You or a loved one may be a victim of a hit-and-run car accident and another driver’s extreme negligence. If so, you deserve compensation for your damages, and this compensation could come from the at-fault driver. However, if you file only insurance claims, you won’t be able to recover compensation from the other driver, and you likely won’t be able to recover all of your due damages from your insurers.
Our firm can negotiate with your insurers for more of your damages or help you file a lawsuit against the other driver. During a free consultation, we’ll tell you all about working with a Jacksonville hit-and-run car accident lawyer from our firm.
What Do PIP Insurance And PDL Insurance Compensate For?
If you file insurance claims through personal injury protection (PIP) insurance and property damage liability (PDL) insurance, you’ll be compensated for only basic, financial damages, like your medical bills. You likely won’t be compensated for most of your other financial damages or any of your non-financial damages, such as mental anguish.
It may be possible to negotiate with your insurers for these other damages. A Jacksonville car accident lawyer from our firm may more successfully negotiate for them. Alternatively, you and your lawyer may be able to file a lawsuit against the other driver for all of your damages.
Your lawyer could recover such damages as:
- Medical expenses
- Expenses for post-medical care
- Vehicle repair/replacement costs
- Costs for other personal property damaged or destroyed in the accident
- Lost income
- Income-earning ability loss
- Loss of consortium, if applicable
- Physical pain
- Mental/emotional suffering
Wrongful Death Damages
If you lost a loved one in the car accident, we’re very sorry for this loss. With a lawyer from our firm, you may be able to recover more damages for your family than you’d be able to recover on your own through insurance. These damages could include loss of companionship, loss of parental support, and many related losses.
What Is A Jacksonville Hit-and-Run Car Accident Case Worth?
Early in your case, your lawyer will help to determine which damages you can claim, what the values of your damages are, and how to pursue all of your damages. Then, your lawyer will give you a general idea of what your case may be worth.
To determine the values of your non-monetary damages, such as mental anguish, your lawyer will attribute monetary values to them. If you and your lawyer sue, your lawyer may be able to recover more damages for you than if you and your lawyer file insurance claims.
How Your Lawyer Will Establish Liability In Your Case
Your insurers or the other driver should be held liable for your damages. However, it isn’t easy to hold other parties liable. Your lawyer will have to show evidence that the other driver was negligent in your case. Such evidence could be:
- The driver’s breathalyzer test results, if applicable
- Information from an event data recorder in your vehicle or the other driver’s vehicle
- The accident report written by the authorities
- Someone’s cell phone photos of the accident scene
- Footage from a traffic camera
To fully establish liability in your case, your lawyer might also have to show why the other driver was negligent. Your lawyer will show that:
- The other driver owed you a duty of care, or a responsibility to drive carefully (and a responsibility to stop after the accident to help you)
- The other driver breached their duty of care, or violated their responsibilities
- The other driver’s actions caused the accident
- The accident resulted in your damages
Something else your lawyer may have to show is corroborating evidence of negligence. This could be a written statement from a witness or testimony from an expert witness, like an auto accident reconstructionist.
How Your Jacksonville Hit-and-Run Car Accident Lawyer Will Pursue Damages
Your lawyer may be able to recover your damages by negotiating with your insurers instead of suing the other driver. For this reason, you and your lawyer should consider negotiating with them. During negotiations, your lawyer will defend your damages and the value of your damages and pursue fair settlements from the insurers.
If your insurers don’t negotiate in good faith and offer fair settlements, your lawyer could threaten to sue them, which may convince them to settle fairly. If the threat doesn’t convince them, your lawyer can sue them and the other driver for your damages.
Alternatively, if you and your lawyer have already decided to sue the other driver for your damages, your lawyer will do so. You can expect your lawyer to file the lawsuit, take your case to court, and ask a judge for a fair verdict.
About Your Hit-And-Run Car Accident Attorney In Jacksonville, Florida
Your attorney will be from a firm that does a lot to support the Florida community. For example, we try to keep the community safe by holding negligent drivers to account for their actions. We also try to keep the community safe by supporting such charities as Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD).
We also support the community by meeting the legal needs of injured people, including those who suffered a hit-and-run car accident. One of our attorneys will do everything necessary to meet your needs, including a need to hold the other driver to account. Your attorney can also:
- Schedule your appointments for you so you can focus on your recovery and your family
- Refer you to an expert who can repair your car for you
- Answer your questions anytime via email or phone
- Update you as your case progresses
- Work for you at no cost until and unless your attorney recovers damages for you
Whether your accident involved a wrongful death or just injuries, there will be a certain time frame for you to file your case. These time limits are known at statutes of limitations and vary depending on the details of your accident. Most times you cannot file a case beyond this time frame, but there are exceptions. Our lawyers will be able to look at the date and details of your accident to know what time limitation you fall under.
Contact Us For Your Hit-And-Run Car Accident Lawyer In Jacksonville, FL
As a victim of someone’s extreme negligence, you or your loved one, depending on who’s involved, deserve compensation, and it could come from the other driver. One of our attorneys will either sue that driver or negotiate with your insurers for you. Regardless, you can expect your attorney to fight hard for both recompense and justice.
Not only that, but we’ll make sure to go after compenstation for the loss of value of your vehicle. Insurance companies will pay for repairs, but most don’t willingly pay for the value of the car after it’s been through an accident. If you are involved in a major injury accident, we’ll go after this type of compensation for you.
If you have a consultation with us, we’ll tell you more about working with one of our hit-and-run car accident lawyers in Jacksonville. To consult with us for free, contact the Law Offices of Anidjar & Levine today.
We Can Help.
