SCHEDULE A FREE CONSULTATION TODAY! NO RECOVERY NO FEE
Call: 407.612.6464 • 863.324.3500
SCHEDULE A FREE CONSULTATION TODAY! NO RECOVERY NO FEE
Call: 407.612.6464 • 863.324.3500
Car accidents are scary, cause severe injuries and can create long-term financial deficits. In Florida alone, there were 3,185 car crash fatalities with a total of 2,951 fatal crashes in the year 2019. On average, 236,753 injuries were caused by car crashes per year. It can be a while before you recover from your wounds and your financial losses.
When you are not at fault for your damages, you should seek a settlement to receive compensation from the other party. You can speak with a dedicated Orlando car accident law firm like The Turnbull Law Firm that can contact the other party’s insurance company to negotiate a fair settlement amount. This way, you can be at ease while you recover from your injuries.
Car accident lawyers are well educated in the field of Orlando car accidents. They provide helpful advice in all of the following areas:
Auto accident lawyers will review your case at no upfront cost. You can find out if your car accident is due a compensation based on who was at fault. If you are not at fault, then your attorney will guide you on the next steps. Florida is a no-fault state, and that means if you were injured in a car accident, your insurance company has to pay the bills and any other damages.
This is regardless of who is at fault. Based on your insurance policy, you typically would have full coverage or have a copay. However, most insurance companies don’t compensate you for pain and suffering. That means that you still have to file a claim or file a lawsuit against the other driver. Your car accident lawyer can also guide you in dealing with an uninsured motorist, as each state has different regulations.
Once it has been decided that you are due a settlement, your attorney gets to work. They will dig deeper and ask you many detailed questions to get a clear idea of what happened at the accident scene. You will have to talk about any personal injury you sustained, such as wounds, pain and suffering and lost wages. To help your lawyer, you can provide receipts, bills, pictures and a description of how you feel. They will use this information to estimate how much compensation you deserve.
Your car accident lawyer will keep all of your information organized. The information provided will be shown to the other parties to review the number of damages you experienced. Keeping all of this information on record is key to providing evidence of the financial loss the car accident caused you. The documents will then be sent out to all involved parties.
Negotiation for Orlando car accident settlements can go on for a long time. It can take months to a year for you and the other parties to agree on an amount. Because of this, you will need frequent updates as you have to review the other party’s responses before you make a decision. Again, your attorney will be in control of all communication and reply to others on your behalf.
If no one can agree on a compensation amount, your attorney will represent you in court. Again, your car accident lawyer will prepare and draft documents, then submit your claim on your behalf. Typically, the other party’s insurance company will want to avoid court and settle or negotiate at the pretrial meeting.
However, in the worst-case scenario, your bodily injury law firm will still have you covered. Your attorney will explain your case before the jury, who then decides who is to blame for all of your losses. Juries take the plaintiff’s side in most cases, so you may see a court order enforcing the other party to pay you the compensation you deserve.
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Sanga Turnbull is the founder and principal attorney at The Turnbull Law Firm, a Florida law firm helping personal injury victims in Winter Haven and Orlando recover compensation for harm done to them by the negligence of others. The comprehensive personal injury practice at The Turnbull Firm includes all manner of motor vehicle accidents, nursing home neglect and abuse, slip and fall, workplace and industrial accidents, medical malpractice, catastrophic injury, wrongful death, and more. Injury victims or their families are invited to call The Turnbull Firm for a no-cost, confidential consultation about any potential claims they may have.
SANGA TURNBULL - BIOGRAPHY › › ›
Sanga Turnbull is the founder and principal attorney at The Turnbull Law Firm, a Florida law firm helping personal injury victims in Winter Haven and Orlando recover compensation for harm done to them by the negligence of others. The comprehensive personal injury practice at The Turnbull Firm includes all manner of motor vehicle accidents, nursing home neglect and abuse, slip and fall, workplace and industrial accidents, medical malpractice, catastrophic injury, wrongful death, and more. Injury victims or their families are invited to call The Turnbull Firm for a no-cost, confidential consultation about any potential claims they may have.
SANGA TURNBULL - BIOGRAPHY › › ›
When you are ready to consult with a lawyer, you should take action and gather evidence to help them prove your case. Every detail matters, so you will need to include as much information as possible.
Medical Care
After a car accident, you need to see a doctor. Don’t delay getting treated; try to get medical help immediately after your collision. Your doctor will let you know all of your injuries and inform you of your soft tissue injuries. This will help prevent your injuries from getting worse and get you on the path to a quick recovery. Your insurance company will cover the bills. However, you still should keep all your receipts and records of the medical bills. This will support your claim of pain and suffering.
You can also ask your doctor to write a letter on how your injuries affect your ability to work and function. This is because Florida law requires your insurance company only to cover 60% of your lost earning capacity and income and 80% of your medical bills under personal injury protection (PIP) insurance. You can still seek compensation for your lost wages by having your attorney prove your damages exceed this amount to the other party’s insurance company.
Police Report
You will want to get a police report that officially documents your car accident. This is so that you can include your input in the report, further supporting your claim. Sometimes, the police officer will cite the other driver. This can work to your advantage as that also shows that the other party is at fault somehow. You can later obtain the police report for your attorney to include in your claim.
Truck Accident
Truck accidents are treated differently, and you will need to ask the police department for additional information. Truck accidents often result in wrongful death incidents, where 4,119 people died from a large truck crash in 2019. After a truck accident has occurred, the police officer will make a separate traffic incident report, known as the truck driver’s inspection report. A truck driver’s vehicle requires a certified inspector to check for any issues with its function before relocating to a mechanic.
Your attorney may also request the truck driver’s work history, driving records, background check and other information. If the truck driver is unqualified, this can increase your compensation amount. Additional information can be used to further your case, such as inclinometers, GPS systems and other devices in the truck that keep track of how the vehicle is operating on the road.
Photographic Evidence
You should take pictures of the car accident you were in, the area it happened in and the damage done to your car. If there are tire tracks on the road, take photographs of that as well. Try to include the other cars’ wreckage to help create a story of what occurred. You should also take pictures of your injuries. This will help your attorney prove your claim by showing the severity of your car accident.
Collect Contact Information
You shouldn’t leave the scene of the accident without collecting information from the other involved parties. You will want their name, phone number, email and home address. This is so they cannot dodge you if your attorney tries to contact them. You will need their insurance company contact information, insurance policy number and driver’s license number.
If it is a truck driver, you will need their employer’s contact information and the trucking company’s name. Make sure you also write down the truck’s license plate number. You will also need to collect information from any witnesses on the scene. Their name, number and email will be all you need. Your attorney can contact them at a later date to help them provide testimony for your claim.
Speak With An Attorney
After gathering all of this information, you will want to meet with your attorney. They will take over from this point and help make the settlement process easier for you. Your attorney will also instruct you on how to interact with your insurance company so you don’t reduce your policy benefits by mistake.
You must let your insurance company know what happened. Tell them your side of the story and explain what happened. Also, include in detail all of the physical injuries you received from the accident. This way, they can help cover your medical bills up to the allowable amount.
What Can Increase My Settlement?
Every car accident is unique, which means that the settlement amount can range significantly from small to astronomical. Of course, it all depends on the circumstances around your car accident.
Severity Of Injuries
If your wounds caused a permanent disability, then your settlement will be much higher. For example, brain trauma, paralysis, scars and disfigurement and spinal cord injuries can cause permanent damage. You can also receive lacerations, punctured organs and severe burns in a car accident. This means that you may need surgery, organ replacement, physical therapy and ongoing treatment.
Gross Negligence
When the other driver has been acting extremely irresponsible and demonstrated abnormal behavior, the settlement will go up. This is because the other driver put your life at risk by driving irresponsibly. This is especially the case if they had malicious intent and didn’t have your best interest at heart.
Pain And Suffering
Your pain and suffering are estimated by your attorney using a multiplier. While this may be based on the severity of the car damages, it will also depend on how much emotional anguish you struggled with. Your personal account of what happened will matter. For example, your injuries may make you feel embarrassed or incapable of living everyday life. Depression and other forms of sadness can ruin your life.
Next Steps For Your Claim
In Florida, the statute of limitations for claiming a settlement from the date of your car accident is two years. So don’t wait until you’re deep in medical bill debt before asking for help. Your Orlando car accident lawyer can do their best to fight for your right to compensation. In a no-fault state, insurance companies only cover so much in terms of damages. The rest has to be obtained from the other party’s insurance. Seek help from a supportive team. Contact The Turnbull Law Firm by calling 407.612.6464 or 863.324.3500 , or click this link today for a free consultation.
