Car Accident Checklist
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After a car accident that someone else caused, one of the following steps is to file a claim with the at-fault driver’s insurance company. Insurance companies have decades or more of experience handling personal injury claims. They approach these situations to resolve the case for as little money as possible and as quickly as possible to maximize their profits. As you can imagine, this goal is at direct odds with a motor vehicle accident victim’s needs, which is why it is crucial to work with an experienced Tallahassee personal injury lawyer to get the money you deserve, and not just the insurance company’s money wants to pay out.
There are several steps and factors that go into determining who is responsible for the crash and how much they are liable for in terms of damages, and no two car accident cases are alike. Tallahassee car accident lawyers understand how unique each auto accident is and approach insurance claims to get the money their clients deserve through close attention to detail and a comprehensive understanding of personal injury law.
Show The Insurance Companies You Mean Business
When a Tallahassee Car Accident Lawyer initiates your accident claim, the adjuster knows from the start that you are seeking compensation for all of the damages you have suffered. While your attorney handles the legal aspects of your motor vehicle accident, you can focus on recovering from your serious injuries and getting your life back on track after suffering the consequences of someone else’s dangerous driving.
Contact Fasig | Brooks For a Free Consultation With a Tallahassee Car Accident Lawyer Today
Motor vehicle accidents are chaotic, and the resulting legal process can be equally complicated whether you are filing a personal injury lawsuit in Tallahassee, FL, or seeking to recover compensation through a settlement agreement. Speaking with our team of accident lawyers in Tallahassee as soon as possible can give you a better sense of how your personal injury case may be handled by an experienced attorney and how we can help you seek a fair settlement for the damages you’ve suffered due to the at-fault driver and their negligence.
Gathering auto accident information after a severe injury is stressful, and this stress can interfere with your medical treatments or recovery process. We are confident that you will better understand your rights and options as a victim after your consultation and will be ready to move forward with your case with our support. Insurance adjusters are trained to resolve cases as quickly as possible when the injured parties manage the claim on their own, but you will be able to hold out for what you deserve with experienced legal representation pushing for the maximum you are owed under Florida law.
Read more about how the team at Fasig | Brooks can help you after a Tallahassee car accident, and contact us as soon as possible to request a consultation with a car accident lawyer.
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Common Causes of Tallahassee Car Accidents
The following are just a few examples of common causes of motor vehicle accidents in Tallahassee. Whether or not you see the cause of your auto accident listed below, contact our Tallahassee Car Accident Lawyers about how you can move forward with your case.
Distracted Driving
We commonly think of someone texting behind the wheel and causing a car wreck when we think of distracted driving, and while texting is one common form of distraction, there are many more. As soon as a driver takes their mind off their task, their eyes off the road, or their hands off the wheel, they are engaging in distracted driving and significantly increase the risk of causing an accident.
Proving that a negligent driver was engaging in distracting behaviors might be difficult, but your personal injury attorney will be able to go through all of the details to prove that you are the victim of someone else’s actions (or inactions).
Drunk Driving
When someone makes the dangerous decision to get behind the wheel of a vehicle while over the legal limit of 0.08 BAC – 0.04 for CDL drivers and 0.02 for drivers under the age of 21 — they put all other drivers at risk of serious injuries or wrongful death. Alcohol reduces a driver’s ability to react to obstacles or changing conditions on the road quickly, decrease their awareness of their surroundings. It can cause a driver to engage in risks that they would not consider while sober.
Consuming any other mind-altering substances before operating a vehicle is also illegal. Although it does not show up on a blood alcohol test, it will result in criminal charges. If you have suffered injuries in an accident that an intoxicated driver caused, you deserve compensation.
Reckless Driving
Negligent drivers can engage in a range of negligent behaviors, including things like speeding, racing, tailgating other drivers, weaving in and out of traffic, and more. When someone chooses to engage in this type of dangerous behavior, they are putting all others at risk of a car accident that could have easily been avoided if the negligent driver had instead chosen to obey the traffic laws and uphold their duty of care to others.
If a reckless driver causes a car accident that leads to actual injuries, wrongful death, or even a multi-car accident, they (or their insurance policy) are responsible for all of the damages that arise from this situation, including both property damage and personal injuries.
Speeding
Speed limits are posted for a reason, and even though some people like to treat these signs like suggestions, they are, in fact, the law. Speed limits are set due to a range of factors, including things like blind drives, upcoming intersections or merges, curves in the road, and many other obstacles or attributes that could lead to a car or motorcycle accident if ignored. The vast majority of drivers understand the importance of following these set limits, but many injury cases result from car accidents where speed was a factor.
As a vehicle’s speed increases, the risk of permanent injury and increased property damage rises as well. Many wrongful death cases are also caused by excessive speed in a car wreck. Whether or not the crash is fatal, high-speed collisions lead to significant medical expenses, lost wages, property damage claims, and a wide range of other impacts that a victim must endure.
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What Does It Mean for a Driver To Be Negligent?
Negligence is the legal foundation of most car accident claims in Florida, but understanding what it actually means can make a real difference in how you approach your case. A driver is considered negligent when they fail to exercise the level of reasonable care that any responsible motorist would under similar circumstances. This can take many forms.
Identifying and proving the other driver’s negligence is key to winning your legal claim, which is precisely where the experience of a Tallahassee car accident attorney becomes invaluable.
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How Florida’s Statute of Limitations Could Impact Your Car Accident Claim
Time matters enormously after a car accident. Under Florida law, your personal injury suit needs to be filed within two years of the crash (in most cases). Missing this deadline almost always means permanently losing your right to seek compensation, regardless of how strong your case might be.
Beyond the legal deadline itself, waiting too long to act can also weaken your claim in practical ways (witnesses become harder to locate, physical evidence disappears, and memories fade). The sooner you reach out to an attorney at Fasig | Brooks, the more time our team has to thoroughly investigate your accident, build a compelling case, and pursue every dollar you are owed.
When Should You Speak to a Car Accident Lawyer?
If possible, you should contact an attorney right away after the Tallahassee crash, ideally before you speak with any insurance adjuster. Many accident victims assume they should wait to see how serious their injuries turn out to be, but this approach can cost you. Early steps in a claim, like recorded statements and initial settlement offers, can have lasting consequences.
Insurance companies move quickly to protect their own interests, and you deserve someone in your corner doing the same. Our firm offers free, no-obligation consultations, so there is no reason to wait and every reason to act.
What an Auto Accident Lawyer Does for Clients
A Tallahassee auto accident lawyer does far more than simply filing paperwork on your behalf. From the moment Fasig | Brooks takes your case, our team gets to work investigating the accident scene, gathering police reports and medical records, consulting with experts, and building a detailed account of your damages. We handle all communications with insurance companies so that you are never caught off guard or pressured into accepting a lowball offer. When negotiations stall, we are fully prepared to take your case to court and fight for what you deserve in front of a judge or jury.
With more than 30 years of experience representing car accident victims, our attorneys understand what it takes to go up against well-funded insurance carriers and fight for our clients.
Steps to Take After a Car Crash
What you do in the immediate aftermath of a car accident can significantly shape the outcome of your claim:
- Check on everyone involved and call 911 so that law enforcement and medical personnel respond to the scene.
- Even if you feel uninjured, accepting a medical evaluation is critical. This is because many serious injuries, such as whiplash or internal trauma, are not immediately obvious.
- While at the scene, document everything you safely can: photographs of vehicle damage, road conditions, traffic signals, and any visible injuries.
- Collect contact and insurance information from all drivers involved, and gather names and phone numbers from any witnesses.
- Avoid discussing fault at the scene or making statements to the other driver’s insurance company before speaking with an attorney.
Finally, call Fasig | Brooks. Our Tallahassee car collision lawyers are available around the clock and ready to guide you through every step of what comes next.
Frequently Asked Questions For Our Tallahassee Car Accident Lawyers
The following are just a few of the many questions that personal injury victims have about their rights following a Tallahassee, FL car accident that someone else caused. The answers provided below are meant to give you a general sense of how your questions may be answered, but each case is unique and will lead to different responses from a Tallahassee car accident lawyer.
Is it worth getting a lawyer for a car accident?
If you have been hurt in a car accident that someone else caused, you will likely have medical bills, lost wages, and other impacts that you will suffer. You do not deserve to take on any of these costs or losses on your own. By working with an attorney, you can focus on your recovery while an experienced legal professional works to get you the money you deserve.
During our initial consultation, we will be able to go over things like your medical costs, the impact your injuries have had on your daily life, and more to determine whether or not your case will benefit from legal support. Many people will simply collect payment from their personal injury protection (PIP) policy and move on without realizing that the at-fault driver is liable for many more damages. While this no-fault insurance coverage is very helpful in getting the care you need while covering your medical expenses up to $10,000, your policy should not be the one to cover the cost of someone else’s behavior.
How much can someone sue for a car accident in Florida?
Determining how much you are rightfully owed after a car accident in Florida requires a clear understanding of many different specifics to your case, such as the extent of your medical treatment, the lost wages you have suffered, and countless other economic and non-economic impacts that each has its own unique cost or value.
Your medical bills and impacts to your income play a significant role in determining how much you are owed, but your Tallahassee Car Accident Lawyer will work to gather information for all of these damages to ensure that you are fighting for what you are owed and not just what the insurance company wants to pay. There are no damage caps for personal injury cases in Florida (other than medical malpractice, which has caps of $500,000 for non-economic damages), but unreasonable figures may lead to your lawsuit being dismissed outright.
Should I get a lawyer for a car accident that was my fault in Florida?
Even if you were at fault for your car accident, working with an Tallahassee Car Accident Lawyer may help you identify other damages that you may be entitled to under a Florida law known as “pure comparative fault.” This law accounts for any fault that a victim contributes to the crash and reduces the final award they receive in proportion to the percentage of fault they accept.
Speaking with a lawyer after an accident can give you a sense of your own rights and options, so we encourage you to contact us now for a free consultation.
Can I file a personal injury claim if the drunk driver that caused my accident is acquitted or found not guilty?
Whether or not the driver mounts a successful criminal defense after causing an accident and being cited for DUI, the outcome of their criminal case will have no bearing on your personal injury claim. Florida law requires proof beyond a reasonable doubt for a criminal conviction, but the burden of proof is much lower in a civil case. The simple fact that they were charged with DUI may help your case since the issue of fault is made more obvious when alcohol was involved in the collision.
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