Pinellas County Car Accident Lawyer
Getting into a car crash can be a terrifying experience for everyone who is involved, whether it is a fender-bender or a more serious collision. Not only is there the concern of car damage and the ensuing cost of repairs, but car accidents often result in injury and sometimes death. Dealing with aftermath complications of an accident can make matters worse. In the mess of liability and insurance companies, it can be a relief to have a Pinellas County car accident lawyer to ensure the cause of the collision is accurately judged and compensation is commensurate to the damages suffered. To learn more or begin your claim, consult with an experienced injury attorney in Pinellas County today.
Auto Accident Injury Claims
Florida has personal injury protection and no-fault insurance, meaning that a person may only file a lawsuit in a car crash injury claim if the injuries are serious, fatal, or if medical costs from the accident exceed the $10,000 maximum of benefits. However, if the injury sustained in a car accident requires an emergency-room visit and results in permanent or serious damage or death, it may qualify for a lawsuit.
Serious injuries that warrant the attention of a Pinellas County car accident lawyer include:
- Head trauma
- Broken bones
- Lacerations/disfigurement
- Organ damage
- Back injury
- Neck injury (whiplash)
- Paralysis
- Brain damage
- Severe thermal or chemical burns
- Death
A serious injury resulting from a car accident can lead to lifelong disabilities and prevent the injured from being able to work or go about daily life as before, which warrants the sufficient compensation to pay for medical costs, wage loss, and the pain and suffering that resulted from the accident.
Determining liability in these cases should be left to a car accident attorney in Pinellas County who is well-versed in the insurance and collision laws.
Determining Liability
Florida is a no-fault auto insurance state, so if the insurance benefits are exceeded or a person is seriously injured in a car accident, it may go to litigation in order to offer the injured adequate compensation for bodily damages or death.
Liability will depend on many factors but often claims fall under negligence, which is when another driver fails to follow traffic laws or acts in a way that directly causes the crash.
Sometimes a car manufacturer may be held accountable in a product liability claim if a car part like the brakes malfunction or if an airbag fails to deploy in time to prevent serious injury in a car accident. If a defective car part is the cause of a car accident and serious injury, the manufacturer could be held liable in court.
In other cases, the roadways could be dangerous and cause a driver to crash. This includes bad signage on the road that fails to mark where the roadway ends or unsafe conditions due to construction that is not clearly marked for drivers. If a road condition that could have been addressed by the person or institution in charge, they should also be held accountable if their negligence causes a serious accident.
Contact a Car Accident Attorney Today
A car accident can impact the lives of those involved in the crash and their families as car damage and injury can lead to wage loss and mounting bills from car repairs, rentals, and medical visits.
Determining liability can be difficult when everything happens so quickly and the parties who crash often have differing accounts of what occurred. It is important to be able to get an accurate judgment in the case and to be sure damages are adequately paid.
A Pinellas County car accident attorney can protect your rights and help you to defend your case and receive fair compensation after a car crash.