On Sunday, October 4, 2026, Broward Sheriff’s Fire Rescue responded to a serious crash involving a car and a motorcycle near West Hillsboro Boulevard and Lock Road in Deerfield Beach. The rider was seriously injured and transported as a Level 1 trauma alert to Broward Health North; four people in the car were also taken for evaluation with injuries described as non-life-threatening. Less than two weeks later, the same Hillsboro Boulevard corridor saw a rollover crash at Powerline Road. For motorcyclists in Broward and Miami-Dade, crashes like these raise questions that Florida law answers very differently than it does for car drivers.

Florida PIP Does Not Cover Motorcycles

Florida’s no-fault Personal Injury Protection (PIP) system applies to occupants of motor vehicles — and motorcycles are excluded from that definition. An injured rider cannot claim the $10,000 in PIP benefits that a car driver would use for initial medical bills, even if the rider owns an insured car with PIP on it.

That makes the first days after a motorcycle crash financially urgent. Riders typically rely on their own health insurance, optional medical payments coverage if they purchased it, and — most importantly — a claim against the at-fault driver’s insurance. It also makes uninsured/underinsured motorist (UM/UIM) coverage especially valuable for riders: if the driver who hit you has no bodily-injury coverage, or flees the scene, your own UM coverage may be the only source of compensation available.

“I Never Saw the Motorcycle” Is Not a Defense

The most common pattern in serious motorcycle crashes is a driver turning left across the rider’s path or pulling out from a side street — followed by the same explanation: “I just didn’t see them.” Failing to see a motorcycle does not excuse a failure to yield the right of way. Florida drivers have a duty to keep a proper lookout, and a rider lawfully traveling straight through an intersection generally has the right of way over a turning vehicle.

Because these cases often come down to visibility and timing, early evidence matters enormously: the crash report, intersection surveillance or dashcam video, the motorcycle’s damage pattern, helmet and gear condition, and witness accounts gathered before memories fade.

Florida’s Helmet Law — and How Insurers Use It

Florida law allows riders age 21 and older to ride without a helmet if they carry at least $10,000 in medical benefits coverage. Riding without a helmet is legal for those riders — but expect the insurance company to argue that it made the injuries worse, and to push for a larger share of fault to be assigned to the rider.

That argument connects directly to Florida’s modified comparative negligence rule: an injured person’s compensation is reduced by their percentage of fault, and if they are found more than 50% at fault, they recover nothing. Insurers know this, which is why fault percentages are fought over so hard in motorcycle cases. An experienced attorney pushes back with evidence — medical testimony about which injuries a helmet would or would not have prevented, and reconstruction of how the crash actually happened.

The Two-Year Deadline Still Applies

Motorcycle injury claims are subject to the same general two-year statute of limitations as other Florida negligence claims, counted from the date of the crash. Two years passes quickly when treatment, surgeries, and rehabilitation are ongoing. Waiting also risks losing the evidence that proves the other driver’s fault — video is overwritten, vehicles are repaired or scrapped, and witnesses move on.

What an Injured Rider Should Do First

1. Get medical care immediately and follow up — gaps in treatment are used against you.
2. Keep your helmet, gear, and the motorcycle itself unrepaired until they can be documented.
3. Save any dashcam or helmet-cam footage and the names of witnesses.
4. Do not give a recorded statement to the other driver’s insurer before getting legal advice.
5. Review your own policy for UM/UIM and medical payments coverage.

If you were hurt in a motorcycle or truck collision in Miami-Dade or Broward County, Tacher Law offers free consultations for motorcycle, truck, and other personal injury matters. Call (305) 644-2211 or visit our contact page to discuss your situation.

Tacher Law, 16445 Collins Avenue, Suite 1625, Sunny Isles Beach, FL 33160.