Scooters are very convenient methods of transportation to get around Pensacola and can be an enjoyable activity on a weekend while seeing the city with friends. However, scooters pose unique risks to riders and all those around them, as our traffic patterns and pedestrian laws have not caught up to these new, small forms of transportation. Many drivers are not actively looking for scooter riders with the same attention that they may give to cyclists, walkers, and other pedestrians. In addition to the issues on the street, there is the additional problem with insurance claims: insurance companies understand that the laws around these types of transportation can be confusing and will leverage this confusion to their advantage by working to pin as much blame as possible on the victim, therefore reducing their own financial obligation through comparative negligence laws.
If you have been in a scooter accident that someone else caused (or if you are uncertain about how to determine who caused the crash), then contact a Pensacola motorcycle accident lawyer at Fasig | Brooks to connect with an experienced attorney who will be able to help you make sense of your situation. Too often, personal injury victims will accept a claim settlement far lower than what they are actually entitled to — whether due to inexperience, anxiety about mounting bills, or pressure from the insurance, these victims miss out on important compensation that we can help recover.
Contact Fasig | Brooks For a Free Consultation Today
We offer a free consultation for people who have been injured or lost loved ones in scooter accidents in or around Pensacola, Florida. During this free consultation, we will be able to go over the specifics of the accident, get a better sense of the steps you have already taken, and give you a clear understanding of how we can help you move forward with your case. Personal injury law is complicated, and trying to give yourself a “crash course” on these laws at the same time that you are putting them into action during negotiations can be highly stressful, especially while you are trying to recover from serious injuries. Let a Pensacola personal injury lawyer do the work for you so you can prioritize your recovery and get your life back on track.
Read more about scooter accident claims, and contact us as soon as possible to get started on yours today. Whether or not you have already initiated a claim with the insurer, we will be able to step in and take an aggressive approach to ensure that all of the damages you have suffered are accounted for.
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Determining Fault After a Scooter Accident in Pensacola
The first order of business when filing an insurance claim is establishing fault: who caused the accident, and therefore, who is liable for the damages? Florida, like many other states, uses a law known as comparative fault when assigning blame in personal injury cases. This law allows for a victim to assume partial liability for the accident while still having a right to compensation, and the total damages are reduced by the percent that the victim contributed to the crash.
The alternative to comparative fault would be that a victim is barred from any compensation at all if they had any blame in the accident. While comparative negligence is obviously a very important law that helps these victims, insurance companies use the law to their own advantage by trying to pin as much blame on a victim as possible in order to reduce their financial obligation. This is particularly obvious when dealing with issues like scooters, which do not have many years of precedent to help victims navigate the laws and make clear sense of a situation. Luckily, the team at Fasig | Brooks has a history of successful outcomes when it comes to these cases, and we will be happy to use this experience to help you get the money you deserve.
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Calculating Damages After a Pensacola Scooter Crash
Once fault is established (or while your attorney is negotiating the final percentage assigned to all involved parties), the next step is to identify and calculate all of the damages you have suffered. The most obvious of these damages are commonly a victim’s medical bills and lost wages, both of which are considered “economic damages,” but there are many other impacts that a victim deserves payment for.
Economic Damages
Economic damages are all impacts of an accident that have financially measurable values, such as the aforementioned medical expenses and impacts on income. However, there are many other economic damages that may or may not be as obvious. Even minor economic damages add up, and close attention to detail is necessary to ensure that you recover all of your financial losses appropriately.
Many people will overlook smaller economic damages but will be shocked to discover the increase in the final calculated amount when their attorney takes the time to account for each of these expenses and losses. Understandably, a victim may not have this time or attention as they are struggling through their injuries and trying to get their lives back on track after the accident.
Non-Economic Damages
Non-economic damages do not have dollar values but are just as important as your lost wages. These damages include things like the actual pain and suffering of their injuries, the emotional trauma inflicted on them by experiencing such a terrifying accident, and more.
As you may imagine, confidently assigning a dollar value to something as abstract as “accident-induced depression” can be difficult for someone inexperienced with this entire process, which is why insurance companies can so easily dismiss them while working directly with a victim. Your attorney, on the other hand, will be able to provide clear calculations and supporting evidence for each non-economic damage they seek on your behalf and will negotiate tirelessly to get you a fair settlement.
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Contact Fasig | Brooks Now
The sooner you schedule your consultation, the sooner we will be able to start building your case and handling the seemingly endless administrative work that comes with an accident claim. Request your case evaluation today, and start looking towards the future with confidence.
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