Florida Car Accident Attorney
July 17, 2023 I Attorney, Lauren N. Weber
Nobody plans to get in a car accident and a car accident can happen at any time. The aftermath of a car accident can leave you devastated and overwhelmed. At the scene your adrenaline is pumping and you might not think you were injured. You’re left wondering what happened? How am I going to get to work? Who is going to pay for this? Do I need a Florida car accident lawyer? A few days later the pain may start to set in. What provider do I need to see after a car accident? How am I going to pay for my medical treatment after a car accident?
If you are involved in a Florida car crash, dealing with the auto insurance companies and understanding the claims process can be frustrating. Some car accident victims attempt to represent themselves. But they often fail to get the compensation they deserve. Studies show accident victims who hire a personal injury attorney obtain a better settlement payout than accident victims who handle their claims alone. The claims process can be complex. Having an experienced car accident lawyer will not only help you maximize your compensation, but navigate the intimidating claims process.
When you’ve been injured in a Florida car crash, trust Weber Law Firm to help you recovery physically and financially. Our experienced Florida car accident lawyer will be by your side and fight for the recovery you deserve.
Why Choose Weber Law Firm for Your Florida Car Accident Injury Claim
Work One-on-One with a Florida Car Accident Lawyer
At Weber Law Firm, all clients work directly with a trusted and experienced Florida car accident attorney. From intake to settlement disbursement, Attorney Weber will be your direct contact. Clients have access to a Florida personal injury attorney 24/7.
We Maximize the Value of Your Case
When you hire Weber Law Firm after a car accident, all communications with the insurance companies goes through our office. We deal with the insurance companies so you don’t have to.
Weber Law Firm will investigate and obtain all information needed for your claim from accident reports, videos, photos, medical records and bills. Our goal is to not only bring your claim to resolution, but to maximize the value of your claim through our aggressive claims management processes.
We Locate All Sources of Recovery
An experienced car accident lawyer will locate all possible sources of recovery. Weber Law Firm will identify all defendants and all possible insurance policies available for your personal injury claim after a car accident.
We Assist with Your Auto Property Damage Claim
After a car crash or Uber accident, Weber Law Firm will assist you with your property damage claim. Whether your vehicle can be repaired or is a total loss, we will help guide you through the process. You will not be left to the mercy of the insurance companies to navigate your property damage claim alone.
The main goal of the insurance company is to reduce its exposure. The insurance adjusters do this by making lowball settlement offers to victims right after an accident to resolve the claim prematurely. Weber Law Firm will advocate for you and guide you through the process to increase the value of your claim. We provide first-class service to our clients, handling the process every step of the way and ensuring you always have someone in your corner.
At Weber Law Firm, we will fight on your behalf, ensuring you get the compensation you deserve.
Hiring the Best Personal Injury Lawyer
It’s not about hiring the best lawyer, it’s about hiring the right Florida personal injury lawyer for your claim. There are many car accident attorneys in Tampa Bay, but hiring a personal injury attorney right for you is crucial. You want to hire the best personal injury attorney and ensure the injury firm that has experience handling personal injury claims. Most important, you want to hire a car accident lawyer who communicates with you and makes you feel comfortable.
Weber Law Firm is an injury firm located in Tampa Bay and communicating with our clients every step of the negligence claims process is the center of our firm’s values. We value our clients and want our clients to feel comfortable speaking with us and never left wondering “what is going on with my injury case.” Through our open communication, Attorney Weber is able to get to know her clients on a personal level and this allows her to effectively advocate for them and maximize their injury settlement results.
Reported Hit and Run Car Accident Cases in Florida
What is the Average Car Accident Settlement Amount in Florida?
Average Personal Injury Car Accident Settlement Amount in 2021
According to ISO®, a Verisk Analytics® business, the average car accident settlement amount in 2021 was $22,734.00.
Personal injury claim settlements include economic and non-economic damages and vary based on many factors. When a personal injury settlement is paid out, it’s paid in a lump sum and is not itemized out. Settlement values are not consistent, and vary from case to case.
Ultimately the amount of your car accident settlement depends heavily on the amount of insurance coverage available to go after for your car accident claim and the nature of your injuries. The most important question is how much insurance coverage is there to compensate you for you car accident claim, rather than how much is my personal injury claim worth?
Your Damages after a Florida Car Accident
After a Florida car accident, you will likely injury economic and noneconomic damages.
Economic damages are are your monetary losses directly related to the accident. They are objective and easily calculated/proven with medical bills, receipts, etc. Non-economic damages are intangible losses and they can be difficult to quantify because they are subjective. Unlike economic damages, there are no receipts, medical bills, etc. used to calculate non-economic damages.
Examples of Economic Damages:
- Unpaid medical bills;
- Wage loss, earnings you lost while you were off work because of the accident;
- Future earnings, lost earning capacity, when your injuries prevent you from returning to your job;
- Funeral expenses; and
- Damage to your property (personal or real property).
Examples of Non-Economic Damages:
- Pain and suffering;
- Emotional distress;
- Loss of enjoyment of life;
- Loss of consortium (companionship, sexual relationship with your spouse); and
- Loss of use of a limb.
Proving You Suffered a Permanent Injury After a Florida Car Accident
Florida’s Permanency Threshold
In Florida, in any action of tort brought against the owner, registrant, operator, or occupant of a motor vehicle, in order to receive a payout for pain and suffering, the plaintiff has the burden of proving they suffered a permanent injury. This is often referred to as the permanent injury threshold.
Proving Pain and Suffering Damages After a Car Accident
Pursuant to § 627.737, Fla. Stat. (2022), a plaintiff MAY recover damages for pain, suffering, mental anguish, and inconvenience because of bodily injury, sickness, or disease only IF the plaintiff can prove they suffered:
- Significant and permanent loss of an important bodily function. OR
- Permanent injury within a reasonable degree of medical probability, other than scarring or disfigurement. OR
- Significant and permanent scarring or disfigurement. OR
- Death.
- Psychologically re-experiencing the trauma, such as nightmares, reliving the events of the car accident.
- Disturbed sleep.
- Fearful of driving or refusing to drive.
- Avoiding thoughts about the motor vehicle accident.
- Emotional numbness, or reduced emotions, or feeling detached from others.
- Feeling irritable.
- Heightened anxiety while driving.
Treatment after a Florida Car Accident
Chiropractic Treatment after a Car Accident
After a car accident, medical treatment will vary based on your circumstances. Commonly, after a car accident, the initial treatment begins with a chiropractor for a physical examination to identify your injuries and develop the initial treatment plan to kickstart your recovery. Treatment with a chiropractor is frequent. Clients usually treat with their chiropractor three (3) times a week. It can seem a bit overwhelming, but most offices can coordinate your appointments around your schedules and offer flexible office hours. Eventually, as you progress, visits with your chiropractor will reduce to 1-2 times a week.
Diagnostic Imaging
X-Rays
The Chiropractor will initially review for you x-ray performed at the emergency room or urgent care clinic. If you have not had x-rays done the chiropractor will perform x-rays in office or refer you out to an imaging center before establishing a treatment plan.
Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI)
At some point, the chiropractor will order Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) of the areas you sustained injuries. They generally wait a few weeks before the MRIs are ordered. After a car accident, it is common to undergo an MRI of your cervical (neck) and lumbar (back) spine. MRIs are valuable in identifying your injuries because, unlike X-rays, MRIs will show soft tissues injuries. These types of injuries do not show up on X-rays. After the MRIs are done and reviewed, the chiropractor will make a referral to a specialist based on the MRI findings. If there are injuries to your spine, the chiropractor will refer you to an orthopedic specializing in spine injuries.
Orthopedic Treatment after a Car Accident
An orthopedic doctor will evaluate your MRIs, conduct an examination and make recommendations for your treatment plan. The severity of your injuries will dictate what the orthopedic recommends. Sometimes an orthopedic may suggest continued chiropractic treatment, but other treatment interventions may be needed. The orthopedic may recommend other forms of treatment, such as injections and possibly surgery. Most orthopedics will suggest less invasive treatment options before recommending surgery.
Maximum Medical Improvement (MMI)
After completing your treatment plan, your doctor will place you at MMI, which means your healing process is complete. Your physical condition will not improve any further. Any treatment you receive after this point is considered maintenance care and required in order to keep you at MMI. MMI does not mean you’ve returned to your pre-accident state, but it is as close back to the state you enjoyed before your car accident.
PTSD AFTER A CAR CRASH
Can a car crash cause PTSD?
Car accidents can cause Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). According to an article in the National Library of Medicine, accident victims involved in a serious car accident, are at an increased risk for psychological problems, such as PTSD. A traumatic event such as a car accident and dealing with the chronic pain can cause an anxiety disorder such as PTSD. After a car crash, you may experience symptoms of PTSD. Common symptoms of PTSD are:
Getting into a car accident is scary and not knowing how to manage your claim can be overwhelming. An experienced car accident attorney will ease the stress and help you get the medical treatment you need to get better. At Weber Law Firm, our goal is to alleviate the additional stress from a car accident claim so you and your loved ones can sleep at night and focus on what matters.
After a car accident, many clients often want to know the “average” amount of a personal injury settlement. Quantifying the average personal injury compensation amount is difficult, because no two cases are alike and an “average” personal injury settlement does not really exist. You can calculate average from all settlements in a given year, but that’s really not an accurate figure. Trying to put your injury claim into a box based on a hypothetical average may leave money on the table. Because, looking at prior verdicts or settlements is like comparing apples to oranges because there are so many factors and differences between cases. Some of the factors include:
- Severity of injuries
- Treatment received
- Future medicals
- Amount of insurance coverage available
- Client’s age
If you are suffering from PTSD, it’s important to make your doctor aware of your symptoms so you can be evaluated, diagnosed and treated. Seeking treatment is necessary to avoid escalation of symptoms and possibly developing chronic PTSD. Remember it’s important to make your treating physicians aware of any symptoms you experience, no matter how small they may seem. You only have one body. Take care of yourself!