Hollywood, FL Personal Injury Lawyer | Attorney Dean Levy
Last reviewed by Attorney Dean Levy on April 20, 2026. This page is reviewed quarterly to reflect current Florida personal injury law.
TL;DR
- Dean Levy grew up in Hollywood and personally handles every case.
- Florida’s statute of limitations is 2 years from accident date.
- Seek medical treatment within 14 days to preserve PIP benefits.
- Contingency-fee basis: no fees unless we recover compensation.
- Broward County logged 36,871 crashes in 2025 (FLHSMV).
Hollywood, Florida residents hurt in a car crash, slip-and-fall, rideshare collision, or any accident caused by negligence face the same problem: insurance companies trained to pay as little as possible. This page explains how personal injury cases work in Hollywood, what Florida law entitles you to, and how Dean Levy Injury Law approaches Hollywood cases differently from volume firms.
What does a Hollywood personal injury lawyer do?
A Hollywood personal injury lawyer investigates your accident, calculates your damages, handles all insurance communication, and either negotiates a settlement or files suit when the insurer refuses fair compensation. The lawyer’s job is to remove the burden of the claim process from you while you focus on medical recovery.
Specific tasks include obtaining police reports and medical records, interviewing witnesses, preserving evidence (surveillance footage, dashcam, vehicle data), retaining accident reconstruction or medical experts when needed, issuing preservation letters to trucking companies or premises owners, calculating past and future damages, and negotiating with adjusters. When a fair offer never comes, the lawyer files suit and takes the case to trial.
How much does a Hollywood personal injury lawyer cost?
A Hollywood personal injury lawyer typically costs nothing upfront. Dean Levy Injury Law works on a contingency fee — you pay a percentage of the recovery only if we win. Industry-standard contingency rates are 33.3% before suit and 40% after suit is filed, set by Florida Bar Rule 4-1.5(f).
The firm advances case expenses (filing fees, deposition costs, expert witness fees, medical record retrieval) and recovers those only from the settlement. If no recovery is obtained, the client owes nothing — no fees and no costs. The free consultation has no obligation, and we never charge for an initial case evaluation.
How long do I have to file a personal injury claim in Florida?
Florida’s statute of limitations for most personal injury claims is 2 years from the date of the accident. The deadline was shortened from 4 years under 2023’s HB 837 tort reform. Wrongful death, medical malpractice, and claims against government entities follow different deadlines.
Waiting is risky for reasons beyond the filing deadline. Witnesses forget. Surveillance footage gets overwritten, often within 30 days. Insurance adjusters document your every delay as evidence your injuries are not serious. Physical evidence gets lost or destroyed. Early attorney involvement preserves options that disappear with time.
What is Florida’s 14-day rule after a car accident?
Florida’s 14-day rule requires car accident victims to seek medical treatment within 14 days of the crash to preserve Personal Injury Protection (PIP) benefits. Miss this window and you forfeit the $10,000 in medical coverage your own insurer would otherwise provide, under Florida Statute §627.736.
Qualifying providers include emergency rooms, urgent care, primary care physicians, chiropractors, and physical therapists. The visit must document injuries related to the crash. Memorial Regional Hospital on Johnson Street and Hollywood urgent care centers all satisfy the requirement for Hollywood residents.
What happens if I was partially at fault for my Hollywood accident?
Under Florida’s 2023 modified comparative negligence law, you can still recover if you are 50% or less at fault — but your recovery is reduced by your percentage of fault. If you are more than 50% at fault, you recover nothing. The statute is Florida Statute §768.81.
Example: if your damages total $100,000 and a jury finds you 20% at fault, you recover $80,000. Find you 51% at fault and you recover zero. This rule makes the liability investigation and presentation critical. Strong evidence — dashcam, surveillance, witness statements, reconstruction — keeps your fault percentage low.
How long do personal injury cases take in Florida?
Most Florida personal injury cases resolve in 6 to 18 months. Straightforward cases with clear liability and modest injuries settle faster. Cases involving disputed liability, catastrophic injuries, or litigation can take 2 to 3 years from accident date to final recovery.
Key timeline factors include duration of medical treatment (cases rarely settle before maximum medical improvement), insurance carrier’s willingness to negotiate reasonably, whether suit must be filed, and court scheduling. Dean Levy prioritizes the right outcome over a fast one. Quick settlements are usually cheap settlements.
What compensation can I recover after a Hollywood injury?
Florida personal injury victims can recover economic damages (medical expenses past and future, lost wages, lost earning capacity, property damage) and non-economic damages (pain and suffering, loss of enjoyment, emotional distress, loss of consortium). Punitive damages apply in cases involving drunk driving, gross negligence, or intentional misconduct.
Case value depends on injury severity, permanence, medical costs, impact on earning capacity, and available insurance. Florida has no cap on compensatory damages in most personal injury cases. Punitive damages are capped at the greater of $500,000 or three times compensatory damages in typical cases, per Florida Statute §768.73.
What are Hollywood’s most dangerous roads and intersections?
Hollywood’s most crash-prone locations include the Hollywood Boulevard exit off I-95 (Exit 21), the Sheridan Street I-95 exit (Exit 20), Young Circle at US-1, and Stirling Road at State Road 7 near the Seminole Hard Rock. Broward County recorded 36,871 total crashes in 2025 according to FLHSMV preliminary data.[1]
Broward also saw 11,301 hit-and-run crashes in 2025, resulting in 2,392 injuries and 25 deaths — concentrated along high-volume corridors like I-95, US-1, and major arterials through Hollywood.[1] Florida overall recorded 614 pedestrian fatalities in 2025, keeping the state ranked second or third nationally for pedestrian deaths according to the Governors Highway Safety Association.
| Location | Crash Type | Primary Hazard |
|---|---|---|
| I-95 Exit 21 (Hollywood Blvd) | Rear-end, merging | Tourist and rideshare traffic |
| I-95 Exit 20 (Sheridan St) | Rear-end, truck | Commercial truck volume |
| Young Circle roundabout | Pedestrian, yield | Roundabout confusion |
| Stirling Rd at SR-7 | T-bone, DUI | Hard Rock casino traffic |
| Hollywood Blvd at US-1 | Left-turn, pedestrian | High-volume intersection |
| A1A along Hollywood Beach | Pedestrian, bicycle | Tourist density |
What if the driver who hit me has no insurance?
Florida does not require bodily injury liability coverage, which is why the state has one of the highest uninsured driver rates in the country. When the at-fault driver has no coverage, your own Uninsured/Underinsured Motorist (UM) coverage becomes the primary source of recovery for medical bills, lost wages, and pain and suffering.
Additional recovery sources include resident relative UM policies, the vehicle owner under Florida’s dangerous instrumentality doctrine, the driver’s employer if the crash occurred during work, and third-party claims against bars or manufacturers where facts support them. Read our full guide to options when the at-fault driver has no insurance.
Do I need a lawyer for a minor Hollywood accident?
Not every accident requires legal representation. Minor property damage with no injuries and full liability insurance in play can often be handled directly. But “minor” is deceptive — soft tissue injuries, concussions, and spinal injuries often do not present symptoms for days or weeks after the crash, long after adjusters have documented your file.
The free consultation costs nothing and gives you an informed decision. Dean Levy does not pressure callers to hire the firm. If your case doesn’t warrant representation, we’ll tell you. If it does, you have the information to decide. No consultation fee, no obligation.
How do I choose the right personal injury lawyer in Hollywood?
Choose a Hollywood personal injury lawyer who personally handles your case, has trial experience (not just settlement negotiation), knows the local geography and courts, and communicates directly with you throughout the process. Volume firms often hand cases off to associates and case managers — the attorney you hire may never work on your file.
Ask any prospective firm: Will you personally handle my case? How many active cases do you carry? When was your last trial? Do I have direct phone and email access to the attorney? The answers distinguish a lawyer from a processing operation.
Why work with Attorney Dean Levy?
Dean Levy Injury Law is a Hollywood hometown practice. Dean grew up here, knows the streets and intersections, and personally handles every client’s case from intake to resolution. Admitted to the Florida Bar in November 2018, Dean has spent over 7 years representing injured Hollywood and Broward County clients. Our caseload is deliberately limited so every client receives direct attorney attention instead of being routed through intake staff and junior associates.
| Feature | Volume Billboard Firms | Dean Levy Injury Law |
|---|---|---|
| First contact | Intake call center | Attorney Dean Levy |
| Case handler | Associate or paralegal | Attorney Dean Levy |
| Local Hollywood roots | None | Hollywood native |
| Caseload per attorney | 100-400 | Deliberately limited |
| Trial willingness | Rare | Trial-ready reputation |
| Contingency fee | 33-40% | 33-40% (competitive) |
Injured in Hollywood? Talk to the attorney, not a call center.
(888) 613-3326 — Free ConsultationNo fees unless we win. Attorney Levy personally handles every case.
Frequently Asked Questions
Florida personal injury settlements vary widely by injury severity, liability clarity, and available insurance. Minor soft-tissue cases may settle for $3,000 to $25,000, while cases involving surgery, permanent impairment, or wrongful death can reach six or seven figures. Average numbers mislead. Case-specific evaluation is the only reliable measure.
No. Florida does not require Uninsured Motorist (UM) coverage, but insurers must offer it and drivers must reject it in writing. Given Florida’s high uninsured-driver rate and absence of mandatory bodily injury liability, UM coverage is the single most valuable optional coverage for Florida drivers.
Yes. Denial is not evidence. Liability is proven through police reports, physical evidence, witness testimony, surveillance footage, accident reconstruction, and sometimes cell phone records. A Hollywood personal injury lawyer builds the liability case regardless of what the at-fault driver says at the scene or to their insurer.
Do not apologize, speculate about fault, discuss your injuries in detail, agree to a recorded statement, or accept a quick settlement offer. Adjusters are trained to build the defense against your claim through casual conversation. Decline politely and route all communication through your attorney.
Nothing. Dean Levy Injury Law offers a genuinely free case evaluation with no fee and no obligation. The consultation exists so you can get an informed assessment of your options. If the case isn’t worth pursuing, you’ll hear that honestly. If it is, hiring is your choice with no pressure.
Most personal injury cases — roughly 90% — settle before trial. But the threat of trial is what drives settlement value. Firms known for settling quickly receive lower offers. Firms known for trying cases get higher ones. Dean Levy is a trial lawyer, and insurance carriers price cases accordingly.
Your case is permanently barred. Florida courts enforce the statute of limitations strictly. A few limited exceptions exist (claims against minors, claims against fraudulently concealed defendants), but they are narrow. If you are approaching the 2-year mark, contact counsel immediately.
Related Topics
- Fort Lauderdale personal injury lawyer (Broward County practice area hub)
- Hollywood car accident lawyer (specific to Hollywood car crashes)
- Florida’s 14-day rule playbook (protect PIP benefits after a crash)
- At-fault driver with no insurance (UM coverage and recovery options)
Dean Levy Injury Law — 955 South Federal Hwy, Suite 416, Fort Lauderdale, FL 33316 | (888) 613-3326