As medical bills pile up, life can change dramatically after a car accident. You may not be able to do things once you could. The burden can weigh on your relationships. Life goals may have to be put on hold.
Car accident attorneys at Florin|Roebig understand what you’re going through and have helped many people file car accident claims and win compensation for the disruption in their life and well-being.
Common Causes Of Car Accidents In Tamarac
According to the Insurance Information Institute, speeding is the top cause of death in a car accident, followed by:
- DWI/DUI, which also includes driving while taking a prescribed medication
- not staying in your lane
- failure to yield when someone else has the right of way
- distracted driving
- careless driving
- ignoring red lights, stop signs, and traffic guards
- over-steering to miss obstacles or to correct for wind gusts
- inappropriate driving for the road conditions/weather
- sleepy driving
Many people survive car accidents but suffer from severe injuries and loss. In Tamarac specifically, there has been a nearly 10 percent increase in car accident fatalities over the last few years, including many pedestrians. Tamarac car accident rates exceed the Florida average.
Reasons To File A Car Accident Claim
Paying mounting medical bills is not the only reason people file a car accident claim in Tamarac. It’s important to note that all goals are valid. Your intentions may influence how your car accident attorneys approach filing your claim and how they make your case in the court of law.
People file claims to:
- obtain other damages awarded (e.g., loss of consortium, loss of wages, etc.)
- prevent a negligent person from hurting other people
- influence the changing of laws, procedures, or policies in Tamarac, Broward County, or Florida
- influence changes within a company that may be at-fault for the accident
- force an insurance company to meet its obligations to the insured
- punishing the other party(s) for egregious actions or failure to act
Punishing a party through the courts is known as punitive damages. These are reserved for cases where the other party was grossly negligent, resulting in tremendous losses, both tangible and intangible, for you and others involved.
These damages are more than what you need to be made whole. They are intended to send a message to the other party, that they must change their ways to prevent future claims from others.
Factors That Affect Car Accident Claims
When filing a car accident claim in Tamarac, many factors influence how you file the claim and what the potential outcome of that claim might be.
Common factors to consider in a car accident claim include:
- how bad the injuries are
- if someone lost their life
- how the injury or death impacts various areas of life (e.g., finances, hobbies, career, relationships, etc.)
- how much time you or others had to take off work
Your car accident claim in Tamarac may include both losses related to personal injury and personal property, which may extend beyond just your vehicle.
The courts do not give you an infinite amount of time to file your claim. The statute of limitations dictates that you have four years to file a claim of negligence that led to injury, personal loss, or death.
Florida’s legal system works on the concept of pure comparative negligence. This is also called comparative fault. This means that when someone files a car accident claim in Tamarac, the legal system weighs the fault among the many parties involved.
Consideration will include the injured or deceased person. To win a case, your car accident attorneys must be able to demonstrate that the other party was more at fault than you.
They need to be able to show that the percentage of fault is much greater than yours. That’s because the courts will reduce the damages awarded by the percentage of negligence they determine to be that of the injured or deceased person.
If a claim is well-supported, then the negligent party and their lawyers may decide they do not want to take their chances in court. They will try to settle out of court for a specified amount of money. Depending on your goals, it may be in your favor to do so.
Your car accident lawyers in Tamarac will explain to you the pros and cons of settling based upon the unique factors in your claim.
How Much Compensation Can You Win?
Some personal injury judgments are in the millions. Others are much less. Every car accident claim in Tamarac is different, so it’s essential to consider everything.
Some factors that may influence compensation include:
- comparative negligence
- your actual financial loss (now and in the future)
- the many aspects of life impacted by the accident
- types and severity of injuries
- whether doctors expect a full recovery
- if the accident will leave you with permanent scarring or loss of function, especially on the face, hands, and legs
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Types Of Damages Awarded In Car Accident Claims
Those filing a car accident claim in Tamarac need to think beyond medical bills.
Other types of damages include:
- physical therapy, occupational therapy, speech therapy
- mental health services for trauma
- loss of consortium, also called loss of affection or companionship
- lost wages from time off work both for the injured person and those caring for them
- lost ability to stay in the same career
- services for things you couldn’t do yourself while recovering (housekeeping, nanny, bookkeeping, cooking, etc.)
- loss of enjoyment (e.g., a person who loves to cook for fun has severe nerve damage in their hands that makes them unable to prepare meals)
- pain and suffering
- emotional distress
Car (Auto) Accident Rates In Tamarac
In 2017, the most recent year for which final crash data is available, Broward County experienced 1,466 crashes for every 100,000 people. This makes Broward County a relatively dangerous place to drive. It is second only to Miami-Dade in the state of Florida. It is easy to see why when you consider the number of criminal and non-criminal traffic violations in the area.
In Tamarac and Broward County in 2019, the Florida Highway Patrol reported nearly 3,000 citations for criminal violations.
Some of these include:
- 571 DUIs
- 147 leaving the scene
- 983 driving without a proper license
- 31 reckless driving
- Additionally, drivers were cited for non-criminal activities:
- 14,454 speeding
- 2,314 improper lane changes
- nearly 6000 careless driving
There may be grounds for negligence when drivers hurt others while committing these crimes and violations. Car accident lawyers in Tamarac would use this information in making your case.
List Of Car Accident Attorneys Serving Tamarac
If you’ve been injured in a car accident, you can file a car accident claim in Tamarac on your own, but there are many reasons you may choose to contact car accident attorneys instead.
Car accident lawyers understand the legal system, negligence, and personal injury. The other party will hire their own attorneys to discredit you and your loved ones. They will try to shift negligence off their client and onto you. This could significantly impact how much you win.
The legal team at Florin|Roebig has a proven track record of winning significant judgments for people who have lost something because of the negligence of another. They work with clients throughout the U.S. but serve areas throughout Florida where their offices are based, including Tamarac.
Their car accident lawyers serving Tamarac include:
- Wil H. Florin, B.C.S.
- Tommy D. Roebig, B.C.S.
- Nicholas S. Costantino
- Michael A. Ossi, O.C.
We Are Nationally Awarded Lawyers
Find Help Filing A Car Accident Claim
With over 30 years of experience around the country and ample resources to support your claim, the car accident attorneys at Florin|Roebig are here to guide you through filing a car accident claim in Tamarac and what comes next.
If you’ve been injured, lost a loved one, or experienced another loss in a car accident, contact us today to discuss your claim.
