If you recently suffered injuries in a car accident that you did not cause, you want the best possible attorney to advocate for you during your personal injury case. Ideally, you want an attorney on your side who regularly – and successfully – handles car accident cases and takes them to trial regularly.
A good car accident lawyer in Tampa can file a personal injury claim efficiently and aggressively negotiate with insurance company adjusters. If your lawyer files a third-party claim against the at-fault driver in your case, they can take your case to a civil jury trial or binding arbitration proceeding in pursuit of a favorable monetary result.
Throughout the claims-filing process, your lawyer can answer all of your questions and help you make intelligent decisions that further your case’s best interests. Your attorney will do everything they can to maximize the total monetary award you receive in your car crash case so that you become whole again.
Injuries that Car Accident Victims May Suffer
The injuries an accident victim may sustain in a car crash will depend upon various factors, including the type of car accident that occurs, the force on occupants’ bodies, and the overall circumstances surrounding the accident. In some situations, a driver or passenger may suffer soft tissue neck and back injuries from whiplash. They might also suffer a traumatic brain injury if their head strikes the steering wheel or headrest in the accident.
Other common injuries that car accident victims may suffer include:
- Fractures
- Internal organ injuries
- Internal bleeding
- Open lacerations
- Bruises from airbag deployment
- Complete and incomplete paralysis injuries
- Spinal cord injuries
- Eye injuries
If you or someone you love recently suffered injuries in an auto accident due to another driver, you should undergo the medical care you need for your injuries and focus primarily on completing your medical treatment regimen.
For example, you may need to follow up with a medical specialist, attend physical therapy, or undergo surgery or other medical procedure.
By completing your medical treatment regimen and waiting for a provider to discharge you from care, you significantly increase your chances of making a full recovery from your accident-related injuries. However, if you release yourself from treatment early or if significant gaps exist in your medical treatment, the insurance company may become skeptical of your injuries and refuse to offer you the fair monetary compensation you deserve.
Your attorney can begin gathering your medical treatment records, medical bills, and other documentation while you complete all of your medical treatment. Once your treatment ends, your lawyer can file the necessary claim< on your behalf and work to secure a favorable monetary award in your case.
Types of Area Car Accidents
When drivers are not careful and violate traffic laws and regulations, they may cause a car accident that leads to debilitating injuries for other drivers and passengers.
Some of the most common car accidents that happen when drivers fail to drive safely and carefully include:
- T-bone or broadside collisions, where the front of one vehicle hits the side of a car traveling on an intersecting road or highway merge lane
- Head-on collisions, where the fronts of two vehicles hit one another while traveling in opposing lanes
- Sideswipe accidents, where the sides of two vehicles strike one another
- Tailgate or rear-end accidents, where one vehicle hits the back of another car, usually because of an abrupt traffic slowdown
If you recently sustained injuries in an accident resulting from another driver’s careless or reckless behavior, you should consult an experienced car crash attorney as quickly as possible.
Your lawyer can review your accident circumstances with you and help you file the necessary claim to recover the monetary compensation you deserve. Your attorney can also handle all dealings with insurance companies and their adjusters and begin negotiating a favorable settlement award on your behalf.
Common Reasons Why Car Accidents Happen
Car crashes are usually the unfortunate result of another driver’s negligence. When drivers do not drive safely or carefully, they may cause a crash and debilitating injuries.
First, some car accidents result from distracted or inattentive driving. For example, a driver might make a phone call without using a hands-free Bluetooth device, sending or reading a text message, or programming a GPS navigation system instead of observing the road. When drivers pay more attention to an electronic device than the road, they may not see an approaching vehicle, negligently causing a severe accident.
Moreover, car crashes are sometimes the result of road rage or aggressive driving maneuvers. When drivers are in a hurry to get ahead of other traffic, they may resort to aggressive driving tactics, like weaving in and out of traffic without using turn signals, speeding, and tailgating other vehicles. Unfortunately, however, these maneuvers can lead to severe traffic accidents that result in others suffering serious injuries.
Traffic accidents can also happen when drivers violate common traffic laws. For example, they might fail to use their turn signals, speed or forget to yield the right-of-way to other traffic at the appropriate time.
Accidents may also occur when drivers fail to use their mirrors, backup cameras, and other vehicle safety features as they should. All of these duty-of-care violations can lead to significant traffic accidents and injuries for other vehicle drivers and their passengers.
Finally, some car crashes are the result of drunk or drugged driving. A driver may sustain an arrest for DUI, or driving under the influence, if they have a blood alcohol concentration that meets or exceeds 0.08 percent or greater.
Commercial drivers and minor drivers under 21 can sustain a DUI arrest with an even lower BAC. Drunk driving is dangerous because it prevents someone from driving safely. A drunk driver may experience blurred vision, limited concentration, delayed reflexes, and delayed reaction time, preventing them from seeing other vehicles and stopping their cars when an emergency arises.
If you sustained injuries in a traffic accident that resulted from someone else’s negligence, you have legal options that you can consider. A skilled car accident lawyer can review your accident with you, go over all of your legal options, and help you take the necessary steps to file a claim for damages. Your attorney can then start negotiating with insurance company adjusters and pursuing the favorable monetary compensation you deserve in your case.
What Makes a Good Car Accident Attorney?
Regarding legal representation in your car accident claim or lawsuit, you want the best possible attorney advocating for you. A reasonable car accident attorney has significant experience handling car accident claims and lawsuits.
Ideally, you want an attorney whose practice primarily consists of personal injury cases, particularly car accident claims and lawsuits. You also want a lawyer on your side who not only settles the car accident cases they handle but also takes their cases to litigation proceedings, including civil jury trials, mediation sessions, and binding arbitration hearings, successfully.
Ask a prospective attorney about their record of success when it comes to car accident settlements and litigation results.
Another characteristic of a good car accident lawyer is regularly informing clients about the progress of their personal injury claim or lawsuit. A good lawyer will quickly return phone calls and email messages and keep you abreast of changes in your case.
A good lawyer should also inform you about any settlement offers on the table and recommend whether you should accept or reject the pending settlement offer. Finally, a good car accident lawyer will have a clear ethical record.
When retaining skilled legal counsel to represent you in your car accident case, you should ask questions and listen very carefully to the prospective attorney’s answers. That way, you can make an informed decision about how best to proceed with your case and whom to select as your personal injury attorney.
Filing a Car Accident Claim or Pursuing Litigation in Your Case
Once you retain legal counsel to represent you in your case, your lawyer can enter an appearance on your behalf and pursue a claim or lawsuit, depending upon the circumstances.
Some states are no-fault insurance states. If you suffer injuries in a car accident, you will typically need to first turn to your own insurance company and bring a claim under your Personal Injury Protection (PIP) policy.
Under that policy, you can recover monetary damages for portions of your related medical expenses and lost income, up to your policy limits. In certain circumstances, however, you may pursue a third-party claim or lawsuit against the at-fault driver. For example, you can pursue one of these claims if you suffered a disabling or disfiguring injury in your car crash.
In fault-based states, you can file a third-party personal injury claim with the at-fault driver’s insurance company from the onset.
To successfully prove a third-party personal injury claim, you must establish that the other driver violated their legal duty of care and that, as a result, both the accident and your injuries occurred. You may then pursue additional monetary damages over and above the compensation you receive for your medical expenses and lost earnings.
A car crash attorney in your area can help determine your eligibility for filing a third-party claim or lawsuit. Your lawyer can also help you decide whether accepting a pending settlement offer from the insurance company or litigating your case in the court system is the best idea.
If you choose litigation, your lawyer can represent you at all legal proceedings, introduce evidence on your behalf, and pursue the highest amount of monetary damages available to you in your case.
Maximizing Your Car Accident Monetary Damages
In a third-party personal injury claim or lawsuit arising from a car crash, you may be eligible to recover various types of monetary damages, depending upon the circumstances of your case and the severity of your injuries.
Other factors that may affect the types and amounts of monetary damages you recover include your total medical expenses, whether you suffered a permanent injury in your accident, and the likelihood that you will need to undergo medical treatment in the future.
Recoverable compensation in a third-party personal injury case can include monetary damages for:
- Lost income
- Loss of earning capacity
- Medical expenses
- Mental anguish
- Loss of spousal consortium
- Past/future physical pain and suffering
- Inconvenience
- Loss of the ability to use a body part
- Loss of life enjoyment
- Permanent disfigurement
Your attorney can file the appropriate claim in your case and work to maximize your overall monetary damages.
Insurance companies will minimize your losses, especially non-economic losses like pain and suffering. They might question the severity of your injuries and the impact on your life. Without concrete evidence of the subjective pain and suffering, inconvenience, and other intangible losses you suffered, you cannot fight for what you deserve. This is where your car accident lawyer comes in.
The right attorney knows how to present evidence to support full compensation for your losses and negotiate with adjusters. They can identify an insufficient offer and work to obtain the settlement offer you truly deserve, given your injuries and losses.
Speak to a Car Crash Lawyer Near You Today
If you recently sustained injuries in a car accident, take the necessary legal steps right away to secure a favorable monetary recovery for your injuries. Seek out an attorney who can represent you at every stage of the legal proceedings in your case.
Your lawyer can file your claim with the insurance company, negotiate on your behalf, and, if necessary, pursue litigation through the state court system to recover a favorable monetary result. Your attorney will aggressively fight for your legal rights and interests each step of the way and work hard to bring your case to an efficient and favorable resolution.
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