According to the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles (FLHSMV) there are an average of 1,102 automobile accidents in Florida every day, not including the countless accidents that go unreported. The FLHSMV has seen this number steadily increase over the last several years, due in part to an increase in distracted driving.

Car accidents can be devastating, and even minor accidents can be difficult to sort out.  If the accident results in death or serious injury, life will never be the same for the survivors. In these instances, an auto accident attorney may be necessary to file claims and help you recover as much as possible.

A Florida car accident lawyer can assist you with your claim in two ways. First, an attorney can make sure you get the full benefits you are entitled to from your insurance company. Second, an attorney can file claims to recover losses that are not covered by your own auto insurance company, such as pain and suffering or lost wages.

PIP Insurance & Your Car Accident Settlement

All drivers in Florida are required to carry $10,000 in property damage liability (PDL) insurance and $10,000 in personal injury protection (PIP) insurance. PIP, also called Florida No-Fault Insurance, ensures that injured parties can receive the medical care they need regardless of who was at fault for the accident.

In order to receive full coverage from your PIP insurance, there are specific criteria that must be met. For instance, you must receive initial medical treatment for your injuries within 14 days after the accident or your accident-related medical expenses may not be covered. An experienced Florida Auto Accident Attorney can explain other important, time-sensitive requirements of the statute, so be sure tocontact a lawyer immediately if you have been in an auto accident.

When to File a Lawsuit After a Car Accident

If you have been seriously injured, $10,000 will likely not be enough to cover your medical expenses. Fortunately, an auto accident lawyer may be able to help you recover additional losses that you can use to pay for the medical care you need. If the negligence of another driver, an auto manufacturer, or another responsible party caused an accident and you suffered physically, financially, and emotionally, a Florida Accident Attorney can file a lawsuit seeking compensatory damages from any responsible parties. These losses might include:

• Medical Bills (for initial treatment)
• Medical Bills (for continuing treatment)
• Lost Wages (while you were out of work)
• Lost Earning Potential (if you become disabled)
• Pain and Suffering
• Mental Anguish
• Loss of Consortium

A bad car accident can be very stressful physically, emotionally, and financially. You should certainly be able to get treatment for your injuries without having to worry about going into debt or wasting countless days getting the runaround from insurance companies.

If you have been involved in a minor accident then you may be able to handle the aftermath without the assistance of a lawyer. But when witnesses must be questioned, accidents reconstructed, reports reviewed, and facts debated and determined, having experienced auto accident lawyers working for you can help you focus on making a full recovery and living your life.

For instance, you must file a claim with the particular agency that you believe is responsible for your injury and have that claim denied prior to initiating a lawsuit. In addition, there are caps on the amount that victims can recover as well as strict time limits regarding when a claim may be filed. In the worse case scenario, attempting to navigate the ins and outs of filing an auto accident lawsuit without the help of an attorney can result in an unsuccessful lawsuit that took a substantial amount of your personal time and prevented you from being able to focus on healing and getting better.

Common Types of Car Accidents

No two auto accidents are exactly the same, but they may share common circumstances or causes. Read on to learn about the most common types of car accidents and the types of damages victims may be able to recover in a car accident settlement.

Head-On Collisions

Head-on collisions are among the most dangerous kinds of auto accidents. When two vehicles collide while heading towards each other, the force of impact can be tremendous, often resulting in significant damage to the vehicles as well as serious bodily injury to drivers and passengers. These injuries have the potential to require intensive medical care, and may result in complications or disabilities that make it impossible for victims to return to work or live independently.

Head-on collisions can occur for a number of reasons, some of which may indicate negligence on the part of the other party. Some of the more common causes of head-on collisions include:

• Distracted driving – Distracted driving can easily cause a driver to cross over into another lane of traffic, resulting in a head-on collision. Driver distractions include things like cell phone use, eating, grooming, or reading.
• Driver fatigue – When people drive while they are tired, they may have impaired reaction time and motor control. Additionally, fatigued drivers are more likely to fall asleep at the wheel and drift into oncoming traffic.
• Equipment failure – When a vehicle’s equipment fails, it may cause a driver to lose control of the vehicle, potentially resulting in a head-on collision.
• Failure to account for adverse weather conditions – Poor weather conditions such as wet or icy roads can negatively impact vehicle performance. When drivers fail to account for these conditions, they may slide into oncoming traffic and cause a head-on collision.
  
  

Rear-End Collisions

There are a number of reasons a driver might slam their brakes—a child running suddenly into the road, a squirrel darting out into the road, or a spider crawling on the steering wheel. Given each drivers’ unique sensitivities, it is safer to establish rules preventing drivers from following too closely and to hold those who break the rules accountable. In most cases, when one driver rear-ends another driver, the rear driver is presumed to be at fault. Two advantages of this presumption are that it promotes driving safely and makes it easy to determine fault in a rear-end collision.

While historically Florida law follows the rear-end collision rule and presumes that the rear driver is at fault in a rear-end accident, courts will assign some blame to the front driver if comparative negligence is proven. The court reasoned that because Florida follows comparative negligence in injury cases, it is only fair to allow a negligent rear driver in a rear-end accident to defend themself by showing that the front driver was also negligent. This may not get the rear driver off the hook entirely from liability, but it will reduce the amount of damages they are required to pay.

Vehicle Rollover Accidents

According to a PBS Frontline documentary on SUV safety and rollover accident statistics, nearly 70,000 rollover accidents occur every year, and SUVs have the highest rollover rate of any other vehicle when it comes to fatal collisions.

In addition to the high number of rollover-related deaths, further statistics show a clear connection between SUVs and rollovers:

• More than 60% of all SUV accident deaths occurred as a result of a rollover accident
• More than 10,000 rollover accidents occur each year in the United States, and more than 90% of those accidents involve only a single vehicle that is usually an SUV
• When an SUV is involved in a rollover accident, passengers in the vehicle have a more than 30% greater risk of sustaining a serious or fatal injury

Distracted Driving Accidents

Distracted driving can cause a number of different types of accidents, including the following:

• Rear-End Accidents
• Pedestrian Accidents
• Bicycle Accidents
• Head-On Accidents
• Motorcycle Accidents

Common types of distractions that lead to car accidents include:

• Eating
• Drinking
• Grooming
• Applying Makeup
• Talking
• Reading
• Using a Cell Phone
• Browsing the Internet
• Watching a Video
• Using a GPS Device
• Adjusting the Radio
• Looking at an Object or Scenery
• Looking at an Accident
• Reaching for an Object
• Using a Map
  
  

Cell Phone Driving Accidents

Cell phones are capable of causing a variety of driver distractions. According the CDC, there are three main types of driver distractions:

• Visual distractions – These kinds of distractions occur when something draws a driver’s visual attention from the road.
• Manual distractions – Anything that requires a driver to take his or her hands from the steering wheel constitutes a manual distraction.
• Cognitive distractions – These distractions occur when an event or a task takes a driver’s mental focus off of driving.

There are certain types of distractions that combine two or even all three of categories of distractions, making them particularly dangerous. For example, texting requires that a person look at their phone while composing or reading a text, use a hand to manipulate the buttons or the screen, and think about the conversation in which they are engaged.

Despite these risks, data indicates that texting and driving continues to be prevalent among American drivers. In fact, the CDC found that 31% of adults between 18-64 who were surveyed indicated that they had written or composed a text while driving in the previous 30-day period. While hands-free cell phone and text-to-speech technology has been explored as an option for making cell phone use by drivers safer, a recent study conducted by the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety indicated that mental distractions alone can significantly increase the risk of a driver being involved in an accident.

Furthermore, most instances of using a cell phone while driving—including texting while driving—are now illegal in Florida. If you’ve been seriously injured by a driver who was distracted by texting, emailing, or otherwise using their phone, contact Auto Accident Lawyers in Florida immediately to find out if your case may be eligible for a car accident settlement.

Drunk Driving Accidents

Drunk driving accidents almost always have severe consequences; death, serious injuries, and significant property damage are common in the event of an alcohol related wreck. In fact, the state of Florida has one of the highest rates of DUI accidents, and these rates are even higher in urban beach communities like Daytona.

Accordingly, advocates like Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) have lobbied for higher criminal penalties across the state, and Florida has some of the harshest in the nation. The civil side of the justice system has followed suit, and potential recoveries in these incidents can be higher than in other types of accidents. If you or someone you know has suffered injuries from a drunk driving accident, you may be entitled to recover significant compensation from responsible parties.

The process for being compensated from losses after a drunk driving accident is similar to that in non-drinking auto accidents, and like any crash where a reckless driver caused significant damages, representatives of the at-fault driver will often offer quick settlements. Insurance companies understand the increased liability of their clients in DUI accidents, and they want to avoid an investigation that might force them to pay more money to the injured party. Indeed, the facts of these cases may indicate extremely negligent behavior, both by the driver and possibly by establishments that were serving the driver as well. If you’ve been injured by a drunk driver in the Daytona Beach or Palm Coast areas, give us a call at 386-777-7777.

Hit-and-Run Accidents

The state of Florida considers leaving the scene of an accident to be a serious crime. If you are the victim of a hit-and-run, police will work hard to track down the offender and attain justice. This is a bit of positive news for the very unfortunate situation of being a victim of a hit-and-run accident. Furthermore, even if there is only minor property damage, hit-and-run offenders can be sentenced to up to 60 days in jail. If someone is injured or killed, the criminal result could be a felony conviction and years in jail.

Hit-and-run victims in Florida who have been injured by a hit-and-run driver have an uphill battle if the other driver is not found. However, the victims of hit-and-run accidents do have some insurance options through their own insurance (if previously purchased):

• Personal injury protection (PIP) coverage for medical bills
• Collision coverage to fix or pay for your own vehicle
• Medical payments (MedPay) for increased medical bill coverage
• Uninsured/underinsured motorist coverage for monetary damages
  
  

Speeding Accidents

Approximately 36,750 traffic deaths were reported by the National Safety Council in 2018. There is no doubt that traffic accidents are prevalent and dangerous. However, speeding accidents are even more likely to cause death or serious bodily harm.

Speeding often has a significant impact on the type of injuries that result, as well as the type of structural damage that can occur post impact. Speeding is dangerous, and the faster someone drives the more likely it is that a fatality will result from the impact.

Studies show that the most speed-related accidents happen during morning rush hour and evening rush hour. This may be because speeders find more of a need to speed during these hours or because there are more people on the road during these times.

Dangerous Road Accidents

While the majority of auto accidents occur because another driver acted in a negligent manner, driver error is not always the cause of an accident. In some instances, dangerous road conditions can cause drivers to lose control of their vehicles and collide with other cars, objects, bicyclists, pedestrians, wildlife, and more. Victims of accidents caused by dangerous roads still deserve to recover for all of their accident-related injuries and losses. However, lawsuits involving dangerous road accidents can be particularly complicated.

Florida Highway Accidents

Highway accidents can occur for a number of reasons. As in any other case alleging personal injury, a plaintiff must establish that some other party’s negligence caused the accident.

While there are seemingly countless ways that a Florida highway accident can occur, some are more common than others, including:

• Speeding
• Inadequate Vehicle Maintenance
• Brake Failure
• Distracted Driving
• Fatigued Driving
• Defectively Manufactured Vehicles
• Poor Weather Conditions
• Defectively Designed Roads
• Poorly Maintained Road Surfaces
• Driving While Impaired
• Steering Mechanism Failure
• Failure to Signal Lane Changes
• Sudden Starts or Stops
• Debris in the Roadway

It is crucial for victims to determine how their accident occurred in order to be able to establish legal liability. People who are involved in highway accidents should record as much information about the accident as they can. If possible, take pictures of the immediate aftermath of the accident. They can be extremely helpful in piecing together what occurred and proving liability. In addition, you should be sure to seek medical attention after an accident, even if you do not believe that you have sustained any serious injuries. Some injuries, such as whiplash, may be present without revealing their symptoms for days or even weeks after an accident has occurred.

Defective Highway Design Accidents

A significant number of accidents are the result of poor highway design or negligent maintenance. Issues such as rundown bridges, overgrown vegetation, poor signage, or worn-out pavement can all cause serious accidents. Generally speaking, state agencies and local governments are responsible for highway design and maintenance, so any claim arising from an accident that was caused by defective highway design or maintenance will be against the government.

While the Florida Tort Claims Act authorizes tort claims against the state and its various subdivisions, these actions are much different than tort claims against private parties. If you’ve been in an accident caused by defective highway design or maintenance, contact an accident lawyer immediately.

Intersection Car Accidents

Intersections are a particularly high-risk area for auto accidents, mainly due to the presence of vehicles traveling in multiple directions. Often, where two or more roads meet, there are vehicles turning right, left, and crossing over an intersection, which significantly increases the risk of a vehicle collision.

As in any other case alleging personal injury, a plaintiff asserting a legal claim arising from an intersection accident must establish that the accident occurred due to someone else’s negligence. There are many ways that a car accident at an intersection can be the result of negligence, such as:

• Speeding
• Poor Weather Conditions
• Malfunctioning Traffic Signals
• Distracted Driving
• Brake failure
• Driving While Impaired
• Driver Fatigue
• Failure to Observe Traffic Signals

Establishing negligence for a collision at an intersection can be a time consuming process that involves anything from collecting witness testimony to acquiring traffic camera footage. If you’ve been injured in an accident at an intersection, an experienced auto accident lawyer can help.

Free Auto Accident Consultation

Commercial Vehicle Accidents

Florida law recognizes people and companies that are in the business of transporting goods or passengers along regular routes as “common carriers.” As a result, many commercial vehicles are considered common carriers. They are distinct from “private carriers” in that common carriers make their services available to the general public, while private carriers do not. The most popular examples of common carriers include:

• Limousine Companies
• Trucking Companies
• Bus Lines
• Taxi Cabs
• Train Companies
• Freight Lines
• Bus Tour Companies
  
  

Passenger Van Accidents

Whether you are a passenger or a driver of a 15-passenger van, or a pedestrian or cyclist sharing the road with one, accidents involving these vehicles can be devastating. A significant number of passenger van accidents are the direct result of driver negligence.

If the driver of a 15-passenger van in which you were riding was employed by a company, the legal doctrine of respondent superior may allow victims to bring a suit against the driver’s employer. Since Florida is a no-fault state, the circumstances under which you can sue are limited. After an accident, you should be sure to discuss the circumstances of your accident with an experienced Florida auto accident lawyer as soon as possible.

Bus Accidents

When dealing with bus accidents, it is essential to determine why an accident occurred in order to be able to hold the proper party liable. If, for example, a tire was negligently designed or manufactured and caused a blowout leading to an accident, the manufacturer of the tire could potentially be liable for any injuries that resulted. If, on the other hand, bus driver error caused the accident, the bus driver or their employer may be the appropriate party to sue. An experienced accident lawyer will investigate the circumstances of your accident and determine from whom you may be able to recover damages.

Commercial buses, such as charter buses and tour buses, are in the business of transporting people for financial gain, so they are held to a higher standard of care than other parties on the road. Bus companies and drivers that operate commercially—known as “common carriers”— are legally required to use the “highest degree of care that is consistent with the type of transportation used and the practical operation of the business of a common carrier of passengers.” In addition to this heightened standard of care, buses are also subject to a myriad of state and federal regulations that are intended to ensure the safety of their passengers and others on the road.

Taxi Accidents

The aftermath of a taxi accident can be more complicated than other auto accidents, but compensation for personal injuries and property damage may be higher. Taxi drivers are professionals who are subject to more regulations and higher expectations than non-commercial drivers. (Uber car accidents can be similarly complicated since their drivers have less regulations and insurance requirements.)

Since PIP may not apply, you may have to spend more time and do more work to recover after an accident. That being said, insurance limits are usually much higher for taxi accidents, resulting in a more complete recovery. While you’re wrangling for your benefits, you may also be able to efficiently recover additional damages you may have suffered, such as emotional distress and physical pain and suffering. The best way to ensure you recover the damages you deserve from a taxi accident is to speak with an experienced auto accident lawyer about your case.

Semitruck Accidents

How common are tractor trailer accidents in Florida? According to the FLHSMV, nearly 32,000 accidents occurred involving large trucks in Florida in 2017. Of those, 27 people were killed, 126 people were incapacitated, and 1,053 suffered other injuries.

According to the NHTSA, fatal injuries in trucking crashes typically involve passengers in smaller automobiles; more than 90%of all truck accident fatalities are attributed to occupants of passenger cars. In many truck accidents, the truck driver may have acted negligently. Whether the truck driver failed to obey the rules of the road or was distracted while driving, our accident lawyers can help you hold a truck driver liable for any damages you sustained in a severe truck collision.

Recoverable Damages in Florida Auto Accident Cases

Victims of auto accidents in Florida may be eligible for compensation for the following types of losses:

1. Past, Present, and Future Medical Expenses
2. Lost Income Due to Missing Work
3. Loss of Future Earning Potential
4. Compensation for Pain and Suffering
5. Loss of Consortium
6. Disfigurement
7. Permanent Disability

While it may be tempting to take on an insurance company or private entity on your own, the best way to ensure you recover the full amount of damages available to you for your injuries is to contact an experienced auto accident lawyer about your case.

Car Accident Resources

• What to Do After a Car Accident
• A Car Accident Lawsuit Timeline - What to Expect
• Common Long-Term Medical Costs After an Accident
• Can a Pre-Existing Condition Hurt My Car Accident Case?
• Questions to Ask a Personal Injury Lawyer

Auto Accident Lawyer (Free Consultation)

At Vasilaros Wagner, we are dedicated to representing anyone who has been injured in an auto accident in the Daytona Beach and Palm Coast areas. If you, or a loved one, have been injured in an auto accident of any kind, our friendly and knowledgeable legal team is here to help. Whether you’ve been in a major accident or a minor one, our experienced auto accident lawyers will work on your behalf to recover losses for you so you can focus on recovering from your accident. You can call us 24/7 at 386-777-7777 or fill out our online contact form for a free consultation.