Aventura has a lot of traffic for a city of its size. Shoppers heading to Aventura Mall, commuters on Biscayne Boulevard, visitors crossing from Sunny Isles Beach, and rideshare drivers waiting at the curb all share the same few roads. Lavent Law, P.A. handles car accident claims for Aventura residents and visitors from our office in North Miami Beach, a few minutes south. The consultation is free, and you pay no attorney fee unless we recover money for you.
Call (305) 257-9464.
Where Aventura crashes happen
Biscayne Boulevard. US-1 runs straight through the city, and much of the traffic on it is turning: into the mall, into the plazas, onto the side streets. Rear-end and left-turn crashes are routine here, and pedestrians crossing between bus stops and shopping centers are at real risk.
Around Aventura Mall. Traffic into the mall from Biscayne Boulevard and the Lehman Causeway backs up most afternoons and weekends. Crashes inside the garages and surface lots raise their own questions, because the property owner and its security or valet contractors may share responsibility. Our parking lot accident page covers those claims, and mall injury claims covers injuries on foot.
The William Lehman Causeway. The causeway runs from Biscayne Boulevard at the mall’s southwest corner to Collins Avenue in Sunny Isles Beach. Traffic coming off the bridge meets drivers turning toward the mall and the condo towers.
Country Club Drive. The loop around the golf course and the residential towers carries walkers, joggers, cyclists and residents pulling out of driveways. Bicycle and pedestrian crashes are a real risk here.
Rail crossings near the Brightline station. Brightline trains run on the Florida East Coast tracks along Aventura’s western edge and stop at the Aventura station on West Dixie Highway, across Biscayne Boulevard from the mall, so the crossings along that corridor see fast trains and heavy car traffic at the same time. Crashes involving trains are handled differently from ordinary car cases; see our train accident page.
The first steps after a crash in Aventura
Call 911. The Aventura Police Department handles crashes inside the city and will prepare the report. Take photos of both cars, the intersection and the traffic signals, and get the names of anyone who stopped.
Then see a doctor within 14 days. Florida’s no-fault coverage (PIP) will not pay your medical bills unless you are first treated within that window by a hospital, emergency room, doctor, chiropractor or dentist, and the insurer will use a delay to argue you were not really hurt. HCA Florida Aventura Hospital is close by, and an urgent care center where a doctor sees you is a reasonable first stop for less serious injuries.
When the other driver’s insurer calls, keep it short. You can confirm your name and the date, but you do not have to give a recorded statement or sign a medical authorization, and you should not do either before talking to a lawyer.
Who pays
Your own PIP pays first, no matter who caused the crash: 80 percent of reasonable medical bills and 60 percent of lost income, up to $10,000. Medical benefits stop at $2,500 unless a doctor or other qualifying provider finds an emergency medical condition. Medical bills and lost income that PIP does not cover can be claimed from the at-fault driver’s bodily injury coverage. To also recover for pain and suffering, the injury must meet Florida’s threshold: a permanent injury, significant and permanent scarring or disfigurement, a significant and permanent loss of an important bodily function, or death.
Aventura has two situations that complicate the insurance picture. The first is rental cars. Many drivers on Aventura roads are visitors, and when a renter causes a crash, the rental company is generally not liable just because it owns the car. Our rental car and tourist crash page explains what coverage is usually available. The second is drivers with little or no coverage. Florida does not require bodily injury liability insurance, so your own uninsured motorist coverage is often what makes a serious case collectible.
If an Uber or Lyft was involved, see our Uber accident page. If it was a truck, see our Aventura truck accident page.
Fault and deadlines
Florida reduces your recovery by your percentage of fault and bars recovery entirely if you are found more than 50 percent at fault. In a busy turning environment like Biscayne Boulevard, both drivers often blame each other, which is why the photos, witnesses and any nearby video matter.
For crashes after March 24, 2023, you generally have two years to file a lawsuit. Crashes on or before that date fall under the older four-year deadline, so some of those claims are still open until early 2027. Claims against a city, county or state agency follow different rules: written notice must be given within three years, the agency has up to six months to respond, and damages are generally capped at $200,000 per person and $300,000 per incident.
How we handle Aventura cases
We obtain the Aventura Police report, ask nearby businesses to preserve video, open your PIP claim and take over the calls from every insurer. While you treat, we explain your options for getting care, including providers who will wait to be paid until the case resolves. When your treatment is complete, we document the full claim and negotiate. If the insurer will not pay fairly, we talk with you about filing a lawsuit.
For other kinds of injuries in the city, see our main Aventura personal injury page. Consultations are also available in Russian; see our Russian-language Aventura page.
Frequently asked questions
I was hit in the Aventura Mall garage. Is that a car accident case or a premises case?
It can be both. The other driver’s negligence is a car accident claim, and if poor lighting, signage or garage design contributed, the property owner may share responsibility.
The driver who hit me was a tourist in a rental car. Can I still recover?
Usually yes. The rental company is generally not liable just for owning the car, but the insurance on the rental car itself is often available, along with any coverage the driver carries and your own policy.
Do I have to see a doctor even if I feel okay?
Yes, within 14 days, or you can lose your PIP benefits. Many soft-tissue and disc injuries show up a day or two later.
How long do I have to file?
Generally two years from the date of the crash for accidents after March 24, 2023.
Do I have to come to your office?
No. We can start by phone or video, and the office in North Miami Beach is a short drive if you prefer to meet.
What will it cost?
Nothing up front. The fee is a percentage of what we recover, and there is no attorney fee if there is no recovery.
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