Getting into a car accident in Florida can equally turn a resident’s life upside down or ruin a tourist’s vacation. In either case, the injuries suffered in car crashes can amount to a significant dollar figure throughout the medical rehabilitation.
More than 152,000 injury accidents were recorded in Florida in 2018, including 3,211 in Collier County, according to Florida Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles (FLHSMV). Broken ribs are just one of many types of injuries suffered in car accidents in Florida.
Suppose you suffer broken ribs in a car accident in Naples or Collier County. In that case, the state calls that an incapacitating injury, which often requires immediate treatment via transport to a hospital emergency room.
If you are one of the thousands who may have suffered broken ribs in a car crash in or near Naples, please call the Law Offices of Anidjar & Levine. A Naples car accident lawyer is here to help you and your family through this difficult recovery period. Reach out to speak about your crash and the circumstances with our team.
Liability for a Car Accident
Any successful car accident liability claim needs to show the negligence and fault of the other driver. However, proving liability for a car accident in Florida can be either relatively simple or complex, depending on the circumstances of the crash.
For instance, suppose one car speeds recklessly through an intersection without stopping for the red light and plows into another car that has the right of way. If there are intersection cameras that capture the collision, that evidence will likely result in liability falling squarely on the other driver who ran the red light.
However, other accidents may be more complex to prove clear liability. Both cars may be traveling side by side, and it might be difficult to determine which of the two vehicles indeed showed negligence in causing the crash.
Florida follows a legal mandate of pure comparative fault per Florida Statutes § 768.81. This doctrine dictates that both parties in a car accident share accountability for the accident.
For example, should you file a personal injury claim after an accident, the jury might decide that you should receive $50,000 for your total damages. However, the jury might also determine that you are 25% responsible for the accident. In that instance, under the state’s comparative fault laws, your share of the compensation would be reduced by 25% ($12,500), leaving you with a $37,500 award.
Broken Ribs in Car Accidents
Broken ribs are among the worst injuries a person can sustain in a car accident. They usually occur when the driver smashes into the steering column or dashboard. This type of impact on the rib cage can feel similar to being punched hard in the chest.
However, broken rib bones can separate into different pieces in a person’s body and could even puncture other sensitive areas in the chest cavity, according to the Mayo Clinic.
If a person can walk away from a car accident with just a cracked rib, that person should be very thankful. Cracked ribs are still very painful and can take months to heal properly. However, they can be repaired in surgery.
If you have been in a serious car accident and hospitalized with cracked or broken ribs, it is important to take the next step in your overall recovery. This might include getting in contact with a Naples personal injury lawyer to explore your legal options.
Our legal team at the Law Offices of Anidjar & Levine can help you plan a personal injury claim to seek to recover damages from your accident and hold the at-fault driver accountable for all your costs related to the crash. Call us today.
How We Help Establish Negligence
Our legal staff helps clients establish negligence in several critical ways. First, we look at the police report and try to understand all the elements involved in the crash. We do our due diligence and research to uncover missing bits of evidence that can show that the other party had a larger share (if not all) of the fault for the accident.
We will try to answer questions like:
- Was the other driver intoxicated at the time of the accident?
- Was the other driver distracted by incoming text messages or phone calls?
- Did the other party act negligently by driving recklessly? This determination may be included in the police report but also could be omitted. Reckless driving can include speeding, tailgating, aggressive driving, ignoring a stop sign or red light, or making frequent lane changes.
- Was the driver in an argument with someone on the phone, which caused speeding and aggression?
- Did the other party have a criminal driving record?
After we collect all the evidence that we can, we work with you to lay out a case to present to a jury in a personal injury claim. This claim would serve to prove the other party’s negligence and seek to recover damages on your behalf in excess of the $10,000 personal injury protection (PIP) limit established by Florida Statutes § 627.736.
Insurance Companies and the Crash
Be warned that the other party’s insurance company may try to pin the car crash’s blame on you even if you are the one lying in the hospital with injuries. If you already filed an insurance claim with your insurance company, and the police report clearly shows that the other driver was at fault, you can expect that the other insurance company may try to tempt you with a fast payout for your injuries.
Do not fall for this trick. You still might have more injuries forthcoming that have not even appeared yet. You have a legal right to file a personal injury claim in a car accident against the at-fault party for serious injuries per Florida Statutes § 627.737.
Also, keep in mind that you have a limited time to act. Florida Statutes § 95.11 sets a four-year deadline to file a personal injury claim after your accident.
Don’t miss out on your chance for compensation. When another person drives recklessly, drunk, or distracted and causes a crash, it is them, not you, who should shoulder the costs related to the accident.
Call a Naples broken ribs caused by a car accident lawyer for assistance with your claim. A team member at the Law Offices of Anidjar & Levine is standing by to take your call. We work on a contingency basis. That means we do not take a penny unless we win some sort of settlement for your injuries.
We Can Help.
