Road rules intended to prevent accidents include yielding to the vehicle with the right-of-way. However, driver distraction, confusion, and inexperience can still lead to accidents; unfortunately, some collisions can result in serious injuries.
If you or a loved one were hurt in a car accident because another driver didn’t follow the rules, a Tampa failure-to-yield car accident lawyer could handle your legal case so you can focus on your recovery. Contact our Tampa personal injury law firm today for a free consultation.
What Is Failure to Yield?
Florida’s right-of-way laws (Florida Statutes § 316.121) aim to protect drivers, bicyclists, and pedestrians by creating a safe traffic flow for everyone. It’s about preventing accidents so everyone can safely share the road and reach their destination.
An accident can happen when a driver fails to yield by not allowing the vehicle, bicyclist, or pedestrian with the right-of-way to take their turn to proceed. Failure to yield is incredibly dangerous and can cause serious accidents and fatalities. Thus, understanding who has the right of way on any roadway is essential.
Damages a Tampa Failure-to-Yield Lawyer Can Recover for You
In Florida, you can hold a driver liable for damages if you suffer a serious injury in a failure-to-yield car accident. The compensation you can receive depends on the severity of your injuries and the resulting monetary and non-monetary losses you suffer.
While some states set a limit on recoverable damages, Florida has no caps on economic and non-economic damages. Depending on your case, you can pursue several compensatory damages, including:
- Medical expenses
- Future medical costs
- Lost income and benefits
- Childcare costs
- Home services expenses
- Physical therapy
- Property damage
- Pain and suffering
- Mental anguish
- Emotional distress
- Psychological trauma
- Loss of enjoyment of life
- Disability
- Disfigurement
- Loss of companionship with your spouse
The amount of settlement you could receive varies from case to case. Factors influencing a settlement amount include the injury’s severity, medical expenses, degree of negligence, and available evidence. All these factors may be considered when determining how much you receive in a settlement.
Wrongful Death Damages
Losing someone you love in an accident is tragic and painful, especially if it is a wrongful death that could have been prevented. We offer our sincere condolences for your loss and our support to get the compensation you deserve to rebuild your life and find closure.
In the event of a wrongful death due to a fatal car accident in Tampa, compensation can be awarded to the surviving family members. Our attorneys can help you pursue damages for the following:
- Burial and funeral costs
- Medical expenses
- Lost companionship
- Pain and suffering
- Lost wages
- Future income earnings that would have been provided if the decedent had survived
In such cases, experienced attorneys can help bring justice to those involved and provide necessary financial relief for family members left behind. We can discuss this matter further during your free consultation.
Hiring a Tampa Failure-to-Yield Car Accident Lawyer Can Benefit Your Case
Navigating the legal process alone can be frustrating and intimidating if you are unfamiliar with how the law works. Hiring a Tampa car accident lawyer to represent you ensures you have an advocate looking out for your best interests.
Working with an experienced lawyer also lifts the burden of building your case off your shoulders so you can take the time to heal or grieve. There are other benefits to having an attorney on your side, including:
- Investigate the accident: Our firm will use extensive resources to investigate the accident to determine the cause and who is liable. We will gather evidence such as police reports, traffic camera footage, photographs, witness accounts, and expert opinions.
- Calculate your claim: We will determine your claim’s value by considering your medical bills, lost income, cost of services, pain and suffering, and other compensatory damages. If the insurance company makes an initial settlement offer, we can determine if it’s fair.
- Regular case updates: We will regularly communicate with you via phone calls or email and provide you with frequent updates about your case.
- Car repairs: We will help you get repairs for your vehicle so you and your family won’t go without transportation.
- Schedule appointments: We understand this is a difficult time, so we can help schedule appointments for you.
- Negotiate a settlement: We want you to get fair compensation, so we will enter negotiations with the insurance company to secure a fair settlement on your behalf.
- File a lawsuit: If necessary, we prepare cases for trial and will represent you in court. We are not afraid to fight for you in court.
We will do everything we can to support you during this difficult time. Your lawyer will guide you through the legal process, ensuring that all applicable statutes and regulations are met when filing your accident claim. You are not alone.
Determining Liability After a Failure-to-Yield Car Accident in Tampa
Liability can be tricky in failure-to-yield accidents, but piecing together evidence can determine who is at fault for the accident. This is why individuals involved in the incident must take steps to document every aspect of the collision, from accident scene photographs to eyewitness testimonies.
If, for example, a driver runs a stop sign and collides with another vehicle in an intersection, it may not be immediately clear who is liable for the accident. However, the driver who ran the stop sign will be liable because the other vehicle had the right-of-way.
Determining liability is the key to proving you have a compensation case. We strongly urge you to obtain legal representation and consult an attorney about your case. Our law firm primarily handles personal injury and wrongful death claims resulting from failure to yield.
Common Causes of Failure-to-Yield Accidents
Determining how the crash happened can help build a strong case against the negligent driver. Leading causes of failure-to-yield accidents include:
- Intoxication
- Driver error
- Aggressiveness
- Inexperience
- Distracted driving
Any accident resulting from a failure to yield can cause serious injuries that leave you in pain with costly medical bills and lost income. Victims may suffer broken bones, traumatic brain injury, and other severe injuries that require immediate medical care.
Types of Failure-to-Yield Accidents
This type of accident is especially dangerous at intersections when drivers fail to observe other vehicles’ right of way. It can also happen when motorists don’t follow the rules of merging onto highways and roads. A driver can fail to yield in several other ways, all of which present risks to those involved:
- Failing to yield at stop signs and lights
- Failing to yield to oncoming traffic when turning
- Failing to yield when exiting a driveway
- Failing to yield to first responders, such as police and paramedics
- Failing to yield to pedestrians and bicyclists
Drivers must pay close attention when on the road, especially at intersections and crossroads, to avoid a failure-to-yield accident. These types of accidents can result in severe and fatal injuries. If you were hurt, a personal injury lawyer could help prove the at-fault driver’s negligent actions.
Consult With a Failure-to-Yield Car Accident Attorney in Tampa Today
You can seek compensation if you were seriously hurt in a car accident because the driver failed to yield. The Law Offices of Anidjar & Levine offer free initial consultations to prospective clients and work on a contingency fee basis, so you don’t pay us unless we win your case.
Our attorneys can guide accident victims through the entire legal process, from filing suits to negotiating settlements, and handle any appeals if necessary. We are ready to work on your case, so contact us for help from a Tampa failure-to-yield car accident lawyer today.