Scooters are growing in popularity year over year across the United States, and both Destin and Miramar Beach are no exceptions. There are plenty of great reasons to rely on micro-mobility solutions to get around a city or a beach town like ours. However, a Miramar Beach motorcycle accident lawyer knows that there are several risks that come along with this option that we are only now beginning to understand.
For starters, many drivers are not accustomed to checking for scooters before committing to a maneuver, which can put scooter riders in harm’s way as they obey the traffic rules and go about their day. A collision between a scooter and a motor vehicle can be catastrophic for the scooter rider since there is no structural protection afforded by the scooter itself. Finally, many riders do not use a helmet — especially when using a rental scooter.
After an accident that someone else causes, a victim may have the right to seek compensation through a personal injury claim or lawsuit, which typically begins with an insurance claim with the driver’s auto insurance. Initiating these claims is a relatively straightforward process, which is why many people fail to recognize the importance of working with a Miramar Beach personal injury lawyer from the start. If you initiate your claim with legal support, you will be able to avoid many of the pitfalls and errors that lead people to settle for far less than what they are rightfully entitled to.
Contact Fasig | Brooks To Connect With a Scooter Accident Lawyer Today
Our personal injury law firm offers a free initial consultation for victims of scooter accidents, and we will be happy to discuss your situation with you today. During your initial consultation, we will be able to go through the many details of your situation that make it unique and help you understand how we can support you through this difficult time. You deserve more than what the insurance company is likely to offer, and we are here to fight for the money you are rightfully owed.
We encourage you to take advantage of this opportunity to learn more about your situation from a legal context and to learn about how you can benefit from partnering with a scooter accident lawyer in Miramar Beach and Destin. Read more below about scooter accidents, and contact us now to schedule your free consultation as soon as possible.
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Determining Fault After a Scooter Accident in Destin & Miramar Beach
One of the first steps in any type of personal injury case is determining who caused the accident, and therefore who is liable for the cost of the accident. Typically these costs are paid out by the representative insurance company, but it must be made clear who caused the accident and how they caused it before an insurer will accept liability.
In some accidents, there is little or no question about who caused the accident, possibly due to things like dashboard cameras, eyewitness accounts, and even charges against the driver for something like drunk driving. In other cases, it may not be so clear, or there may be some fault applicable to both parties. In this case, your personal injury attorney will need to use the many tools at their disposal to reach a clear and irrefutable determination about what happened and the amount of liability each party owes.
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Calculating Damages After a Scooter Accident
Concurrent with determining the final percentages of negligence in the crash, your attorney will need to go through an in-depth investigation to calculate all of the damages you have suffered in your accident in Destin or Miramar Beach. Compensatory damages are divided into two distinct subcategories: economic damages, and non-economic damages. Each of these subcategories is equally important in determining your final settlement, but each applies to very different impacts of an accident.
Economic Damages
Economic damages are the repercussions of an accident that have set measurable dollar values associated with them. These damages include the cost of your medical care, the lost wages and disruptions to your earnings that your injuries cause, and many different services and products you may need to pay for to go about your daily life while accommodating your injuries. These damages also include damage to your property, such as the replacement cost of your scooter, replacement costs of the clothing you were wearing, and more.
Non-Economic Damages
Non-economic damages are more complicated to calculate because they seek financial compensation for impacts that do not have dollar values. These types of damages include things like the pain and suffering you have endured, as well as the emotional impacts of experiencing the accident and having to go about your life with serious injuries after the crash. Your attorney will have a range of tools at their disposal to calculate these damages and will defend them aggressively during negotiations.
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Frequently Asked Questions About Scooter Accidents
The following are just a few of the many questions that personal injury attorneys often answer during their initial consultations with potential clients. We encourage you to ask these questions during your consultation, as the answers below are not meant to be taken as legal advice and should only give you a sense of how an attorney might answer the question pertaining to your unique experience.
Do I need to work with an attorney to get a fair settlement?
You are not under any obligation to work with an attorney, but the reality is that you will likely enjoy many benefits from the decision to do so. Personal injury attorneys have dedicated their lives to learning tort law and navigating countless clients’ complex insurance claims processes. However, trying to manage this undertaking on your own can be overwhelming even in the best situations. When you are trying to recover from serious injuries, it can feel impossible.
Will I need to go to trial?
There is no easy way to answer this question. Still, in many cases, a personal injury attorney will work towards an out-of-court settlement before filing a lawsuit. This is because settlements can avoid being left to the mercy of the courts.
Waiting for a court date can set a case back months or more, and when a judge or jury decides your case, you relinquish control over the situation. In addition, many insurance companies prefer to settle because the details of the incident (and the settlement amount) are not made public. However, the resolution of a trial will be made public.
Source: https://www.flcourts.org/content/download/830722/file/Chapter%204_Circuit%20Civil.pdf
https://www.flcourts.org/content/download/830726/file/Chapter%208_County%20Civil.pdf
Should I accept the insurance company’s first offer?
We strongly encourage you to speak with an attorney before accepting any offer from an insurer or anyone else associated with the at-fault party. This offer is likely far less than what you are owed, and a lawyer will be able to go through the offer letter and help you understand your options more clearly. In addition, trying to interpret the complex legal documents included with this offer can be confusing for anyone, and insurers leverage this complexity to maneuver towards a settlement that saves them as much as possible.
How much is my scooter accident case worth?
To determine how much you are rightfully owed following a scooter accident in Destin or Miramar Beach, your lawyer will need to conduct an in-depth investigation that accounts for a wide range of damages beyond your medical bills and lost wages. Insurance adjusters will try to get through their claims investigation as quickly as possible while avoiding addressing damages like the many non-economic damages you have likely endured. These include the pain and suffering of your injuries and the emotional impacts of going through such a traumatic event.
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