Call us today at 1-800-747-3733 to get a free consultation. A car accident lawyer in Baker County, FL can let you know if you might be eligible for compensation for your injuries.
When you are dealing with the pain and distress of injuries from the accident, having an experienced car accident lawyer take care of your legal matters lets you devote your time and attention to your health and well-being. If someone’s carelessness caused you harm, give us a call today.
Elements of Liability in Car Collisions
Before we can go after compensation for your losses from a car accident in Baker County, Florida, we have to prove all three of these factors:
Duty of care. The defendant must have owed you a legal duty of care. For example, all drivers have a responsibility to follow the law and drive carefully.
Breach of the duty of care. It is negligence when someone fails to measure up to the standards imposed by a legal duty of care. Let’s say that the defendant changed lanes without looking. Her failure to keep a proper lookout and to check for traffic when changing lanes is negligence.
Causation. The defendant’s negligence must be the factor that caused the accident and your injuries. If the defendant’s car careened into yours because of her failure to check before changing lanes and you got injured as a result, the facts of this scenario satisfy all three elements for imposing liability on the defendant for your losses.
Three Things to Do After a Car Accident in Baker County, FL
Every situation is different, and the steps you should take after a collision will depend on the facts of your case. In general, it is a good idea to do these three things after an accident:
Get medical care. The first thing you should do after an accident is to get medical care to evaluate and treat your injuries. You stand the best chance of a good physical recovery with early diagnosis and treatment. Also, some harm, like internal bleeding, or neck or back injuries, do not always have immediate symptoms.
Another benefit of getting medical care right after the accident is that we can use the records from the doctor and hospital to prove that the accident caused your injuries. If you wait several days, trying to “tough it out,” the insurance company is likely to defend against your claim with the argument that the accident did not cause your injuries. The insurance carrier will say that some other event, not the collision, hurt you.
Talk to a lawyer. Although Florida law does not require you to have the lawyer handle your injury claim from a car accident, it can be a smart decision to do so. The insurance company has teams of lawyers, investigators, claims adjusters, and other professionals all teaming up to pay you as little money as possible. When you have suffered an injury in a car accident, it is no time to handle the matter as a DIY project.
Once you have a lawyer handling your injury claim, the insurance company is not supposed to bother you. If the insurer calls you, tell them to talk to your lawyer. We will deal directly with the insurance company on your behalf so that you do not have to deal with their high-pressure tactics.
Follow your doctor’s orders. Unless there is a very good reason to do otherwise, you should complete the treatment plan your doctor prescribes. If you do not, and you have residual problems from your injuries, the insurance company will assert that you could have achieved better healing if you had finished all the prescribed therapy and treatment.
Compensation for Your Car Accident Injury Claim
A car accident lawyer in Baker County, FL cannot say how much your injury claim is worth without talking with you and looking into the facts of your case. Every case is different. Even two people sitting in the same car during the accident can have vastly different injuries.
Some of the common types of damages people can recover for a car accident in Baker County, Florida, include:
- Lost wages, for the pay you lost because of the accident and the recuperation time. This category can include wages, salary, self-employment, and other income.
- Diminished earning capacity, if your injuries leave you incapable of making as much money as you did before the accident.
- Disability, if you cannot work to support yourself because of your injuries.
- Medical expenses, for the reasonable treatment you needed because of the car accident. This category can include things like the ambulance, emergency room, hospital, surgery, doctors, prescription drugs, and physical therapy.
- Rehabilitation center, if you needed extended treatment at a specialized facility for catastrophic injuries, like spinal cord damage or traumatic brain injury.
- Long-term care, if devastating injuries cause you to need daily assistance with medical treatments and personal care.
- Equipment and modifications, if you need things like wheelchairs, breathing equipment, home modifications, and adaptive vehicles because of significant injuries.
- Pain and suffering, for the physical discomfort and mental distress you endured from the accident.
- Other intangible losses, like loss of enjoyment of life, disfigurement, and your spouse’s claim for loss of consortium.
How a Car Accident Lawyer Can Help with Your Baker County, FL Injury Case
An experienced car accident lawyer can help you avoid the pitfalls that can lower the value of your injury claim. Insurance companies often get people to settle their injury claims early on, for far less money than they deserve.
If you settle before you have healed completely, you do not know if you are going to suffer complications or have lifelong problems from the injuries. Once you settle your claim, the insurance company is not going to pay you more money.
Call the Law Offices of Anidjar & Levine today at 1-800-747-3733 for a free consultation with a car accident lawyer in Baker County, FL. We do not charge upfront legal fees because we handle car accident cases on a contingent fee basis. Our legal fees will come out of the settlement or award at the end of the case.
We Can Help.
