our caseload reflects the ways people get hurt in a dense, fast-moving city. According to FLHSMV crash data, Florida records hundreds of thousands of traffic crashes each year, and roadway collisions are only one source of the injuries we see. The list below covers the matters we handle most often for Miami clients.
- Car accidents. Congested expressways and heavy tourist traffic produce everything from low-speed collisions to fatal wrecks. We handle disputed-liability crashes, uninsured motorist claims, and cases involving rideshare vehicles.
- Truck accidents. Port and interstate freight traffic puts heavy commercial vehicles on local roads daily. These cases can involve federal regulations, multiple defendants, and records that must be preserved quickly.
- Motorcycle accidents. Riders can suffer severe injuries and then face unfair blame from adjusters. We counter that bias with physical evidence and reconstruction work.
- Slip and fall accidents. Property owners who ignore wet floors, broken stairs, or poor lighting can be held responsible when a visitor gets hurt. Notice and documentation tend to decide these claims.
- Negligent security. Hotels, bars, apartment complexes, and parking facilities may be liable when foreseeable crime injures a guest. We examine prior incidents and security failures on the property.
- Medical malpractice. Misdiagnosis, surgical mistakes, and medication errors may support a claim when care falls below the accepted standard. Early review by counsel matters in these cases.
- Wrongful death. We help families pursue accountability after a fatal incident. Who may recover depends on each survivor’s relationship to the person who died, which makes early evaluation important.
- Product liability. Defective vehicles, machinery, medical devices, and consumer goods can injure people who used them exactly as intended. Manufacturers and sellers may both bear responsibility.
- Spinal cord injuries. Paralysis and partial loss of function carry lifetime costs for equipment, home modification, and attendant care. We work with treating physicians and economists to project those needs.
- Boating accidents. South Florida waterways see vessel collisions, propeller injuries, and operator negligence every season. State and maritime rules can both come into play.
Why Choose Needle & Ellenberg, P.A. as My Personal Injury Lawyer in Miami, FL?
Recognized Florida Trial Lawyers
Founding partners Andrew Needle and Andrew Ellenberg bring more than 70 years of combined experience in Florida medical negligence and plaintiffs’ injury law. Both handle plaintiffs’ injury and death cases exclusively.
Andrew Ellenberg focuses on plaintiffs’ injury and medical negligence cases, with practice concentrations that include plaintiffs’ injury and medical negligence cases across birth injury, delayed diagnosis, surgical error, anesthesia, and stroke claims. He earned his J.D. cum laude from the University of Miami School of Law in 1988. Martindale-Hubbell rates him AV Preeminent. Florida Super Lawyers has listed him every year since 2005, and The Best Lawyers in America has listed him every year since 2009 for plaintiffs’ medical malpractice and personal injury work.
Andrew Needle is Board Certified in Civil Trial Law by The Florida Bar. His practice concentrations include complex medical malpractice litigation and trial work, including multi-million dollar verdicts in cases that have tested the outer boundaries of existing Florida legal precedent. He holds a J.D. cum laude from the University of Miami School of Law (1977) and a B.S. from Cornell University (1974). He is a charter member of the Miami chapter of the American Board of Trial Advocates. Best Lawyers in America named him “Lawyer of the Year” for Medical Malpractice Law, Plaintiffs, in Miami for 2020 and 2025.
A Record of Substantial Recoveries
Clients of Needle & Ellenberg, P.A. have recovered hundreds of millions of dollars, including numerous eight-figure verdicts and settlements in injury and medical negligence matters. That record reflects a simple habit: we build each claim as though a jury could ultimately decide it, and insurers respond differently to a case that is ready for the courtroom. Our fees are contingent, evaluations are free, and members of our staff speak Spanish.
Understanding Personal Injury Cases
A claim becomes far easier to manage once you know how its value gets calculated and what the process ahead looks like.
Damages, Liability, and Compensation for Personal Injury Cases
Every claim rests on two pillars. Liability identifies who must answer for the harm, while damages translate that harm into dollars. Recoverable losses in a Florida negligence case can include:
- Hospital, rehabilitation, and future medical costs
- Income lost during recovery and reduced earning power afterward
- Physical pain and emotional distress
- Loss of enjoyment of life and loss of consortium
- Out-of-pocket expenses you can claim that flow from the injury
Defendants rarely concede fault outright. Florida divides blame under its comparative fault rules, and in most negligence cases a person found more than half responsible for their own injury may recover nothing. Jury awards can also be adjusted after a verdict, so projecting a realistic outcome is part of the work we do for every client.
What Are Important Aspects of a Personal Injury Case?
Three issues surface in nearly every claim we handle, and each one can move the value of a case substantially:
- Insurance coverage, since the at-fault party’s policy limits and your own uninsured motorist coverage shape what may be collectable
- Medical causation, because defendants often argue an injury was pre-existing rather than caused by the incident
- Documentation of losses, from wage records to receipts, which converts real hardship into provable damages
What Is the Personal Injury Case Timeline?
Cases move through predictable phases even though the calendar varies from claim to claim. Florida’s filing deadline for most negligence claims is now two years, and the deadline can differ based on the type of case, so the process should begin well before that window closes.
- Free consultation, investigation, and evidence preservation
- Medical treatment until your condition reaches maximum improvement
- A demand package to the insurer and settlement negotiation
- A lawsuit and discovery if no reasonable offer arrives
- Mediation, followed by trial for the cases that do not resolve
Some claims settle within months, while contested cases can run a year or more. We would rather take the time to value a claim correctly than recommend a fast settlement that ignores future losses.
What Should You Bring to Your Personal Injury Consultation?
Bring what you have, and don’t worry about what you are missing. Useful items to bring include:
- The crash report or an incident report number
- Names of treating physicians and facilities
- Health, auto, and disability insurance information
- Pay stubs or other proof of missed work
- Photos and contact information for witnesses
Expect direct questions about your injuries and a frank discussion of the strengths and weaknesses of your claim. The conversation is free and confidential.
What Are Important FL Legal Resources for Personal Injury Cases?
The State of Florida publishes its civil statutes online, which means you can read the rules that may govern your claim before you ever speak to a lawyer.
- Florida Statutes section 95.11 lists the deadlines for filing civil lawsuits, including the two-year period covering most negligence claims.
- Section 768.81 sets out the comparative fault system that determines how shared blame affects the damages a court may award.
Reading a statute is a useful start, though how courts apply each rule to facts like yours is a separate question we can answer in a consultation.
Reach Out to Needle & Ellenberg, P.A. to Schedule a Consultation
A consultation costs nothing and carries no obligation. Contact us to schedule a free case review of your Miami injury claim with attorneys who prepare every matter for trial. We respond promptly to new inquiries, there are no attorney fees unless we recover compensation for you, and Spanish-speaking staff members can assist you from the first call.