Automobile Accidents

In 2003, there were over 240,000 traffic crashes in the State of Florida. Of those crashes, over 2,800 of them involved fatalities and over 138,000 of those resulted in injuries. If you, a loved one or a family friend sustained an injury as a result of a car accident, you have a number of decisions to make about how to proceed and what your rights may be. In Florida, there are generally three aspects to a car accident case. The first aspect is the issue of liability. Liability is merely who is at fault for the accident or who caused the accident. To win your case, the accident has to be at least in part the fault of the other driver. If you are struck from behind and you did not stop suddenly, generally the person who hit you will be fully responsible for the accident. If another vehicle turned in front of you, whether the other driver was totally responsible for the accident may not be as clear.

Another issue that must be proven in order to recover the full extent of damages recognized by Florida Law is that you must suffer a “permanent injury”. On this site, we discuss neck, back, head, brain, spinal cord, sprains, amputation, reflex sympathetic dystrophy and other injuries that can result from an automobile accident. Whether an injury is permanent is determined by a doctor. Many times whether an injury is permanent can take many months to determine.

The last general aspect of your claim is your damages. If you have proven liability and permanent injury, Florida Law may entitle you to your medical bills over and above what your insurance company paid under your Personal Injury Protection benefit policy, to your lost wages over and above what may have been paid by your Personal Injury Protection benefit policy, and to your damages for pain and suffering in the past and in the future, loss of enjoyment of life, mental anguish, loss of earning capacity and other damages. Each element of your damages is separate, and each one should be considered prior to settling any auto accident case. As each case is different, we urge you to contact us or an experienced Florida car accident attorney or lawyer who can explain what damages you may or may not be entitled to in connection with your auto accident claim.

Our site provides some specific suggestions as to what to do if you have been in a car accident. If you, a loved one, or a family friend has been seriously injured in a car accident, whether you decide to contact us or not, we urge you to seek the advice of an experienced Florida injury lawyer, attorney or law firm. Evidence must be gathered quickly. Photographs must be taken. The car must be preserved. It is possible that an accident reconstruction expert must be hired to evaluate how the accident occurred. If you have been catastrophically injured, you need an experienced Florida injury law firm with the resources to advance the sometimes expensive costs on your behalf. We strongly urge you to make sure that any law firm you hire is capable of financing your case on its own without referring your case to another law firm.

Feel free to contact us at (888) 435-2465, e-mail us or fill out the consultation form to the right about these or any other considerations prior to hiring an attorney. There are many attorneys who handle car accident cases and we urge you to be highly selective in making your law firm choice.