South Florida Injury Attorneys Blog
Have you or a loved one been involved in a car accident recently in the state of Florida? If so, our team of legal experts can help you seek compensation. Car accident claims can be challenging to navigate in the state of Florida with their statute of limitations, which is why it’s important to have a trustworthy attorney on your side.
Car accidents can leave behind physical and emotional damage that should receive justice and monetary help to pick up the pieces, especially if the wreck was not your fault. If you’ve been involved in a car accident within the last two years, here’s how an attorney can help you with your car accident claim.
Filing For A Car Accident Settlement In Florida
Due to Florida’s statute of limitations, residents who have been involved in a car accident have two years from the date of the crash to file a claim. It’s important to know that Florida operates as a no-fault state, which means every party involved in an accident is responsible for having their own insurance cover damages and medical bills regardless of who’s fault the accident is.
However, that doesn’t mean you can’t file to have third-party insurance companies cover some of the damages too. This is where “pain and suffering,” a legal term used to refer to economic and non-economic losses a person sustains in a car accident, comes into play under the advisement of your attorney.
What Your Attorney Will Do After Filing Your Claim
Your attorney will be responsible for communicating and doing most of the negotiating for you with the other driver’s insurer, gathering evidence, and speaking to healthcare providers.
Because of Florida’s no-fault rule, your attorney can help build a case that puts you in a favorable position if you need to seek out further compensation to help cover medical bills, car damages, or rightfully seek justice for a loss or severe impact on quality of life.
Negotiation is an important skill to have when dealing with car accident claims since this can boost the monetary outcome for your case. Lawyers possess the best negotiation tactics, which is why it’s important to hire a lawyer who can speak for you to insurers and the defendant’s hired attorney.
Hiring a Boca Raton car accident lawyer that skillfully knows how to negotiate and gather the right evidence made a huge impact on the outcome of your case. It also helps you to leave the business side of claims in the hands of trustworthy professionals who are seeking the best outcome for your position.
Understanding Florida’s Car Accident Comparative Rule
It’s important to practice protecting your rights after you were injured or stuck with overwhelming bills due to a car accident, and lawyers are on standby, ready to help. Car accidents happen every single day and, depending on the severity of the wreck, can result in significant bills or even a change in the way of life.
Florida’s comparative rule with car accidents means that both drivers share the blame for the accident unless it is purely obvious the other party was at fault. Since both drivers are sharing the responsibility, both parties will receive financial help, but the amount will differ depending on the evidence that is gathered and presented.
The plaintiff’s reward for the wreck will be reduced due to sharing the blame, but their reward should still be higher than the defendant’s. The jury will determine the percentages of responsibility between the two parties, and that is how much will be reduced from the plaintiff’s reward.
For example, if the jury awards the plaintiff $40,000 to cover bills but finds them 20% responsible for the wreck, that 20% is reduced from $40,000, which means the plaintiff will walk away with $32,000.
Having a trusted and experienced attorney working with you can help you estimate what you will receive out of a claim. They can evaluate the evidence and read into the laws to give you a roundabout figure that you could walk away with at the end and help you strengthen your case to receive more possibly.
How Rewards Are Added Up
The amount you can expect to receive after filing a car accident claim depends on several factors your lawyer and the jury will look at when deciding a final amount.
Factors that will play into your settlement reward consist of:
- Economic and non-economic losses
- The severity of the wreck
- How you contributed to the wreck
- Impact on life after the wreck
- Type of insurance coverage your have
- Conditions before the wreck
- And more
Filing for pain and suffering in a car accident is what will have your economic and non-economic losses totaled. This can also play a major part in the outcome of your case.
Economic losses refer to the total of your physical damages added up. For example, your car damages and medical bills. Non-economic losses refer to the impact the wreck had on your mental, emotional, or physical state. If the wreck left you in a state of trauma or resulted in impact on your quality of life, that can put your case in a favorable position.
Your attorney may suggest you file for pain and suffering to help you seek potentially more compensation that can help cover the total of your damages and also serve as justice for the wreck.
First Step To Filing A Claim
Your first step to filing a car accident claim is to look for the best Boca Raton car accident lawyer with a solid background in these cases. Since Florida’s car accident rules are comparative, hiring a lawyer that can build a favorable case for you could result in more compensation.
Most lawyers have free consultations where you will be able to meet with a professional, discuss your position, and hear how they can help you seek the compensation and justice you deserve.
When looking for a car accident lawyer to represent you, be selective and thoroughly research who you hire.
Seek The Help Of The Best Legal Professionals
Are you ready to seek the compensation you deserve for a recent car accident? If so, the trusted professionals at Frankl Kominsky injury lawyers are here to help you. Our experience have taught us how the other guys think and anticipate their tactics while building their cases. Knowing this information helps us to paint you in a favorable light and help to have a positive outcome.
We have a 24/7 hotline that you can call anytime at (561) 800-8000 to speak to one of our representatives about scheduling a free consultation. Or, you can fill out our online form instead.
Our consultations can help you understand your rights and what you could expect to have us represent you for your car accident claim.
We are ready and eager to represent you and help you seek the compensation you or a loved one deserves. Call us today to get started.