Car Accident Lawyers Serving Deerfield Beach

Car accidents occur daily in Deerfield Beach. Most of the time, these accidents result from the negligence or carelessness of other drivers. In these situations, most car accident victims are at a loss on what the next steps are to take. However, with an auto accident lawyer, you can have much less to be concerned about. In fact, by hiring an experienced and skilled attorney from Deerfield Beach, FL, practicing around such issues, you are in greater hands.

Auto accident injuries may be mild or severe. Though rare, they could potentially lead to death. For example, in 2019, there were 21 deaths from Deerfield Beach auto accidents. However, car accident injuries generally require costly treatments, depending on the severity.

Victims often wonder who is responsible when these accidents happen. Their main focus tends to be on the circumstances surrounding who is responsible for the bills and whether it is possible to seek compensation beyond medical costs. Additionally, someone may wonder if they should hire an attorney.

Anyone driving in Florida can be involved in an accident with another vehicle even when most collisions are avoidable. Drivers need to be vigilant and make the right decisions while driving. Yet, that is not always the case.

Below are some of the most common causes of car crashes on Deerfield Beach roads:

When driving through a highly populated state like Florida, drivers must be completely alert as the unexpected can happen at any time. Unfortunately, many drivers expose themselves to various forms of distractions. These distractions include:

• Taking Hands Off the Steering Wheel

It is never wise for drivers to take their hands off the steering wheel even if it is to operate an app, text, or make a phone call. The inexact nature of our busy Deerfield Beach roads requires drivers to be ready to make sudden maneuvers, and being distracted can be unfortunate. A distracted driver is unlikely to provide a swift response when required. More significantly, they are more prone to colliding with other vehicles. For this reason, drivers must resist the urge to use their hands for any activity outside driving.

• Taking Eyes Off the Road

Deerfield Beach, Florida, is no doubt a beautiful city. Thus, a million things can cause drivers to take their eyes off the road. Therefore, focusing their eyes on what matters the most requires a bit of discipline when behind the wheel. Drivers need to have full concentration of their eyes to avoid an accident. This is because one moment of taking your eyes off the road is pretty dangerous and can cause a crash.

• Taking the Mind off the Road

It is natural for the human mind to wander away once in a while. However, when driving, it could be pretty dangerous. Driving requires a lot of mental focus and alertness. Statistics suggest that the driver will likely cause a crash when the mind strays away. 

You could be involved in a Deerfield Beach car crash with a driver who refused to obey traffic laws or use road safety provisions. For example, a Deerfield Beach driver can refuse to comply with a stop sign or a red light. In this case, they become responsible for any injuries such actions result.

• Driving Under the Influence

In Florida, driving under the influence of alcohol or a substance isn’t only a crime; it's dangerous. Driving is a delicate activity that, if not done with care, can cause loss of life. That’s why a driver’s mind must be free from any substance that can influence their mental clarity on the road. Safe driving requires the driver to be in the right state of mind. The use of alcohol or a substance can significantly impede the driver’s ability to make good judgments, react to sudden situations, and concentrate on the road.

For alcohol intake, Florida law has set a limit on blood content. A driver's blood alcohol concentration (BAC) level shows how much alcohol their blood contains. Florida law considers it dangerous and a crime for drivers to have more than a 0.08% BAC when driving.

• Speeding

There are safe and unsafe speeds drivers must follow or avoid. Drivers must move at reasonable speeds to show consideration for the safety of other road users. When drivers run at dangerous speeds, they increase their chances of causing an accident, as overspeeding reduces the driver’s ability to react fast enough to avert an accident.

Driving at high speeds also increases the force of impact of an accident. Therefore, when a speeding driver causes injuries to the victims involved in the car accident, Florida law may consider that driver as reckless and liable for a lawsuit.

Drivers in Deerfield Beach can be involved in several types of car accidents. Each type of accident has one or two peculiar characteristics around them:

• Head-On Collision

Head-on collisions, also called frontal collisions, happen when two cars collide facing each other. For head-on collisions to occur, both cars must approach each other in opposite directions. Head-on collisions usually happen due to distracted driving or driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs. When they occur, the injuries sustained are usually on a higher scale of severity. Some of the most expensive car accident injuries to treat happen in head-on collisions.

• Rear-End Collision

Rear-end collisions happen between two cars that are facing the same direction. One car receives an impact from the back, while the other receives an impact from the front. There are several reasons why rear-end collisions happen on Deerfield Beach roads, such as:

• The lead car develops a fault and remains on the road before the tail car rams into it from behind.
• The driver of the lead car begins to reverse all of a sudden.
• The lead car’s driver suddenly applies the brakes.
• The lead car’s brake lights are faulty.
• The rear vehicle continues to tailgate the leading vehicle.

Most of the time, the lead car driver might be responsible for the collision. However, it is never easy to prove who is at fault in those types of cases. Therefore, obtain legal advice from a competent attorney.

Multiple vehicle collisions usually occur after a rear-end collision. However, more than two drivers or vehicles are involved in this type of collision. A popular multiple-collision scenario happens in a line of cars. One car collides with another from the rear end, setting off a domino effect or a chain of collisions. The responsible party in a multiple collision is almost always one of the first two drivers directly involved in the collisions.

A side impact collision occurs when a car hits another from its side. Like other collisions, side impacts can lead to death or severe injuries. Side impacts are also called T-bone collisions to reflect the T-shape position of the cars. Many side impacts happen at road intersections (where two roads form a T-junction). Others happen when drivers attempt to merge into another part of the road or when making U-turns.

After a car accident in Florida, our next steps are crucial. Unfortunately, many car accident victims are at a loss about what to do next. Here are the correct steps for handling a car mishap:

• Check for Injuries

After a car accident, the first thing we should do is check for injuries. Look out for cuts, bruises, burns, or any other physical damage to your body. Also, check for pains in any parts of your body.

• Go to a Safer Place

Understand that we do not control our location after a car accident. Often, we could find ourselves anywhere on the road or outside the vehicle. Our location after a car accident is crucial to our safety. Therefore, we must ensure that we are clear of harm’s way. If we find ourselves on the road, we must consider moving to the sidewalk or lawns.

Staying on the hot tarred road could worsen injuries and burn the skin. However, if you find it difficult to move or feel pain when you try to, you shouldn’t force it. Depending on the nature or severity of your injuries, any further movement could make things worse.

• Call for Help

Alert the authorities about the accident by calling “9-1-1.” Then, disclose the nature of your distress and provide your location on the phone. Afterward, the emergency medical team will be on their way, and the police will come to assess the scene and write an official report. When the emergency team arrives, allow them to help you. Refusing medical attention could harm your chances of successfully seeking adequate compensation. The insurance company could argue that you refused to receive medical attention because you were not hurt severely.

Also, the hormone rush accompanying an accident can mask your pain and make it seem like you aren’t hurt. Also, your injuries may be internal and invisible. Whatever the case may be, allow the emergency medical team to assist you to rule out delayed injuries.

• Obtain the Other Driver’s Information

If you can speak with the other driver, it's advisable to write their contact information down. The driver's details, such as their name and insurance information, are crucial. While at it, ensure you control your utterances. Never reveal too much about yourself; only provide relevant data such as contact address. Also, do not downplay the gravity of your injury, and never apologize or mention that you aren’t seriously hurt. If you do any of this, the driver might use your words against you during the compensation claim.

• Speak With the Witnesses

Identify the eyewitnesses in the car accident and note their contact information for future reference. The testimony of eyewitnesses can determine the success of a compensation claim and swing the court’s opinion in your favor.

• Gather Evidence

The accident scene is full of evidence that can help your pursuit of compensation. However, if you are too weak to do so, ask bystanders to help you record the scene. Photos, videos, and voice recordings of the scene are valuable information in a compensation claim. They can tell the story of what transpired more than we can.

• Reach Out to a Lawyer

Lawyers are almost indispensable after a car accident. Car accident lawyers located in Deerfield Beach, FL, have received training in helping car accident victims win their compensation claims. In addition, an attorney is knowledgeable about what the law says about your case. It's also the lawyer’s job to let you know the right decisions to make while seeking compensation. Accident lawyers will also prepare you to meet your insurance company to report the accident as soon as possible. They will handle the conversation with the insurer to prevent mistakes.

Every state makes laws concerning car accidents or personal injury claims. For example, Florida has no-fault laws preventing victims from suing the responsible risky driver for medical bills. So even when the other driver is fully at-fault for the crash, you cannot successfully win a claim against them.

Your personal injury protection (PIP) coverage will cater to your medical bills after the car accident. Florida law says your PIP should cover 80% of medical bills and 60% of your lost income or wages after a car crash. Unfortunately, insurance companies do not pay for damages outside of those ranges.

The major non-economic damages people claim after a car accident are related to pain and suffering. Unfortunately, PIP doesn’t pay for pain and suffering in Florida's no-fault system. Therefore, those who want compensation must file a personal injury lawsuit. However, only persons who sustained serious injuries can sue for pain and suffering in addition to the medical bills and lost income. For injuries to be termed “serious,” they must meet the following conditions.

• The injury poses a risk of death
• The injury led to a disfigurement
• The injury led to a loss of a body function or damaged an organ or body part

Our lawyers can always help you know if your injury qualifies as severe under these conditions.

Plaintiffs must file a personal injury claim to seek compensation for a car accident within the allotted time. Florida law allows two years from the date of the accident to pursue legal action. If the accident results in a death, the dead victim’s family has two years to take legal action. This timeframe is called the statute of limitations and varies from state to state. After the statute of limitations elapses, no car accident claims will be valid. However, even if you haven’t filed a claim after two years, you may still have an opportunity to file a claim. This is because some states’ statutes recognize exceptions to their general rule. If there are, your lawyer will let you know.

Time is a crucial factor in car accident injury compensation. Thankfully, Florida Statutes Section 627.736 recognizes this and places a deadline for insurance companies to verify your claim. The law says that the insurance company must end its investigations into the accident within 30 days of receiving adequate notice from the policyholder. The insurance company must also deny or accept the claim within this period.

In personal injury cases involving car accidents, no amount can pay for the pain and suffering that accident victims experience. In fact, no amount of compensation will make a person whole again after an accident. However, financial support from the insured driver who’s at fault does help. For this reason, there is no limit to what you can receive as financial compensation. However, personal injury lawsuits aim to seek compensation that is needed. To seek a settlement, it's well-advised to hire the services of experienced and skilled legal practitioners.

Auto accident attorneys understand the legal terrain of personal injury lawsuits. Like fish in water, they can best help you find your way through any complexity in your case. A car accident attorney more or less acts as your ally through the compensation recovery process, from start to finish.

Victims of Deerfield Beach, Florida, car accidents have to surmount the challenge of finding the best personal injury lawyers. An experienced lawyer could be all you need to seek the compensation you deserve. As a result, don’t allow your personal injury case to be handled without deciding who to work with. If you’ve been involved in a car accident in Deerfield Beach and are searching for car accident lawyers near you, you shouldn’t look too far. Frankl Kominsky Injury Lawyers have helped many clients that were seeking compensation for car accident claims (by appointment only).

If PIP fails to provide adequate financial protection, you can go against the at-fault party. Call us at (561) 800-8000 to begin your journey toward seeking the accountability and compensation you need. We offer complimentary initial case reviews.