Fort Lauderdale Car Accident Lawyer
Have You Been Involved in a Fort Lauderdale Car Crash?
Car accidents are the most common cause of personal injury claims. Every year, thousands of Floridians across the state are injured in traffic accidents as the result of the negligence or carelessness of others. These accidents can cause all kinds of devastating consequences, such as whiplash, broken bones, sprains, internal injuries, head trauma, loss of limbs, and damage to the neck, back, and spinal cord. A skilled Fort Lauderdale car accident lawyer can help you recover compensation.
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Effects of Car Accident Injuries
Those injured may face days or weeks in the hospital, multiple surgeries, and extensive rehabilitation. In the worst cases, they may be disabled for life, unable to perform routine daily tasks and requiring personal assistance or nursing care. All of this comes at a staggering cost. This coupled with an inability to work, may cause the individuals affected to be facing financial ruin. If you have been a victim, do not hesitate to get in touch with a Fort Lauderdale car accident lawyer as soon as possible, to protect your rights and pursue restitution.
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954-807-4665Types of Car Accident Claims We Can Help You With
At Feingold & Posner, P.A. we are driven to succeed and help you walk away with positive case results. Working personally with each of our clients, you can feel secure placing your case in our attorneys’ capable hands. With over a decade of legal experience backing up their knowledge and counsel, take a look at some of the practice areas that they can assist you with:
- Aggressive Driving: Those that take to the road at unsafe speeds, cut off other drivers and are completely unaware of others while driving can qualify as aggressive drivers. Their actions can often endanger the lives of the other drivers around them, making them liable if they cause injury to another person. Talk to an attorney if you have been a victim of this type of incident.
- Auto Product Liability: Oftentimes, car companies are the ones that should be held responsible for car collisions. If the manufacturer installed a faulty part, did not adequately check to make certain the car was running properly or simply ignored a major error, they may be liable for paying damages. Some of the most common problem parts include steering wheel issues, brakes, and tires.
- Car Accident Injuries: Ranging from catastrophic injuries to minor scrapes, nearly anything is possible when it comes to vehicular collisions. Some of the most common include whiplash, back injuries, fractures and in more severe cases, spinal cord damage. Always seek medical attention first and then get in touch with a qualified lawyer to help protect your rights and get compensation.
- Car Accident Insurance Claim: Many insurance companies may try to eliminate the need for them to pay for a legitimate claim. Using different tactics they will try to protect themselves from having to give out more than they have to. This can often come in the form of insurance bad faith and it must be fought against with the proper legal representation.
- Causes of Car Accidents: Whether a driver is distracted by their cell phone, eating and grooming, or they simply are driving recklessly they can easily be at fault for horrific accidents. Drunk drivers have absolutely no excuse if they are at the root of causing an incident resulting in injury. Simple oversights and mistakes may even lead to collisions, but it is essential that you obtain a competent Fort Lauderdale car accident attorney to help investigate your case and determine the guilty party.
- Distracted Driver Accidents: Responsible for nearly 20% of all car accident injuries for the year 2010, distracted driving is an ever increasing problem. Drivers find themselves invincible while on the road as they continue to use their phones, smoke, drink, eat and groom themselves while driving. While some of these activities may not be the major cause for drastic accidents, texting is probably the most common offense. You should never have to pay for injuries caused by a driver that is being negligent.
Great guys who take their job seriously. They took care of me when I had my accident and made sure I was walked through 100% of the way.
- Driving While Texting: Considered to be just as debilitating as driving drunk, those that choose to text or use their phones while driving are putting not only themselves but others at risk. The average time it takes to send a text is 4.5 seconds, which is long enough for a car to travel across a football field at 55mph. If you or a loved one have been at the brunt of a car accident that you believe was caused by another driver’s negligent actions, contact us immediately.
- Drunk Driving Accidents: Drivers that take to the street after a few drinks may not think of themselves as inebriated, but yet they are a leading cause of car related fatalities in the U.S. Do not let the reckless individuals at fault in an alcohol-related accident walk away clean, but pursue the financial restitution that you deserve by contacting our firm.
- Liability in a Car Accident: Determining liability can be tricky if there were no witnesses or evidence to point to the cause of the accident. Allowing a knowledgeable attorney to thoroughly investigate every aspect of your case may significantly increase your chances of obtaining compensation.
- Personal Injury Protection: Under Florida State law, every driver on the road must have personal injury protection (PIP) specifically for car accident injuries. It has benefits such as receiving a minimum of $10,000 in coverage and another $10,000 for any damage done to your property. Always speak with a knowledgeable attorney after filing an insurance claim and receive pertinent legal assistance as soon as possible.
- Types of Car Accidents: Motor vehicles can collide in a number of different ways depending on various outside factors. Speeding, distracted driving, reckless behavior, disobeying traffic laws, bad weather and poor road signs can all contribute to accidents. These aspects can cause T-Bone accidents, multi-vehicle collisions and rollovers as well as many others.
- Underinsured Motorist Claims: Those that choose to opt for cheaper insurance plans and driver around underinsured may actually be placing themselves in a vulnerable spot. They may be sued to help pay for damages for the victim and their family. If you have been involved in an accident with an underinsured motorist, please do not hesitate to get the help you need to pursue maximum compensation. Never assume that just because they are underinsured that they cannot pay for restitution.
- Uninsured Motorist Claims: Florida is ranked as the 5th highest state with their number of insured drivers on the road, despite the fact that the law specifically requires every driver to have personal injury protection. It is important for those that have been in an accident with an uninsured motorist to realize that they have the legal right to seek out financial damages despite the fact that the guilty party does not have insurance. Talk with our knowledgeable legal team to discover the options you have and we can work with you to come up with a viable solution.
Our Fort Lauderdale injury firm is dedicated to seeing that you achieve the best results possible. With a history of proven case results, we work on a contingency fee basis, meaning that we do not get paid unless we recover compensation for you and your loved ones. Allow a devoted Fort Lauderdale car accident lawyer to take a look at your case and consult with you during a free consultation by calling us at 954-807-4665.
Contact An Experienced Fort Lauderdale Car Accident Lawyer Today
You may be eligible for damages including past and future medical bills, past and future loss of wages or income, property damage to your car, pain, suffering, emotional trauma, and more, depending on the facts of your case. Injury claims and lawsuits are based on negligence wherein a driver or third party is required to engage in prudent behavior that would be expected from others in similar circumstances. Negligence can be the result of drunk or drug-impaired driving, driving while texting or using other devices, disobeying traffic laws, speeding, or inattentive driving.
At the law firm of Feingold & Posner, P.A., a Fort Lauderdale Personal Injury Lawyer understands the trauma and duress of such situations. Our goal is to help you recover the financial compensation to which you are entitled in the aftermath of such an accident, regardless of the extent or duration of your injuries. We advise you to consult with an experienced Fort Lauderdale car accident lawyer at the firm as soon as possible to learn more about your legal rights, your options, and how we can help fight for a fair settlement.
To help facilitate this, we will meet personally with you and we charge nothing upfront. We only get paid when we successfully recover the compensation you deserve. Throughout the entire management of your injury case, we will ensure that you are kept up-to-date on its progress and will provide competent legal advice to help you make informed decisions.
Answers To Commonly Asked Fort Lauderdale Car Accident Questions
The time following a car accident can be one of the most complicated, confusing times possible. If you are involved in a crash, it is important to remember that there are several things that you can do at the scene of the accident to both take care of yourself, and ensure that the claim process proceeds as smoothly as possible. The first thing is to dial 911 for emergency medical treatment. If you feel dizzy, stay in your car until help arrives. If you feel okay, lend aid to those who need it.
You should also immediately begin to document the scene of the accident by taking photographs; take pictures of everything from the vehicles involved to the scenery around it from every angle. These photos could prove to be invaluable later. You should also immediately gather important information, such as the contact and insurance information from the other drivers, license plate numbers, and contact information from any witnesses. Finally, you should make sure to call local law enforcement to report the accident.
Thousands upon thousands of car accidents occur every single year. Most of these are minor fender-benders where occupants walk away unharmed, or with mild bruises and scrapes. This, however, is not always the story when it comes to car accidents. On many occasions, car accidents victims suffer from life-altering injuries that may even be permanent in nature. When this occurs, it changes the entire nature of the personal injury case.
It becomes absolutely crucial that comprehensive compensation is sought; this will help to cover not only past and current expenses, but also ensure that the victim is cared for throughout their entire life. For this reason, it is important that the case is not started too early. In fact, you may be prompted to wait until you have reached Maximum Medical Improvement (MMI), which is the point where you will no longer get any better. Due to the complications of claims involving permanent injuries, having knowledgeable representation becomes even more crucual.
For many victims of a car accident, the first question they want answered is how to prove that the other driver(s) were at fault. This, however, cannot be answered with an exact formula, and there is no step-by-step process where fault is determined. Rather, it’s an art where several different factors are evaluated. For example, the first thing that may be looked at is whether or not someone was breaking a law at the time of the accident. This could be someone who was exceeding the speed limit, under the influence of drugs and/or alcohol, or making an illegal left turn.
All of these could easily pinpoint fault. Another step that may be taken is determining what kind of car accident happened. Was it a rear-end crash? While not always, in most rear-end accidents, the driver behind is usually at fault. That being said, there are cases where they are not; for example, if they were cut off or if the driver in front of them started reversing. Due to these complications and gray areas, it is important to have a lawyer on your side to help protect your rights.
In most cases, car accidents are caused by the humans driving them. In the Traffic Crash Statistics Report 2010, the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles stated that the number one contributing cause of crashes was careless driving—accounting for nearly 40 percent of that year’s crashes. Other main causes included: drunk or drugged driving; failure to yield the right-of-way; exceeding the stated or safe speed limit; disregarding traffic signals; improper turns; wrong-way driving; and improper passing. That being said, the behavior of drivers is not the only source of causes for car accidents. Crashes can also be caused by faulty auto parts, inclement weather, dangerous roadways, or even an animal appearance.
Whiplash is a common neck injury sustained in car accidents. It occurs from the neck being distorted past its normal range of motion by being over-extended. For example, when hit from behind, the jolt of the vehicle can cause the neck to extend forward and then be thrust back when the driver’s body hits the seatbelt. Reports estimate that whiplash is the most common nonfatal injury sustained in car accidents, with more than a million people suffering from it each and every year. What makes this injury so common is that the car accident does not even need to be severe for it to happen; it can be sustained at speeds as low as 15 mph.
Part of the Florida legal system is what is known as contributory fault, which is explained under Florida Statutes §768.81 (2012). Per this section of the law, if you are pursuing a negligence action and are found to be partially at fault, you are still able to recover damages; however, economic and noneconomic damages which would be awarded will be diminished in proportion. What this means is that if you are determined to be 20% at fault for the accident, and were going to recover $100,000 in damages, it would be reduced in proportion to how much you were at fault and, instead, would only recover 80%, or $80,000.
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“These lawyers are not only very efficient, but caring as well. I would not hesitate to refer them to anyone.”
MATTHEW T. / FORMER CLIENT
