Multi-Vehicle Accidents
Getting into any type of accident is a terrifying and traumatic experience for everyone involved, but a multi-vehicle accident such as a pileup can be extremely scary because of how the crash may continue to happen long after your vehicle made initial contact. Victims of multi-vehicle accidents report symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder that are completely understandable when you consider the nature of this type of accident and the powerlessness that comes with feeling trapped as cars continue to crash around you.
Hire a Florida Car Accident Attorney Today
The team at Fasig | Brooks understands that you deserve support during this time, both emotionally and legally, which is why we believe it is so important to provide you with experienced and dedicated representation throughout the entirety of your insurance claim process, as well as through a trial if we are unable to reach an agreement through an out-of-court settlement. Stress is proven to have a significantly negative impact on recovery from physical wounds, and we want to give you the best chance of a full recovery while getting you the money you deserve.
Read more below to get a better sense of how a personal injury attorney can help you through your insurance claims process and get you the money that you rightfully deserve as a settlement. If you are not responsible for causing this accident, then you do not deserve to be shouldered with any of the debt or financial burden that comes with it. However, determining who is at fault, or assigning fault to multiple parties, can add to the complexity of this case and make a stressful situation even more overwhelming.
Schedule a Free Consultation Now
Contact us now to schedule a free initial consultation and case evaluation with a Jacksonville car accident attorney, where we will be able to go through the details of your case together and get a better understanding of how best to move forward as a team. Insurance companies will leverage the uncertainty of these types of accidents in an attempt to reduce their own financial responsibility, but we will fight for your best interests every step of the way.
Determining Fault After a Multiple Vehicle Crash
Florida is known as a “comparative fault” state, meaning that even if someone is found to be partially (less than 50%) at fault for an accident they are still able to seek compensation; however, their final settlement amount will be reduced by the percentage that they are found to contributed to the crash. For example, if someone is awarded a $100,000 settlement but is 25% to blame, then their award will be reduced by 25% for a final award of $75,000.
While comparative fault makes a lot of sense and is fundamentally a fair way to assign damages, it is also a tool that the insurance company uses in order to reduce their own financial responsibility. This is especially easy for them to do when there are multiple drivers involved, so it is important that we take every possible step to determine exactly who is at fault.
Assigning Fault to Multiple Drivers
If there are multiple drivers who are partially to blame, we will work with each of their insurance companies in order to get you the 100% settlement that you are entitled to. As you can imagine, juggling negotiations with multiple insurance companies is stressful and quickly overwhelming, which is why we are happy to handle these processes as you focus on your own personal recovery.
Determining who caused the accident and assigning appropriate fault to each driver is one of the most important tasks at the start of your claim process so that we have a clear understanding of how we will get the money that you deserve.
Calculating Damages After a Multiple Vehicle Accident
Calculating the damages that you have incurred as a result of your multi-car accident works the same way as any other type of accident, but there is an added level of complexity because we may be seeking compensation from multiple insurance companies representing multiple drivers. Beyond determining who is financially responsible for what percentages of your damages, the calculations will be similar to any other accident, taking into account both your economic and non-economic damages with equal importance.
Economic Damages
Economic damages are the basis of a personal injury claim and seek compensation for the financial damages that you incur after an accident such as medical bills and expenses, recovery costs, as well as any impact on your earnings. Earnings-based damages include any paid time off, vacation time, or sick leave that you cash in to compensate for missed days of work. There are many other economic damages, as well, that we will explore in specific detail to build your case.
Non-Economic Damages
Non-economic damages are more complicated to calculate, but they are equally important for your claim. They seek compensation for things like the actual pain and suffering that you have encountered as a result of your accident and subsequent injuries, as well as any of the emotional impacts that you have experienced such as PTSD, anxiety, fear, or depression. While they are more difficult to prove, as well as to quantify, we will build a strong argument on your behalf and negotiate these damages aggressively.
