With many drivers on the road and unpredictable situations, car accidents in Bradenton are inevitable. No matter how the accident occurred, taking stock of the fallout is important. Between medical expenses, therapy bills, and other support you may need, the costs of an accident can become overwhelming.
Whether you sustained serious injuries or are seeking justice on behalf of a loved one, the right car accident lawyer can provide legal representation, determine who was at fault, and set a compensation amount for your loss.
Car accident lawyers in Bradenton can be the answer you’re searching for if you need help filing a claim. The courts in Florida have very specific procedures, and if you’re new to the process, it may be difficult to navigate the legal world alone.
Florin|Roebig car accident lawyers have extensive trial experience and an impressive case award background. We understand what you’re going through after a car accident injury, ensure you get the consideration you deserve, give you the best legal advice in filing your claim, and help you recover from your losses.
What To Know About Bradenton Car Accident Claims
People file car accident claims for different reasons. While it’s common to see a claim filed for monetary rewards, there are other reasons to seek damages, like keeping dangerous drivers off the streets. An insurance company cannot punish an at-risk driver the same way that the courts can.
Insurance companies can raise rates for repeat offenders or refuse coverage, but the courts can prevent an individual from driving altogether. Holding the party responsible with a personal injury lawsuit can eventually lead to safer roads for you and your family members.
Bradenton Area Auto Accidents
In 2023, over 6,000 car accidents led to more than 4,500 injuries in Manatee County, where Bradenton is located. Reckless driving, the volume of cars on the road, poorly designed intersections, and tourism contribute to car accident cases in Bradenton.
Continue reading for more information on the factors responsible for increased car crash numbers in the Bradenton area.
Factoring In Bradenton’s Location And Foot Traffic
Bradenton, Florida, is home to 56,961 people. Though this number is on the lower side for popular Florida towns, Bradenton is a favored tourist spot close to several universities.
Nearby colleges like New College of Florida, Eckerd College, St. Petersburg – Gibbs Campus, and Ringling College of Art and Design draw crowds and add to congested local airports. Tampa International Airport, Sarasota-Bradenton International Airport, and Albert Whitted Airport transport tourists and academic travelers, increasing traffic in surrounding areas.
Dangerous Intersections In Bradenton, Florida
Dangerous roads and intersections expand problems for drivers and contribute to car accidents in town. Florida is the second most dangerous state for pedestrians and has some of the country’s most perilous roads and intersections. US-41 between 30th Avenue East and Pearl Avenue is the second most dangerous intersection in the state of Florida.
Common Causes Of Bradenton Car Accidents
Any number of reasons cause motor vehicle accidents, but impairment like drunk driving has surprisingly low numbers in the Bradenton area.
A few specific causes of cases handled by car accident injury lawyers include:
- Speed: A speeding motorist lacks the capacity to be as careful as someone going the speed limit.
- Carelessness: Anything from reading a text message to driving with heavy eyes from lack of sleep qualifies as carelessness.
- Hazardous weather: When weather rapidly changes, not every driver has the forethought to become more cautious on the road.
- Visibility: Older drivers and others with visibility issues may not be able to see or process certain hazards and signage.
You should file a claim if your car accident was caused by any of these factors. Multiple factors can contribute to an accident, especially if drugs or alcohol are involved — and motorcycle accidents and large truck accidents can be particularly severe.
The Car Accident Claim Filing Process
Filing a car accident claim in any city in Florida starts with your personal injury protection (PIP) insurance. Registered Floridian drivers are required to carry at least $10,000 in PIP coverage, and it pays a portion of medical fees and lost income.
When you’ve filed a claim and the insurance company isn’t paying or is trying to offer you a much lower amount, a qualified car accident attorney can negotiate a higher settlement. It’s best to work with legal representation as early in the claims process as possible.
Your attorney seeks to increase the amount you receive by negotiating with the insurance company. There may also be involvement from the representation of other accident victims or at-fault drivers.
When negotiations flounder, it’s time to file a formal lawsuit. There’s no definite timetable for this, and awaiting trial can take longer than settling, which is why most personal injury cases are settled before a trial begins.
Bradenton Auto Accident Rates
Bradenton attractions include natural and cultural museums, the Parker Manatee Aquarium, beaches, and surfing. As of 2022, Bradenton has a population of 56,961, and Manatee County has its fair share of unsafe driving conditions. Bradenton experienced these traffic accidents in 2023:
- In 2023, there were 6,420 accident reports, including automobiles, bicycles, and motorcycles.
- 4,613 people reported injuries after their accident.
- Of these accidents, 68 resulted in death.
- Of these accidents, four were the result of alcohol and/or drug consumption, causing nine injuries and three fatalities.
Bradenton is #19 out of the 20 cities on Smart Growth America’s list of the most dangerous for pedestrians.
Bradenton Laws For Car Accident Cases
Because pedestrian accident rates are so high in this city, much of the traffic law focuses on protecting those sharing the road with vehicles. Bradenton laws are intended to encourage drivers to respect pedestrian spaces, such as by stopping well before any crosswalks.
Bradenton traffic laws also aim to reduce pedestrians in medians and their interactions with drivers, hoping to further decrease injuries and fatalities from pedestrian accidents.
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Liability, Fault, And Negligence In Car Accidents
Among many factors affecting the eligibility of your car accident claim are liability, fault, and negligence. These concepts intertwine in a complex dance in which the final steps determine your case outcome. The liable party is the one responsible for paying for the accident — often the insurance company of the at-fault driver, but sometimes a manufacturer, government entity, or other party.
A person can be at fault for the accident without being liable. Fault assignment means their actions caused the accident, but it does not guarantee they owe compensation to anyone.
And that’s where negligence factors into the conversation. Negligent actions tie fault and liability together in a lawsuit. To bring a personal injury case against someone, you or your legal representation usually have to prove that the responsible party not only caused the accident by their actions but knew in doing or failing to do something, they were neglecting the law or duty of care.
Causing an accident while breaking a traffic law is negligent behavior. Failing to yield to pedestrians, even if they’re jaywalking, can be seen as disregarding duty of care. In other words, a driver failed to act the way a reasonable party would in a given situation by failing to stop when seeing pedestrians on the road.
Strict Liability
Strict liability comes into play when intent doesn’t affect liability. For example, a driver may be unaware they’re breaking a traffic law but still responsible for doing so and liable for the harm caused by it.
Vicarious Liability
With traffic incidents, vicarious liability factors into accidents where a minor is at fault, but it could also affect accidents with company vehicles. Basically, when the person causing the accident may not have the financial ability to pay for claims against them, the accident victims can sometimes sue the parent or employer of the at-fault driver.
Ways The Accident Can Impact Your Life
Paralysis, traumatic brain injury (TBI), amputation, loss of income — these are all big, scary ideas, and they’re very real to some accident victims. With these, it’s easy to understand that the people affected by the accident will deal with big changes. But there are many ways an accident impacts your life and the lives of your loved ones.
Minor injuries require a period of adjustment as you recover, even if it’s short-term. Mental distress can cause you to avoid normal social situations and daily tasks. You may be paying for tasks you once handled on your own.
Types Of Damages Awarded In Car Accident Claims
Most damages are compensatory, meaning they reimburse the accident victim for any loss. Economic, or special compensatory, damages directly reimburse proven expenses. General compensatory, or non-economic, damages put a dollar value on intangible losses.
Damages vary by accident and type, but the following types occur in most accidents:
- Medical: The direct costs of your injuries may come from medical bills like co-payments, prescription drugs, surgery bills, and extensive follow-up visits.
- Home care assistance: You may need non-medical help, such as babysitting for young children or an aide to cook meals and assist with basic hygiene.
- Wages: Damages can include the wages you missed out on after the accident and those you may have earned in the future based on your career trajectory and education path.
- Loss of consortium: A spouse, significant other, child, or parent of an accident victim can file for these damages in catastrophic injury or wrongful death lawsuits. These are meant to compensate for what would have been normal life activities and relationships.
- Pain and suffering: The mental stress your injuries caused and any anguish felt from the major adjustments made in your life are categorized here.
- Punitive: These costs are only awarded if you prove the at-fault driver intentionally tried to harm someone on the road. The charges are levied as punishment and intended as a deterrent against future malicious choices.
“In between the time of the accident and receiving a fair settlement, you still need to be taken care of,” states attorney Chad Florin. “I provide my clients with resources that aid their recovery, and my team and I handle the legal heavy lifting.”
Regardless of the route you take in recovery and legal action, know there are resources to support you with medical care, food security, and financial assistance after a car crash.
How Much Compensation Can You Win?
Car accident injury attorneys with more experience are best at predicting what you’ll win in a case. The courts are more likely to be generous if your lawyer proves you suffered serious loss after your Florida car accident.
In the case of a wrongful death, nothing restores your loved one. The point of seeking monetary compensation is to relieve some of the stress caused by the loss, such as income, medical treatment, companionship, and funeral expenses. A lawyer is there to show the judge and jury exactly what was wrenched away from you.
What To Do After A Car Accident In Bradenton
Several things should happen almost simultaneously after a car accident in Bradenton. Tackling these tasks quickly can minimize the negative impacts of the crash on those involved and other drivers on the road. Understand that the more severe an accident is, the more difficult it will be to follow these steps.
Things to do quickly following an accident include:
- Check for injuries. If spinal injuries are suspected, do not move that person unless they are in greater danger from oncoming traffic or vehicle fire.
- Call for emergency services. You may not know which first responders are required, but reaching out to a dispatcher will get police, fire, and ambulance personnel on the way.
- Take pictures and video. If you have a moment to snap a few quick pictures or even a video of the scene and surrounding area, it can help your case later.
- Move any vehicles off the road. Driveable vehicles should be driven to the side of the road. Sometimes, undrivable vehicles can also be moved off the street.
- Get out of traffic. After an accident, other cars and trucks on the road will often drive around the crash site, and it’s much safer for you to be away from oncoming traffic.
Once these jobs are handled, you can take additional pictures and exchange insurance and license information with other drivers as you are able. Get checked out by a paramedic on scene, or go to the hospital or your doctor as soon as possible.
Consider taking these additional steps after a car accident:
- Get witness statements from other drivers and onlookers.
- Write down your account of the incident.
- File a claim with your insurance company.
- Contact a law office like Florin|Roebig if you think you have a personal injury case.
- Obtain a copy of the police report when it’s ready.
- Avoid apologizing to anyone about the accident.
How Florin|Roebig Can Help With Your Car Accident Claim
At Florin|Roebig, we provide legal representation and litigation support to our clients, and we begin the process with a free case evaluation. We don’t want you to have to pay when the accident may already have shaken your financial situation. Instead, we work your case on a contingency fee, so we only get paid if we win.
No matter how dire the situation may seem, there’s no reason to go it alone. We understand why trying to fight for yourself may seem tempting, but winning the maximum compensation you deserve involves so much more than telling your story. Filing a successful car accident claim means paperwork and procedures that few people can take on without professional help.
Even experienced Bradenton auto injury attorneys may hesitate to take on the case if they don’t specialize in car accidents. The law offices of Florin|Roebig have experienced and reliable attorneys who know Florida personal injury law and can spot a problem or inconsistency long before it becomes more than a minor issue.
Having the right attorney to represent your claim can mean the difference between getting the compensation you deserve and walking away shortchanged. Our attorneys at Florin|Roebig have more than 30 years of experience and over $1 billion in settlements from representing personal injury and property damage claims, and we are ready to put our skills and expertise to work for you. One of the case awards we are most proud of is a motorcycle accident jury trial that awarded our client $6.1 million.
FAQs About Bradenton Car Accident Attorneys
How much does an attorney charge for a car accident in Florida?
Anywhere from 15-40% of your settlement is standard in personal injury cases. There may also be additional fees, but many costs to the plaintiff are contingent on their car accident attorney winning the case.
Should I hire an attorney after a car accident in Florida?
It depends on the severity of your damages and your share of responsibility. Minor incidents may not warrant an attorney’s attention, especially if you have not filed a claim with your insurance company.
However, if you need to deal with any insurance companies or attorneys, your best option is to seek legal advice from a qualified attorney like Florin|Roebig’s experienced team.
How much can someone sue for a car accident in Florida?
The cost of your medical expenses, car repairs, quality-of-life care, and emotional distress all factor into your car accident lawsuit against the at-fault driver. Newer Florida laws put some damages caps on these claims, but an experienced lawyer with Florin|Roebig can easily determine your true costs.
How long after a car accident can you sue in Florida?
When your car accident occurred determines which statute of limitations applies under Florida laws. Accidents before March 24, 2023, have four years from the accident date or injury discovery date to file a lawsuit. Accidents occurring later have two years.
List Of Car Accident Attorneys Serving Bradenton
Having the right attorney to represent your claim can mean the difference between getting the compensation you deserve and walking away shortchanged. Our attorneys at Florin|Roebig have more than 30 years of experience and over $1 billion in settlements from representing personal injury and property damage claims, and we are ready to put our skills and expertise to work for you.
A few members of our esteemed legal team serving Bradenton include:
- Wil H. Florin, B.C.S.
- Tommy D. Roebig, B.C.S.
- Shaun M. Cummings
- Chad K. Florin, M.B.A., LL.M.
- Chase P. Florin, B.C.S.
- John J. Hart
- Parker Y. Florin, LL.M.
- Taylor D. Roebig
- Nollys R. Solarte, O.C.
- Lawrence J. Najem, O.C.
- Andrew M. Leone, O.C.
For every year since the inception of the honor in 2010, Florin|Roebig has been selected as one of the “Best Law Firms in America” by “US News and World Report” and “Best Lawyers in America.”
Florin|Roebig is highly acclaimed among clients and even other Florida law firms. One of the case awards we are most proud of is a motorcycle accident jury trial that awarded $6.1 million to our client.
We Are Nationally Awarded Lawyers
How To Get Help From Florin|Roebig Attorneys With A Free Consultation
You can benefit from our many years of experience when you request a consultation. Contact us today for a confidential and free initial consultation to learn more about how to start a personal injury case and what you should expect from a reasonable settlement offer.
Our representatives are available 24/7 via phone or through a virtual chat on our website. Additionally, there is a fillable form available for inquiries on our website. If you prefer in-person assistance, you can visit our Palm Harbor office, which is the closest location to Bradenton.
Palm Harbor Office Location:
777 Alderman Road
Palm Harbor, Florida 34683
Bradenton car accident claims can be complex, and Florida is a dangerous state for drivers. The city of Bradenton is particularly life-threatening for pedestrians. Working with the expert legal team at Florin|Roebig ensures you get the compensation you deserve for the negligence and liability of irresponsible and hazardous drivers.
You can give your recovery (or that of your loved ones) the attention it deserves, knowing that professional attorneys are taking care of the arguments about who’s more responsible and how much your injuries are worth. We’ll make sure that you can focus on your well-being while we advocate for your losses.
