Car Accident Attorney in Boca Raton, Florida
If you or a loved one has been injured in a Florida car accident, speak with a trusted attorney at Goldblatt Law as soon as possible. The experienced car accident attorneys at Goldblatt Law will help clarify your legal options and will fight hard on your behalf to help ensure you obtain maximum compensation and justice. Get in touch with Goldblatt Law online or by calling (561) 868-2000.
Car Accident Lawyer Information Center
What Causes Car Accidents?
What Steps Should I Take After A Car Accident?
What Compensation Can I Get In A Car Accident Case?
What Are Common Car Accident Injuries?
How Do I Prove Negligence?
How Much Time Do I Have To File A Personal Injury Lawsuit?
Speak With A Florida Car Accident Lawyer Today
What Causes Car Accidents?
In short, human error. The vast majority of car accidents in Florida are preventable. But accidents occur with alarming regularity because humans are behind the wheel and easily distracted. There are over 400,000 vehicle accidents on Florida roads each year. Nearly two-thirds of those accidents cause injuries. While most of those injuries are minor, even minor injuries can leave you with debilitating pain and massive medical expenses. Some of the most common causes of car accidents in Florida include:
Distracted Driving
One of the most frequent causes of traffic accidents today across the country is distracted driving. While many accidents are caused by texting drivers, distraction can occur in many ways. Whether it's due to an unruly child in the back seat, being focused on changing the radio, or simply not paying attention to the task at hand. If a driver is distracted by any means, the likelihood of them causing an accident increases dramatically.
Drunk Driving
When a driver has had too many drinks, they're likely to cause an accident. Drinking alcohol reduces their reaction time. The more drinks someone has, the more their reaction time is reduced. This can lead to deadly accidents.
Speeding
From time to time, everyone drives too fast, but some people take that to an extreme. Especially in poor weather conditions, speeding can have tragic consequences. A driver can easily and rapidly lose control of their vehicle when traveling at high rates of speed. This can result in rear-end collisions, sideswipes, t-bone crashes, and other catastrophic accidents.
Failure To Yield
Drivers must yield right of way in many circumstances. Redlights, stop signs, yield signs, and even unmarked intersections in parking lots are all areas where drivers may need to yield. Many drivers fail to do so and cause accidents.
Aggressive Driving
Aggressive driving occurs when a driver commits multiple traffic offenses, like speeding and running a red light or speeding and changing lanes without signaling. These situations often endanger other drivers and passengers, including the aggressive driver. If you spot an aggressive driver on the road, it's best to leave them alone and let them pass by.
Reckless Driving
Related to aggressive driving, reckless driving happens when a driver blatantly disregards the safety of others and themselves while driving. This occurs when a driver changes lanes too quickly, cuts someone off, rapidly exits the highway, or one of many other scenarios that cause danger to persons and property.
Drowsy Driving
Driving while drowsy happens when someone is too tired to be driving. Alarmingly, driving while fatigued puts someone in a similar state as driving drunk. This means that someone who didn't sleep well last night could have extremely delayed reaction times to potentially dangerous situations on the road.
Inexperience
Lack of experience on the road is a significant contributing factor to accidents. Younger drivers are more likely to take risks and less likely to have a complete understanding of controlling their vehicles. Inexperience often leads to tragic accidents where newer drivers don't understand the power of a car to cause damage.
Other Causes
The above list focuses on human-caused car accidents. Not all car accidents are caused by humans, even though most are in some way. Here are some other ways accidents can be caused.
Weather Conditions
While Florida doesn't get much snow, we frequently have torrential downpours and damaging winds. These conditions can make any type of travel dangerous, especially road travel. When it rains, especially after being dry for a long time, it can create slick situations where vehicles easily hydroplane and spin out of control.
Road Conditions
There are many areas where roads are in dire need of repair. When a driver hits a pothole or a break in the pavement, that can easily cause them to lose control of their vehicle or pop a tire. Not only is this costly damage to a car, but it can also cause serious accidents where people suffer injuries.
Mechanical Defects
Cars are made of thousands of moving parts that must work together perfectly every time. When they don't work as intended, accidents happen. Whether a mechanic put the wrong oil in or a car manufacturer improperly designed a car's brake system, car and part defects often contribute to accidents.
What Are The Costs Of Car Accident Injuries?
The total cost of your injuries will depend greatly on the type of injuries you suffered. Even a concussion, a minor type of traumatic brain injury, can result in millions of dollars in medical expenses over the course of the lifetime of the victim. Do not discount any of your injuries, even if you don't show any symptoms for days or weeks after the accident.
Beyond the astronomical medical expenses you may face, you'll also face a loss of income if your injuries prevent you from returning to work. The more time you spend out of work, the more you will face financial trouble. In the worst cases, car accident injuries keep people out of work for the rest of their lives. This severely limits your ability to financially support yourself and live the life of your choosing.
What Compensation Can I Get In A Car Accident Case?
Filing a personal injury claim after your Florida car accident may be the last thing on your mind. You want to recover from your injuries and get back to your regular life. We get it. But we also know that you will need money to cover your needs, even for a short period.
Your lawyer may try to get you compensation for:
Pain and suffering
Emotional distress
Lost income
Lost earning potential
Loss of companionship
Loss of life enjoyment
Present and future medical bills
Rehabilitation costs
Most car accident injury victims vastly underestimate the money they'll need to support themselves and cover their medical expenses. Don't let this happen to you. Partner with a trusted, experienced lawyer who can advocate for your best interests today.
What Are Common Car Accident Injuries?
Car accidents range in severity from extremely mild fender-benders to massive multi-vehicle pileups. The same is true of car accident injuries. Generally, the more serious an accident, the more severe the injuries people receive. The most common car accident injuries include:
Broken bones
Concussions and other traumatic brain injuries
Sprains and strains
Neck and back injuries
Dislocated joints
Spinal cord injuries
Knee trauma
Herniated disc
Internal bleeding
Organ damage
Whiplash
Amputation
Paralysis
Death
You must pay attention to any symptoms after a car accident. But don't leave out mental injuries, too. Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a typical car accident injury suffered by people who get into serious accidents. While most people consider PTSD a concern for military personnel, this injury can happen to anyone. Especially traumatic car accidents that change your life forever can leave you with mental injuries you need to address just like physical ones.
What Steps Should I Take After A Car Accident?
The steps you take after a car accident can play a significant role in your ability to recover maximum compensation for your injuries. It's crucial that you do what you can to preserve evidence of your accident so you can work to prove someone else was negligent — more on that in a bit. Follow this list to ensure you retain the evidence necessary to give you the best chance of holding the at-fault driver responsible for your accident and injuries.
Call 911
No matter how minor your car accident is, call 911. When you call the authorities, emergency medical personnel rush to the accident scene and assess your injuries. If they're minor enough to treat immediately, they will do so. But in more severe accidents, the medical personnel may take you to the hospital for additional treatment and medical care. Calling 911 will also send the police to your location. They will speak with you, the other driver, and witnesses to get a complete picture of how the accident happened. They'll compile this information into a police accident report. While this report may not assign fault, it will provide details that could be useful in proving that someone else caused your accident and injuries.
Don't Admit Fault Or Say You're Sorry
When the police talk to you, or when the other driver talks to you, do not admit fault or apologize for the accident. These words and phrases can be taken as a sign of guilt, and the other driver's insurance company may use them against you to deny your claim or reduce the compensation owed to you.
Take Pictures And Video
In serious accidents, you may not be able to complete this step, so ask a trusted friend or family member to help. Get pictures and video of the accident scene, your injuries, all vehicles involved, and anything else that seems relevant. Pictures and video can be crucial in building evidence of your crash and how it occurred.
Speak With Witnesses
The police will speak with witnesses to compile information for their accident reports. But it's also a good idea for you to speak with people who saw what happened and at least get their contact information. Not all witnesses will wait for the police to arrive and give a statement, so getting their contact information is critical. Your legal team may want to speak with them as soon as possible before they forget what they saw. Witnesses often provide unique perspectives on the seconds leading up to your crash.
See Your Regular Doctor
Even if you are transported to the hospital for additional medical treatment, you should see your regular doctor immediately after your crash. No one knows your body better than your regular physician. They can review your body after your crash and determine how your injuries have affected your life, mobility, and quality of life. Together, you can chart a path for your recovery process.
Do Not Give A Statement To The Insurance Company
After an accident, even one that isn't your fault, you'll need to let your insurance company know about the accident. But that's all you should do. Do not agree to give them a recorded statement or to answer any questions. Give them the date, time, location, and policy information, and then end the call. Many people mistakenly believe that their insurance company is there to help them. Really, though, your insurance company may take whatever steps to save a buck, even if your premiums go up.
Keep A Personal Injury Journal
After an accident, all you want is to get back to your regular life as quickly as possible. To do that, you focus on your recovery and the positive steps you're making. But that means you could forget all the hurdles and challenges you faced on your recovery journey. Keeping a personal injury journal and writing in it daily will ensure those challenges stay fresh in your mind. It's vital to record these details because they paint a picture, in your own words, of how your life has been affected by someone else's poor decisions.
Speak With A Car Accident Lawyer
The last and most crucial step is speaking with an experienced Florida car accident lawyer. Finding a lawyer is probably the last thing on your mind after a crash. You just want to return to your regular life as quickly as possible. For too many people, that becomes a financial hardship because they didn't focus on the personal injury claims process. To help you avoid paying even a penny out of your pocket for your injuries, you may need to file a car accident personal injury claim. Using a lawyer to guide you and take on the legal burdens while you focus all your effort and energy on your recovery will be crucial to getting maximum compensation.
How Do I Prove Negligence?
When you file a car accident personal injury claim, you'll need to prove negligence on the other driver's part. That's why collecting and retaining as much evidence as possible is crucial. Your lawyer will need to review that evidence, speak with witnesses, and possibly even speak with medical experts about how long and costly your recovery will be.
To be successful, you'll need to prove that the other driver:
Owed you a duty of care to drive in a safe manner
Breached that duty of care by driving in an unsafe manner
Caused an accident because of their breach of duty, which caused your injuries
This seems obvious to you. The accident happened as you described it, and you know the other driver was at fault. Unfortunately, you need more than just your word. That's why the evidence listed above is vital to proving the other driver was negligent, and they should be liable for your injuries and damages.
Partnering with a skilled lawyer can give you a leg up. You'll need to collect all the evidence listed above, plus ensure that you focus on your health and well-being. Your lawyer can take on the legal burden of the personal injury claim while you work to get better and get back to your regular life. The longer you wait, the harder it is for your lawyer to put together the case necessary to give you the best chance at a complete recovery.
How Much Time Do I Have To File A Personal Injury Lawsuit?
Florida law limits your time to file a personal injury claim for damages after your car accident. The clock starts running on the day of your accident, so you need to act fast with car accident cases. Your lawyer will need time to:
Investigate your accident
Determine fault
Collect evidence to prove negligence
Speak with witnesses
The longer you delay, the more likely evidence will go missing, and witnesses will forget what they saw. If you miss this critical filing deadline, you'll miss your chance to recover compensation from the person who injured you. A personal injury lawyer can explain the process behind bringing effective car accident lawsuits and can help you get the compensation you deserve.
Speak With A Florida Car Accident Lawyer Today
If you’ve been injured in an auto accident, hiring a car accident attorney is a smart choice because they can provide you with valuable guidance and direction. Car accident victims often get bullied by insurance companies into accepting low-value settlements for serious injuries. Choose a lawyer with proven experience helping car accident injury victims like you recover maximum compensation.
Goldblatt Law has years of experience representing injured clients in Florida. Contact our car accident attorneys today for a free consultation on how to recover compensation for injuries sustained in your motor vehicle accident. We are here for you. Reach out to Goldblatt Law online or by calling (561) 868-2000.