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There were more than 64,400 car crashes in Miami-Dade County in 2019, including 336 fatalities and over 20,000 hit-and-runs. If you’ve been involved in an auto accident, you may think it’s a minor situation at first, even if you’ve been injured.
But a car accident isn’t a simple situation and costs can build up for a variety of reasons. You may have lost time from work, need ongoing repairs to your vehicle, or medical care. A car accident claim can identify the damages you’re able to receive in compensation, and Florin|Roebig attorneys are able to help.
Common Causes Of Car Accidents In Miami
Even with years of education and strict penalties, driving under the influence of drugs and alcohol still leads to car accidents in Miami. Additional causes include unsafe speed, failing to heed stop lights or signs, and driving while tired or distracted. Miami’s rate of car accidents has also been increasing in recent years, according to the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles.
Other car accident causes aren’t necessarily anyone’s fault. They can include poor weather conditions like fog, rain, and high winds. Drivers may fail to see oncoming traffic, or fail to recognize cyclists or pedestrians. Driver illness or vision or hearing problems may also play a role in auto accidents.
Any of these causes may lead to a car accident case, but Florida assigns comparative fault in personal injury cases. Money awarded in a car accident claims process will be divided based on a driver’s percentage of fault. Miami car accident lawyers are familiar with many different types of accidents, causes, and how claims are awarded.
Reasons To File A Car Accident Claim
If you’ve been in an auto accident in Miami, the first thing you should do is seek medical care. After you’ve ensured that you’re going to be okay, you should consider speaking to qualified car accident lawyers. They can explain your rights and advise you on the car accident claims process. You could be entitled to compensation that can pay to repair or replace your vehicle.
Even if you don’t think you’ve been seriously injured, you could experience future health consequences resulting from the accident. An auto accident claim can give you financial compensation for damage to your vehicle, medical bills, and help to replace lost income.
If other people involved in the accident were negligent, filing a claim could help to hold them responsible. Florida law regarding personal injury cases, including auto accidents, is complex. Even if you don’t think the accident is serious, you can file a car accident claim in Miami. Filing a claim could help to protect you against claims that could potentially be made against you, even if you have no fault in the accident.
Factors That Affect Car Accident Claims
One of the most important reasons to contact car accident attorneys in Miami is Florida’s law regarding personal injury cases. Florida assigns comparative fault when car accident claims are awarded. The legal concept of comparative negligence is involved in determining fault and responsibility following an accident.
For example, one driver involved in a crash could be found to have 80 percent fault, while another driver has 20 percent fault. The driver with 20 percent fault could be awarded $20,000 in a car accident case. At the end of the claims process, the driver would be eligible to receive $16,000, not $20,000, because they had been found to have 20 percent fault for the accident.
Other factors affecting car accident claims include insurance companies and uninsured motorists. Florida drivers are not required to have uninsured or underinsured motorist coverage.
Florida, like other states, has a statute of limitations for personal injury claims, including auto accidents. The statute of limitations for filing a claim following an auto accident in Florida is four years.
How Much Compensation Can You Win?
The amount of compensation you could receive from your auto accident claim in Miami will be affected by how serious the accident was and what injuries you or others may have suffered.
Specific amounts of compensation are determined by several factors that include:
- type of injuries and their severity
- long-term impact of car accident injuries
- need for ongoing treatment or rehabilitation
- property damage
- missed time from work or lost income
Less severe accidents usually result in lower claim awards. In general, accidents that involve serious injuries and long-term disability, will result in higher claim awards. If a wrongful death was involved in an accident, family needs over time may be considered as part of claim awards.
Experienced Miami car accident lawyers are able to calculate damage awards and may obtain higher awards in the claims process as compared to working directly with insurance company representatives.
How much compensation you may be able to win for your Florida car accident injury claim may depend on a number of factors. These could include how your finances were affected and which medical expenses and other costs aren’t included in your insurance coverage.
In Florida, all drivers are required to have a personal injury protection (PIP) insurance policy, which protects them in the case of an automobile accident.
While insurance adjusters can help you file an insurance claim for anything covered under your PIP, a personal injury lawyer can help you seek economic damages and non-economic damages for costs above and beyond what’s covered by your auto insurance.
Types Of Damages Awarded In Car Accident Claims
Accident victims can be awarded financial compensation, also called damages, as part of your car accident claim. In Florida, a variety of damages can be assessed and awarded following an accident. Economic damages are those that have a monetary value, like medical expenses. Non-economic damages may matter just as much but are not as easy to calculate, like pain and suffering.
Compensation can be awarded for a number of damages following a Florida car accident, such as:
- reimbursement for medical care, including hospitalization and surgery
- psychiatric care following an accident
- repair and replacement of vehicles and other damaged property
- ongoing healthcare and rehabilitation
- payment for lost time from work or lost income if you’re self-employed
- pain and suffering
In some cases, punitive damages are possible. Although punitive damages are rare, if a person involved in an accident has been extraordinarily negligent, Florida law allows punitive, or punishing, damages that could deter people from being similarly negligent in the future.
Motor Vehicle Accident Rates In Miami
According to the Florida Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles Department preliminary report, Miami-Dade County had 64,469 auto crashes in 2019:
- Out of the total 2019 crashes, Miami-Dade County had 336 fatalities in 317 auto accidents.
- Over 21,100 people were injured in car accidents in Miami in 2019.
- Almost a third of crashes in Miami-Dade County in 2019 were hit-and-run crashes: 20,754. Out of the hit-and-runs, 37 were fatal.
- Over 2,000 people were injured in hit-and-runs in Miami-Dade County in 2019.
List Of Car Accident Attorneys Serving Miami
Since its founding in 1985, Florin|Roebig has received numerous awards for its excellence in litigation in the state of Florida. The average contested jury verdict Florin|Roebig attorneys have obtained for their clients exceeds $1 million.
If you’re ready to file a car accident claim in Miami, you’ll want experience and knowledge on your side, and you can find this high-caliber legal representation when you work with our esteemed team of attorneys.
Some of our car accident attorneys include:
- Wil H. Florin, B.C.S.
- Tommy D. Roebig, B.C.S.
- Matthew L. McMullen (MN)
- Luca G. Esposito
In addition to Miami, our auto accident attorneys can help clients throughout many areas in the state of Florida, including:
Find Help Filing A Car Accident Claim
Florin|Roebig personal injury attorneys understand that accident victims may be hurting and in crisis following an auto accident. Following a car accident in Miami, Florin|Roebig attorneys can help you or a loved one get the compensation you deserve. Contact us today for a free consultation about your claim.