The car accident lawyers at the Law Offices of Anidjar & Levine can help you with your injury claim from an accident in St. Johns County, Florida. We can investigate the accident, gather the evidence, and deal directly with the insurance company so that you do not have to. When we handle your legal matters, you can focus on your health.
To get your free case evaluation, call us at 1-800-747-3733 and find out if you might be eligible for compensation. There is no obligation.
The Factors of Negligence in St. Johns County, FL Car Accident Claims
We will have to prove all three of these factors to hold the at-fault driver responsible for paying your losses:
Duty of care. The defendant must have owed you a duty of care under the law. For example, all drivers have a responsibility to obey the law when operating motor vehicles on the roads.
Breach of the duty of care. It is negligence when someone violates a legal duty of care. Let’s say that the at-fault driver failed to stop at a stop sign. Failing to follow the rules of the road is negligence.
Causation. The defendant’s negligence must be the cause of the accident and your injuries. If the collision happened because the defendant ran a stop sign and your injuries resulted from that accident, the facts satisfy the causation element for liability.
What You Should Do After a Car Accident
The steps that you take after a car accident can have a great impact on your compensation claim. Every case is different, so you should base your actions on the facts of your situation. To protect your health and your right to collect damages for your losses, some of the steps you should consider include:
Medical care. One of the first things you should do after a collision is to get professional medical attention. Most injuries have the best possible outcome if you treat them when they are fresh. Complications can develop if you delay the start of treatment.
Some injuries, like neck or back injuries or internal bleeding, do not always exhibit symptoms right away. If you have been in a significant accident, you should get a professional physical examination and evaluation.
Your medical records will be valuable evidence to link the car accident to your injuries. If you wait several days to seek medical care, the at-fault driver’s insurance company can argue that something other than the accident caused your injuries.
Talk with a lawyer. The sooner you talk with a car accident lawyer in St. Johns County after your accident, the better. The insurance company will not delay in trying to get the matter off of its books, so you need to get someone on your side. You do not have a legal obligation to have an attorney help you go after the compensation you deserve, but it can be wise to have a professional take on the insurance company on your behalf.
Insurance adjusters like to contact injured people and ask them to give recorded statements. The purpose of recorded statement is not to help you get a fair settlement. Claims adjusters can use these statements to devalue your claim, by twisting your words and taking them out of context. If you have a lawyer, when the adjuster calls about a recorded statement, you can tell him to talk to your attorney.
Follow your doctor’s orders. Completing the medical treatment will usually give you the best likelihood of optimal recovery of function. In addition to protecting your long-term health, finishing the care that your doctor prescribed can help to preserve the value of your injury claim. If you have residual impairment, the insurance company might refuse to pay for that loss of function by claiming that you would have had a better outcome if you had completed the treatment.
Damages in Car Accident Cases
We cannot throw out a dollar amount for how much compensation people can collect after a car accident. Every case is unique. The amount of your claim will depend on the facts of your case. Some of the common types of damages from a car accident include:
- Lost wages, for the money you lost because of the accident and your recuperation time. This category can include wages, salary, self-employment, and other income.
- Loss of earning capacity, if your injuries make you incapable of making as much money as you could before the accident.
- Disability, if your injuries leave you unable to work to support yourself.
- Medical bills, for the reasonable cost of care you needed because of your injuries. These expenses can include the ambulance, emergency room, hospital, surgery, diagnostic procedures, doctors, physical therapy, and prescription drugs.
- 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 you need daily assistance with medical treatment and personal care because of your injuries.
- Pain and suffering, to compensate you for the physical discomfort and emotional distress you endured because of the accident.
- Other intangible damages, like disfigurement, depression, loss of enjoyment of life, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and your spouse’s claim for loss of consortium.
Getting Help from a Lawyer for Your St. Johns County, FL Car Accident
We perform a thorough investigation of all car accident claims we handle in St. Johns County, Florida. We gather the evidence to build your claim for compensation and to show whose carelessness caused the accident. After the investigation, our St. Johns County car accident lawyers evaluate the evidence and calculate a fair settlement to compensate you for your losses.
Because we negotiate directly with insurance companies, our clients do not have to deal with harassing phone calls and high-pressure tactics. When a lawyer represents you, the insurance company is not supposed to contact you.
A car accident lawyer in St. Johns County, FL handles claims on a contingent fee basis, which means that there are no upfront legal fees for you to pay. Our legal fees come out of the settlement or award at the end of the matter.
To get a free consultation, call the Law Offices of Anidjar & Levine today at 1-800-747-3733. There is no obligation.
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