Though you may not often think about it, every time you get behind the wheel of a car or ride as a passenger, you are putting yourself at risk.
According to the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles, so far, in 2022 there have been a total of 229,145 crashes. Of those, 145,533 have had injuries and 2,004 have been fatal.
Who Can File a Personal Injury Claim?
Were you injured in a car accident? Are you wondering what your rights are?
Getting behind the wheel comes with a duty to follow the rules of the road and be safe. While you may do your part, someone else may not be doing theirs. Anyone who is injured in an accident due to someone else’s negligence may be able to file a personal injury claim in Florida. Negligence that leads to accidents can come from many different sources, including:
- Driver of other vehicles
- Motorcyclists
- Pedestrians
- Bicyclists
- Manufacturers of vehicles
- Government/local agencies in charge of maintaining roadways
Types of Damages
If you choose to file a personal injury claim due to your car accident, you may be able to seek two types of damages:
- Compensatory Damages
- Punitive Damages
Compensatory damages, including both economic and non-economic, includes those that you can put a dollar amount on, like medical bills, and those you cannot, like pain and suffering, loss of consortium, etc.
On the other hand, punitive damages act like a penalty or punishment for gross negligent behavior, such as cases involving a drunk driver, distracting driving, etc.
Calculating Settlement
Most car accident are often settled outside of court. This could happen as quickly as six months or could take a year or more.
An experienced personal injury attorney can usually look at a case and have a good idea of the settlement. There is no universal settlement amount based on accident or injury, but there are a few factors associated with each particular case that are taken into consideration in order to determine the settlement amount, including:
- Past, present, and future medical bills
- Lost wages – and future loss of income
- Pain and suffering
- Property damage
- Emotional distress
- Diminished quality of life
- Disability
It can be tough trying to fight for the compensation you deserve while also trying to recover from your injuries. So , if you have been injured in a car accident, get the settlement you deserve by hiring experienced legal counsel before you file your personal injury claim.
