How To Navigate A Car Accident Claim

You could be the safest driver in all of Florida, but you may still end up in a fender bender or two. Unfortunately, some car accidents end up being more serious and can even cause huge material losses, as well as debilitating injuries. 

If you or a close family member was involved in a car accident and suffered an injury, you should consider filing a personal injury claim.

This isn’t being money hungry - it’s simply the best recourse for seeking justice and receiving your well-deserved compensation to cover medical bills and other types of damages.

Before contacting a car accident lawyer Florida, here’s what you should know first.

Who Is To Blame For The Accident?

Determining what and/or who caused a car accident has a major impact on your case because it helps establish liability. 

Most commonly, auto accidents happen due to driver error. The other driver may have ignored the traffic rules, driven under the influence of alcohol or drugs, or may have simply been distracted. If any of those apply, the other driver is the liable party. Your car accident lawyer must prove that the other driver was negligent to win your personal injury claim.

Not every car accident is caused by drivers, however. It’s not uncommon for one of the cars to have a defective part, which means that you can file a claim against the manufacturer of the vehicle. These defects might include inoperative airbags, faulty seat belt restraints, shoddy brakes, etc. 

To win the claim, your lawyer must prove that a defective part or a manufacturing issue contributed to the accident. Keep in mind that you must not be at fault even when filing this type of claim.

Lastly, poor conditions on the road or any kind of construction issues, as well as dreadful road design can also lead to an accident. Even though the state has a large budget for road maintenance, these can still happen. 

If no other factors were at play, you can file a claim against a government entity that was in charge of maintaining the roads.

How Much Is Your Case Worth?

Different factors determine the worth of an auto accident case. While liability is one such factor, you also have to consider the incurred damages, such as the type and severity of injuries. 

Additionally, your insurance coverage, or how much of the damage your policy will cover, will have an impact on the value of your case.

Since every accident is different, every personal injury claim will be unique. This is why you should consult a car accident lawyer Florida to get a better idea of exactly how much you can recover.

Types Of Damages You Can Recover After An Accident

Sometimes, you may reach an agreement with an insurance company. Other times,  even the best car accident lawyer Florida won’t be able to get the insurer to budge. This can be very tricky as the charges and expenses will start adding up in the meantime. 

Thankfully, you can take the matter before a judge and recover the following types of damages:

1. Economic damages

2. Non-economic damages

Economic Damages

These losses have a concrete value and are a direct result of the traffic accident. Economic damages may include:

1. Current and future medical expenses

2. Lost wages

3. Loss of earning capacity

4. Wrongful death payments

5. Damage to your vehicle

Non-economic Damages

While non-economic damages aren’t easy to determine (as they have no specific value), you can still recover them. These damages can include compensation for:

1. Pain and suffering 

2. Mental anguish 

3. Loss of consortium

4. Punitive damages

Steps You Should Take After The Accident

Insurance companies aren’t strangers to avoiding meeting your claim by providing numerous reasons why they can’t compensate you for your accident. This is due to the fact that insurance companies have to think about their bottom line.

Hence, you should use all the legal remedies which are available and file a claim for the damages.

The entire process begins right after the accident. You need to get the police involved to start a full investigation. File a police report and give them your account of the collision. 

If possible, speak to any witnesses to the crash. You can also contact them at a later date if you have their information.

Do you need a lawyer?

Many people are wondering if hiring a lawyer is even necessary. The answer is yes if you want to increase your chances of recovering damages and receiving fair compensation. 

A car accident lawyer Florida can help navigate you through the filing process. They can also explain which parties can be held liable. While you’re busy recovering or helping a loved one fully get back on their feet, your lawyer can file the insurance claim on your behalf.

They’ll also help investigate your car crash. For starters, they’ll collect all the evidence needed to prove the fault of the other driver. This is crucial because you might not be able to recover the compensation at all if you are not able to prove negligence on the part of the other party.

A car accident lawyer Florida will also enter into negotiations with the insurance company. If you went into negotiation alone, your insurance provider may undervalue your compensation since they will simply assume you want to get it over with as fast as possible.

With a lawyer, the entire process is different. The insurance company will know the odds aren’t tipped in their favor anymore, and they’re more likely to offer you a fair settlement. 

If they don’t, a car accident lawyer Florida will defend your claim in court, explain to you different possible outcomes, and ultimately, help you recover the money to cover all your expenses and mental anguish.

Why choose Law Offices of Rite?

When choosing who should represent you after a car accident, it’s imperative that you hire a lawyer who has a lot of experience with the subject matter. Here at Law Offices of RITE, we have decades of experience handling different types of personal injury claims, including car accidents.

We also work on a contingency fee (we don’t get paid unless you get paid) and will go to great lengths to give you the best possible legal representation. 

Call (904) 500-RITE (7483) or send a message to info@rite4justice.com to book an appointment. We’ll provide you with a case evaluation and help you determine the value of your claim, free of charge.

Note:

The information in this blog post is for reference only and not legal advice. As such, you should not make legal decisions based on the information in this blog post. Moreover, there is no lawyer-client relationship resulting from this blog post, nor should any such relationship be implied. If you need legal counsel, please consult a lawyer licensed to practice in your jurisdiction.