High speeds and high traffic volume can make driving on the highway dangerous. And if one driver doesn’t follow traffic laws, you could suffer catastrophic injuries that could cost thousands in medical bills.
Our team goes the extra mile to help injury victims fight for the financial awards they need. Our Tampa car accident lawyer can help you secure compensation that covers your lost wages, medical expenses, mental anguish, and other damages.
Common Injuries You Can Suffer in a Highway Car Collision
Highway crashes can result in severe injuries and are more likely to be fatal, given the high-speed limit and the presence of commercial vehicles. People injured in highway crashes often suffer the following injuries:
- Soft tissue injuries: Injuries to soft tissue are common in highway accidents and can be painful and debilitating. Soft tissue injuries occur when the body is subjected to sudden force or trauma, such as a car accident. Common soft tissue injuries include sprains, strains, contusions, and ligament tears.
- Spinal cord injuries: One of the most serious and life-altering injuries in a highway accident is a spinal cord injury. When a person suffers a spinal cord injury, it can cause paralysis, loss of sensation, and other physical impairments. In addition to the physical effects, spinal cord injuries can have a significant emotional and financial impact on victims and their families.
- Internal bleeding: Another serious medical condition that can occur after a car accident is internal bleeding. It occurs when an internal organ or tissue is damaged, and blood vessels rupture, causing blood to leak into the body cavity. Internal bleeding can be difficult to detect because it often does not cause visible signs or symptoms.
- Chest injuries: These types of injuries can range from minor bruising to broken ribs, collapsed lungs, and even internal bleeding. If you have suffered a chest injury due to someone else’s negligence in a highway crash, it is important to seek medical attention immediately.
- Internal injuries: Internal injuries can be some of the most serious and dangerous. They are not always apparent and may not cause visible signs or symptoms. Internal injuries can include damage to organs, such as the heart, lungs, kidneys, spleen, and liver; damage to the spine; and damage to the brain.
After you get injured, you should seek medical attention immediately. Injuries in auto accidents can be worse than they seem and could turn fatal without the proper medical attention.
Statute of Limitations for Highway Accidents
If you must take legal action, you have limited time to file your case in court. According to Florida Statutes 95.11, the statute of limitations for personal injury lawsuits is four years, while the time limit for wrongful death lawsuits is two years.
Our highway accident attorneys in Tampa recommend filing your claim as soon as possible to have the highest chance of recovering the maximum compensation. Even though there is a statute of limitations, depending on the details of your accident, you may have more or less time to file an accident claim.
One of our experienced car accident attorneys can review the details of the collision and tell you exactly how long you have to file a claim. Then, we’ll review the damages you qualify for and give you an estimate of the settlement you could receive.
You Shouldn’t Have To Pay for Medical Expenses You Didn’t Cause
Highway accident injuries may require tens of thousands of dollars in medical treatment. If you suffered a serious and expensive injury, your personal injury protection (PIP) insurance may not cover all of your health care bills, let alone compensate you for how these injuries may affect your future and your day-to-day life.
Some car accident injuries are permanent and life-altering. Head, neck, and spine injuries can cause chronic pain, loss of mobility, and total paralysis. Traumatic brain injuries (TBIs) can lead to permanent cognitive and physical disabilities, changes in behavior, and memory loss.
Some head injuries result in a coma or permanent vegetative state. Even more minor injuries, like broken bones or whiplash, can mean visits to doctors and specialists, physical therapy, medications, and time lost at work while you heal. If your accident was the fault of another driver, they could be responsible for your medical bills.
Additional Damages You Can Recover After a Highway Crash
In addition to your past and future medical care costs, an insurance settlement or lawsuit may include other awards. You could win compensation for your:
- Property damage: Vehicle repairs can add up, and some accidents result in catastrophic damages. You can seek awards for the costs of repairing or replacing your vehicle and any other personal property damaged during your accident.
- Lost wages: Healing from an accident could take months, and you may be unable to work during this time. A personal injury attorney from our firm can help you seek back pay due to time lost at work because of your injuries.
- Loss of future earning capacity: Some injuries result in permanent disabilities that leave the injured person unable to work or return to their previous employment. You could be entitled to a settlement for the loss of your future earnings. Your personal injury lawyer may also request awards to pay for vocational rehabilitation and training so you can learn a new career.
- Pain and suffering: These awards are also known as non-economic damages. They compensate victims for the physical pain, emotional suffering, and reduced quality of life their accidents and injuries caused. You could be entitled to these awards if you suffer from a permanent disability, paralysis, scarring, disfigurement, anxiety, depression, or mental anguish.
- Loss of consortium: This legal term refers to the loss of companionship, love, and affection that a spouse or family member experiences when their loved one is injured in an accident. In Tampa, if you or a loved one has been injured in an accident due to someone else’s negligence, you may be entitled to compensation for your losses.
- Loss of enjoyment of life: You can qualify for this damage in a personal injury claim. After you suffer injuries, you may not be able to do the activities you previously enjoyed because of your physical and mental state. A lack of participation in your favorite activities could lead to depression, anxiety, and overall stressful life.
- Punitive damages: These damages are meant to punish the defendant for their egregious conduct and deter them from engaging in similar behavior in the future. You can recover punitive damages when a defendant’s actions are found to be malicious, oppressive, or fraudulent.
A Tampa highway accident lawyer from our law firm can help you through every step of the claims process. If we cannot achieve fair compensation through negotiations, we can help you with a civil lawsuit.
Common Reasons a Driver Could Be At Fault in the Accident
Most car accidents occur because of the actions of one or more drivers involved. According to the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT), 94% of all crashes are caused by driver error. If an at-fault driver caused your highway accident, an attorney with our firm could help you seek compensation for your crash-related expenses.
There are several actions other drivers on the road can take or not take and be found negligent. Another driver could be liable financially liable for your accident if they were:
Speeding
According to the Insurance Institute of Highway Safety (IIHS), speeding is a factor in more than 25% of motor vehicle crash deaths. These alarming statistics should serve as a reminder of the dangers of reckless driving.
When drivers disobey the speed limit, they cannot pay attention to their surroundings which could lead to severe accidents. Plus, if the driver is intoxicated, they could lose control of the car and cause an accident with a higher casualty rate than if they were sober.
Driving While Distracted
The IIHS found that drivers simply being “lost in thought” or daydreaming is the number one source of distraction in fatal accidents. Other common sources of distraction include:
- Cell phone use
- Looking at something outside the vehicle (“rubbernecking”)
- Talking with other passengers inside the car
Whatever the source of distraction, distracted drivers are more prone to make driving mistakes, such as failing to stop, cutting off another driver, or not staying in their lane.
Driving While Intoxicated
Despite the well-known dangers, drunk driving continues to cause nearly 30 crash deaths every day in the United States, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). If a drunk driver contributed to your accident, an attorney from our firm can help you seek justice.
Other examples of negligent driving include:
- Traveling in the wrong direction on a divided roadway
- Following too closely
- Making inappropriate lane changes
- Weaving between lanes of traffic
- Driving drowsy or sleeping at the wheel
- Aggressive driving, also known as road rage
- Improper merging
Any of these driving errors may constitute negligence. A Tampa highway accident lawyer with our firm can help you prove another driver caused your crash and is responsible for your resulting losses.
More Than One Party Could Be Responsible for Your Crash and Injuries
In addition to the driver, other parties could be at fault. Other parties you could hold accountable for your pain include:
Vehicle Manufacturer
If we find your crash resulted from a defective vehicle, you could hold the manufacturer accountable. Common defects are brake failure, defective safety features, faulty tires, and poorly made windows.
Car manufacturers must take care to design products safe for public use. And if the product malfunctions and the person was using it properly, you can hold the manufacturer responsible for your accident.
Mechanic
Another party you could file a personal injury claim against is the mechanic that worked on your car before the accident. If our lawyers find in our investigation that the mechanic failed to fix your car completely or caused additional issues on purpose, and you get into a crash on the highway, we can help you hold them accountable.
We can compile evidence such as the repair report, expert witness interviews, and testimony from other employees at the auto repair shop. We’ll use it to build a strong case for the insurance company.
Road Owner
The final party we can help you hold accountable is the road owner. If the reason for the collision was a poorly maintained road, you could file a lawsuit against the road owner. If the road had deep potholes, lacked a divider, or didn’t have traffic signs, you may have grounds for a lawsuit.
If the road owner is a singular person, you can hold them accountable through a personal injury claim. But if a local state government owns the road, the process is long and can take more time to hold them accountable.
Why You Should Hire an Experienced Car Accident Lawyer
A passionate legal team can help you win a greater settlement and simplify the process. Whether your accident was a rear-end collision, side-impact collision, head-on collision, rollover accident, or single-vehicle crash, a lawyer with our firm can:
- Collect evidence to prove your case.
- Handle your insurance claim and communicate with the insurance companies.
- Calculate your accident-related expenses.
- Help with scheduling appointments and getting your vehicle repaired.
- Frequently update you on your case.
- Provide you with their cell phone number to have a direct line of communication.
Our lawyers are known for providing the essential services you need in a legal case with the utmost care and dedication. We understand the legal process is overwhelming, and we’re here to help you through it.
Factors Affecting Your Highway Accident Settlement Amount
Many clients ask what the average settlement is for a highway accident, and we don’t have an answer because each case is different. But we can tell you what factors contribute to your settlement, such as:
Severity of Injuries
How severe your injuries are plays a significant role in how much you receive for a settlement. Injuries to your spinal cord and brain carry a significant value and increase your settlement amount because of the extensive medical care they require.
If you only suffered minor injuries, you may not see much of an increase in your settlement. Our highway accident lawyers in Tampa can meet with you and tell you the value of your injuries.
Number of Negligent Parties
The number of people responsible for the crash can also affect the settlement amount you receive. If there are multiple at fault, we can help you file a personal injury claim against all of them.
Doing so, you’d collect damages from all parties, increasing your settlement amount. And depending on the degree of negligence, you may recover more damages from different parties.
If other factors could affect your settlement outcome, we’ll let you know when we review your case. When you hire us as your legal team, you don’t have to worry about anything except healing from your injuries, but we can also help with this if necessary.
How Our Team Negotiates With the Insurance Company
We understand negotiating with the insurance company can be intimidating, but when you work with us, you don’t have to face the insurance adjuster alone, and you shouldn’t. If you meet with the insurance company without a lawyer, you may fall victim to their deceptive tactics.
They aim to retain as much money as possible and devalue your settlement. They’ll likely offer you a lowball settlement nowhere close to the amount necessary for covering your injuries. As an accident victim, you have the legal right to recover damages and a settlement that covers your medical expenses.
And that’s when our team can step in. We can show them accident scene evidence, like photos and videos of the crash and your resulting injuries, medical records, the accident report, and witness statements. We’re ready to fight for a settlement that your injuries qualify for.
Contact Our Highway Accident Lawyers in Tampa
The Law Offices of Anidjar & Levine team is ready for you to take advantage of our no-cost consultations. A Tampa highway accident lawyer can answer your questions, provide a free case evaluation, and advise you on your next steps. We’re here to help you get the settlement you need for your medical costs.
The sooner you reach out, the faster we can start working for you. Call us or fill out the contact form on our website to schedule a free case consultation.
We Can Help.
