Advice from a Miami Car Accident Lawyer

By Alex Perkins, Esq.
Perkins Law Offices
February 23, 2025

Introduction: A Decision That Changes Everything

I’m Alex Perkins, founder of Perkins Law Offices, and as a Miami car accident lawyer with over 20 years of experience, I’ve seen firsthand how the moments after a car accident can shape your future. You’re sitting in your car, heart pounding, maybe a little dazed, asking yourself, “Should I go to the hospital?” My answer—based on decades of helping accident victims across South Florida—is simple: if you’re hurt, or even think you might be, yes, you should go.

At Perkins Law Offices (perkinslawoffices.com), we’ve built our reputation on fighting for people just like you—folks who’ve been blindsided by a crash and need someone in their corner. This isn’t just about your health (though that’s priority one); it’s about protecting your rights and your financial recovery too. Miami’s roads are chaotic—I-95, the Palmetto Expressway, you name it—and accidents happen every day. Florida’s Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles logs over 400,000 crashes a year, and many victims don’t realize how a single choice, like skipping the hospital, can derail their case or can limit the amount of money they might otherwise have been able to collect. Sometimes optics play a big part in how an opposing insurance company may view the seriousness of your case. Often times if there is not hospital visit, even if you wind up actually being hurt, they will use that against you arguing that if you were really in pain and concerned you would have gone to the hospital. In this article, I’ll walk you through why going to the hospital matters, how Florida’s no-fault PIP system means you don’t have to stress about the bill upfront, and why waiting could cost you everything. Let’s get started.

Should I Go to the Hospital After a Car Accident?

Should I Go to the Hospital After a Car Accident?

 

Your Health Is the Priority—Don’t Gamble With It

After a crash, your body’s adrenaline can trick you. You might feel “okay” right now, but that doesn’t mean you are. I’ve had clients who walked away from wrecks thinking they dodged a bullet, only to wake up the next day with neck pain, dizziness, or worse—symptoms of injuries like whiplash or a traumatic brain injury that didn’t show up right away. The Mayo Clinic backs this up: many car accident injuries, from soft tissue damage to internal bleeding, can stay hidden for hours or even days or weeks or months.

For example, I recently settled a case for $500,000 against State Farm for my client’s stacking uninsured motorist coverage just before trial was to start after over a year of litigation. My client was rear ended in her Subaru Outback while stopped at an intersection. While the impact did not total the car, it was severe enough for her to sustain internal bleeding to her liver from a seat belt injury. At first my client just was sore and thought nothing of it. After a week the abdomen and chest pain got worse so she went to urgent care. Despite shortness of breath, they didn’t attribute her symptoms to the accident. She continued to go to the emergency room and Urgent care five more times over the course of the following four weeks. She was finally admitted to the hospital after they realized from a CT Scan she had a pulmonary embolism and days later she was also found to have a ruptured liver cyst that was slowly bleeding. She finally underwent emergency liver resection surgery 54 days after the accident.

Of course, State Farm tried to fight the causation and argued she just had the flu and that was somehow the cause of the internal bleeding. The point of this Miami car accident lawyer real anecdote, is that had my client not gone to the hospital five times reporting she had been in a motor vehicle accident each time she went, we would not have been able to connect the causation dots to the car accident. It would have been near impossible, or at least a lot harder, to convince the insurance company and the potential jury that her delayed onset of symptoms and ultimate surgery was caused by the accident weeks before had she not taken herself to the emergency room several times and had it documented in her medical records. Going to the hospital saved her life, it also saved her car accident injury claim.

As a Miami car accident lawyer, I can tell you that getting checked out isn’t just smart—it’s essential. Miami’s traffic is relentless, and the injuries we see at Perkins Law Offices range from minor bruises to life-altering spinal damage. If you’re feeling pain, numbness, or just “off,” don’t brush it off. Go to the hospital. It’s not just about healing; it’s about documenting your injuries so we can prove they came from the accident when it’s time to fight the insurance company.

Should I Go to the Hospital After a Car Accident?

Should I Go to the Hospital After a Car Accident?

Florida’s PIP: Your Safety Net for Medical Bills

Here’s where Florida law steps in to help. I hear it all the time: “Alex, I can’t afford a hospital visit—I don’t have health insurance, and I’m tapped out.” Don’t let that stop you. Florida’s no-fault system, which I explain in detail on our car accident page (perkinslawoffices.com/car-accidents/), requires every driver to carry Personal Injury Protection (PIP) insurance—$10,000 worth. If you own a car, live with a relative who does, or even if the other driver has it, PIP can cover your initial medical bills, no matter who caused the crash.

That means your ER visit, ambulance ride, X-rays—up to $10,000—is paid for without you needing cash, a credit card, or health insurance. I’ve seen clients hesitate, thinking they’ll get stuck with a bill they can’t pay, but PIP is there to take that worry off the table. And if your injuries are severe—say, a broken bone or permanent damage—we can step beyond PIP and go after the at-fault driver for more. I’ve done it before, like in the $1,100,000 settlement I won for a young woman injured in an uninsured vehicle crash (more on that later). The point? Get to the hospital if you’re hurt—money shouldn’t hold you back.

 

The 14-Day Deadline You Can’t Miss

Here’s a crucial tip from your Miami car accident lawyer: you’ve got 14 days to see a doctor after an accident, or your PIP coverage could vanish. Florida Statute § 627.736 is clear—miss that window, and the insurance company can deny your claim, leaving you with nothing to cover those bills. I’ve had clients come to me on day 15, in pain and out of luck, because they waited too long. Don’t let that happen.

Going to the hospital right away does two things: it gets you treated, and it creates a paper trail tying your injuries to the accident. That’s gold when we’re building your case. Insurance companies love to argue, “How do we know the crash caused this?” A same-day hospital record shuts that down fast.

If you are not proactive and don’t go to hospital or get some form or emergency treatment, there will be no EMC and you will not be entitled to the full $10,000 in medical bill coverage. If you start day 15, this can really hurt the value of your case. For starters, there is a proof issue. The defense can argue you were not that hurt, otherwise you would have gotten some type of medical treatment by then if you were really hurt. It also opens you up to a defense that some intervening event occurred in the time between the accident and treatment that caused the injury. The other issue is that in a car accident case where PIP was available and not used due to delay in treatment, the defendant still gets a setoff of $10,000 toward any verdict a trial. This is part of how the no fault statute works so you might as well use it up.

 

Warning Signs You Shouldn’t Ignore

So, when should you go? Here’s what I tell my clients: if you notice any of these, head to the hospital pronto:

  • Pain: Neck, back, or abdominal pain could mean whiplash, a disc injury, or internal damage.
  • Head Issues: Headaches, dizziness, or confusion might signal a concussion.
  • Numbness: Tingling in your arms or legs could be a nerve or spine problem.
  • Visible Injuries: Cuts, swelling, or bruises need attention—don’t wait.

Even if you’re unsure, better safe than sorry. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration says delayed symptoms are common, and I’ve seen it in my cases—like the client who felt fine but later needed surgery for a torn ligament missed initially.

 

Real Results from Perkins Law Offices

Let me share some real wins from my practice to show you why going to the hospital matters after a car accident besides potentially saving your life or from worse injury. On Miami car accident lawyer website on our results page (perkinslawoffices.com/results/), you’ll see cases I’ve handled that started with a hospital visit which were critical in achieving high dollar settlements:

  • $1,100,000 Settlement: A young woman was a passenger in an uninsured car that rear-ended another vehicle. She went to the hospital with neck and back pain, and those records helped us prove her injuries were severe and from this accident. We turned a tough situation into a life-changing recovery when her own UM policy acted in bad faith failing to tender her policy limits of $50,000 which we turned into a seven-figure settlement.
  • 500,000 Settlement: A client was rear ended and sustained a seatbelt injury. She continued to go to the emergency room and urgent care five times before being diagnosed with internal bleeding. Had she not documented she was in a car accident when she went to hospital, it would have been very hard to prove the accident caused the injuries found a month and half after the accident.
  • $10,500,000 Settlement: A tragic I-75 crash took two family members’ lives during highway construction. The hospital records of the survivors, combined with my investigation into a defective road “drop-off,” led to a massive settlement covering wrongful death and injuries.
  • $350,000 Settlement: A client hit by a drunk driver went to the ER with a broken arm. That immediate medical proof was key to securing full compensation for his pain and lost wages.

These aren’t hypotheticals—these are real people I’ve helped, and their hospital visits were the foundation of their victories and the high dollar value of their cases.

 

What Clients Say About Perkins Law Offices

I’m proud of the trust my clients place in me, and their words reflect that. Here are real reviews from our Google Business Profile (https://g.co/kgs/SRw5TLN):

  • David: “Perkins Law Office exceeded my expectations. Alex Perkins and his team fought my case like I was family and got me a settlement better than I could have imagined. Highly recommend calling Alex if you’ve been injured.” Imagine that—
  • Monica: “Alex Perkins is hands down the best attorney I’ve ever met. He took my case after another attorney dropped it, he kept me informed every step of the way and fought tooth and nail to get me a great result!
  • Jon: Utilized Alex Perkins for a case and the experience and service was incredible. Alex spends time with his clients and really cares about them. Got our family a nice settlement and provided justice
  • Angel: Alex Perkins and his team are the best at what they do. When it comes to personal injury, they are very knowledgeable, professional, and offer incredible service.
  • Paul: Alexander Perkins is an awesome attorney
    Extremely helpful
  • Olivia: Contacted them after I was injured in a car accident and my car was totaled and they exceeded my expectations! Communicative and informative throughout the whole process and helped me every step of the way. Would definitely recommend them!
  • Curtis: Highly Highly Highly recommend Alex Perkins and his team very helpful knowledgeable and informative they keep you informed every step of the way and get you by far the best results.
  • Lamonte: Mr. Perkins is, BY FAR , the best attorney . I was represented better than I could of ever imagined.

Let Me Fight for You

If you’ve been in a car accident, don’t go it alone. Reach out to a real car accident lawyer in Miami. Perkins Personal Injury Lawyers aka Perkins Law Offices always gives potential clients a free case review—call me at (305) 741-5297 or email perkins@perkinslawoffices.com (mailto:perkins@perkinslawoffices.com). We’ll sit down (in person or virtually), review your situation, and map out your next steps—no cost, no pressure.

Here’s how it works: we take your case on a contingency fee basis. You pay nothing upfront, and I only get paid if we win—No recovery? You owe us zero. It’s risk-free for you, and it’s how I’ve helped clients like David and Monica get justice. Visit perkinslawoffices.com to learn more, and let’s get started today.

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