Doral Car Accident Lawyer

Each time we get into a vehicle, whether as the driver or passenger, we expect that all other drivers on the road will operate their respective vehicles responsibly and safely in order to keep everyone else on the road safe from avoidable car accidents. Unfortunately, many motor vehicle accident victims are hurt as a result of others’ decisions to operate with negligence or recklessness. And while they are typically able to recover compensation from the at-fault party or their insurance company, these settlements rarely amount to the total that a victim is truly owed. 

Working with a Doral car accident attorney is a great option for accident victims so they can stay focused on their recovery and moving forward from the car wreck. Insurance companies make the claims process “simple” in that they will gladly take control over the process and offer a one-time settlement to a claimant — the problem is that these injury claim settlements are designed to benefit the insurer by resolving these personal injury cases as quickly and cheaply as possible. 

Source: https://www.flhsmv.gov/traffic-crash-reports/crash-dashboard/ 

When injured drivers or riders file claims against a negligent driver with the help of a car accident lawyer, they can look towards the future with confidence knowing that there is an experienced legal professional fighting to get them the money they rightfully deserve.

Contact Us Now To Connect With Experienced Doral Car Accident Lawyers For a Free Consultation

After a car accident, personal injury victims have a lot that they need to deal with, including getting medical care, handling disruptions to their professional lives, and keeping up with their personal responsibilities — all while trying to make sense of how Florida law affects their medical expenses and other impacts caused by the other driver. Unfortunately, trying to connect with a car accident lawyer at a reputable law firm can be complicated, especially while trying to manage all of the additional disruptions after a life-changing Doral car accident. 1-800-Injured is here to help.

1-800-Injured is an attorney and medical referral service. Instead of trying to handle your severe injuries and also find a lawyer at the same time, we will connect you with an experienced personal injury attorney in South Florida who is ready to help. Whether you are located in Miami-Dade County, West Palm Beach, Doral, or beyond, we will find an available Florida lawyer who is ready to help you with your car accident claim. 

Read more about Doral car accidents, and contact us as soon as possible to be connected with a law firm for a free consultation today.

Common Injuries Reported After Doral Car Accidents

The following are just a few of the most common injuries reported after a Doral car accident. If you or a loved one has been hurt or killed in a car crash in Miami-Dade County or elsewhere in Florida, contact 1-800-Injured right away to find a lawyer who has experience fighting for the rights of motor vehicle accident victims.

Whiplash

When you are in a car accident, your body is subject to jarring motions that may cause damage to your spine. The term whiplash is often associated with acceleration-deceleration injuries, which occur when the head is rapidly accelerated forward then back or side to side. However, the neck can be injured in many ways. The amount of damage you sustain depends on the direction of the head movement, how fast your head is moving, and whether or not your neck muscles are strong enough to resist sudden movements.  

Symptoms vary widely but generally appear within seconds to minutes after an accident. They may include local pain at the injury site, a deep aching sensation in the neck region, muscle spasms, twitching in the shoulders or back, numbness and tingling sensations, and joint stiffness and swelling. Symptoms usually worsen over the following days or weeks after an accident, and while most injuries resolve themselves, some may require medical intervention.

Bruising 

Bruising is a type of injury that involves bleeding under the skin. This bleeding is from tiny blood vessels injured during an impact. The amount of bruising someone gets can vary depending on where they got hit, how hard they were hit, and what part of the body was affected.

Bruises are most easily seen on light-colored skin and on parts of the body with little fat or muscle, such as knuckles or shins. They show up as patches or smears and usually first appear red and swollen, then blue and finally purple over several days to weeks. Faces often bruise more easily than other areas.

Traumatic Brain Injuries

A traumatic brain injury is an acquired brain injury that results from an external force destroying or damaging brain tissue. The severity of traumatic brain injuries ranges from mild to severe and can result in physical, cognitive, emotional, and social changes. 

Traumatic brain injuries include the following: open and closed head traumas such as skull fractures and penetrating head wounds; subarachnoid hemorrhage; hematomas; diffuse axonal injury; concussion; bruising at sites remote from the impact site; contusions; lacerations; hypoxia/ischemia (lack of oxygen), and more. 

Concussion symptoms include:

• Blood or clear fluid leaking from the ears or nose

• Slurred speech

• Difficulty breathing or swallowing

• Loss of consciousness or blacking out

Fractures

Many times when someone says they “think” they broke something, what they mean is that something doesn’t feel right- they feel pain when trying to move the limb or put pressure on the affected area.  This means there is a possibility that it may be broken, but the true extent of the damage will not be known until a medical professional has had a chance to examine it.

If you suspect that you have suffered any sort of injury including a fracture, it is important to connect with a doctor immediately to get the care you need after your car crash.

Spinal Cord Injuries

Statistics show that car accidents are more likely than any other accidents to result in spinal cord injuries. Spinal cord injuries occur when the nerves in the neck or back are somehow traumatized, resulting in impaired mobility. Spinal cord injuries can often be very difficult to recover from because many of them result in paralysis.

Source: https://bsitf.georgia.gov/media/421/download 

Car accidents are usually not the only cause of spinal cord injuries. However, they are responsible for a majority of these incidents. According to one study, motor vehicle accidents accounted for 35-40% of all SCIs while fall wounds came in at number two with around 30%.

Sprains

A sprain is an injury to a ligament or joint that is caused by stretching, tearing, or twisting. A sprained ankle or wrist is the most common type of sprain. The ankle and wrist are two areas where people commonly injure their ligaments and get a sprain. If your knee twists while your foot stays in the same place, you might get a bad knee sprain. This is the case with all joints.

Symptoms can be mild or severe and may include: 

• pain/stiffness at the joint

• swelling (redness) at the joint

• bruising (black and blue) around the joint 

• decreased range of motion in the affected area

Common Causes of Motor Vehicle Accidents

When a person is injured in a car accident, the question that immediately comes to mind is usually, “Who caused this crash?” The answer to that question can have a major impact on how someone responds after an accident. In order to successfully pursue personal injury claims, it’s important for victims to understand who might be at fault for their injuries. Here are some common causes of motor vehicle accidents:

Drunk Driving

While many car accidents cause devastating injuries and fatalities, drunk driving accidents are especially dangerous because these crashes tend to happen at night or during early morning hours. A DUI accident can involve a car, truck, motorcycle, or even a bicycle. Intoxicated driving is never acceptable and comes with serious penalties and drivers who cause accidents while drunk may be responsible for damages to other vehicles in addition to their own.

Failure to Yield

This happens when a driver fails to follow proper protocol at an intersection and causes another vehicle to crash into it. Another common scenario occurs when someone strikes an oncoming car while changing lanes or merging onto the highway. If you have been hurt in a crash due to a failure to yield in Miami-Dade County, working with a Doral car accident lawyer is one of the best ways to take on the insurance company.

Loss of Control 

Drivers who veer off the road or into other cars may be at fault for causing an accident. This commonly happens when drivers are distracted by their cell phones, fail to navigate through a turn properly, and more.  When accidents are caused by faulty brakes, steering, or other defective parts, victims could have legal recourse against the manufacturers of the defective car or the manufacturer of the defective equipment.

Road Hazards

Potholes and debris on the road can cause serious damage to vehicles, especially if someone drives over them at high speeds. Uneven surfaces lead to motorcycle accidents and other collisions, even by responsible drivers if they are unable to navigate the hazard. Trying to unravel issues of liability for these types of accidents can be difficult, and may even require seeking compensation from Miami-Dade County or other government agencies, which is best done with the help of a law firm.

Aggressive Driving

Drivers who engage in aggressive behavior may sometimes force another car into an accident. For example, if someone tailgates you to prevent you from switching lanes, they could be liable for damages if they cause a crash. Aggressive driving is intimidating and distracting and requires all drivers on the road to stay on high alert as they look out for erratic maneuvers by the other driver.

If someone engages in careless behavior like rapidly entering and exiting a highway during rush hour traffic, they may be responsible for causing an accident with another vehicle. Depending on state laws, this type of reckless driving could result in jail time or heavy fines.

When drivers become angry because of other people’s reckless driving or bad behavior on the road, they might take it out by making dangerous moves themselves. This can easily lead to serious accidents because many motorists are under pressure to get to their destination as quickly as possible.

What To Do After a Florida Car Accident

The following are just a few of the steps to be mindful of after an accident, whether or not you believe that you have suffered injuries. Of course, no two accidents are alike and you will need to use your best judgment while determining how to safely navigate the situation. 

Assess the Situation

Before exiting your vehicle, take a moment to understand what just happened, whether or not you are injured, the extent of your injuries, and any injuries that your passengers or others in the vehicle may have suffered. Adrenaline is a highly effective painkiller, and people who have just been in an unexpected collision typically experience a spike in adrenaline. This can lead to things like confrontations with the other driver or ignoring injuries that are far worse than they originally believed them to be. 

Focus on Safety

Your top priority after an accident is your own safety, and anything else should be done only if you are confident that you will not be exacerbating your injuries or causing more safety issues. Many people feel self-conscious about demanding attention and care and will go out of their way to downplay their injuries so they aren’t making a scene. Insurance companies are quick to leverage this by pointing out that the victim claimed they were uninjured or had minor injuries after the accident occurred. 

Call 911

The sooner you or someone else calls 911, the sooner first responders will be able to take control of the scene and secure the area, address any ongoing hazards, and provide medical care to anyone who has suffered from personal injuries. In addition to providing immediate care, the attending Doral police officer will compile a police report that includes their assessment of the situation including who they believe caused the crash and whether or not there were any citations issued.

Document the Accident Scene

If possible, take pictures or videos of the accident. Videos are preferable because you can narrate at the same time and point out specific details that will be very helpful for your accident lawyer as they build a case for your insurance claim or civil lawsuit. Memory is much less reliable than we realize, so any additional concrete and immutable information you can record in the moments after the accident will be of major help to your legal team. This is the case whether they are working with your insurer or the agents representing the at-fault driver.

Seek Medical Attention

As soon as the EMTs arrive at the accident scene, get a comprehensive inspection of your condition and follow their advice. Many people refuse an ambulance ride out of fear of the high costs associated with a trip to the ER. But, your attorney will fight to recover these costs through your injury claim, whether through your own insurance company or someone else’s. 

Getting medical treatment for your physical injuries, whether they are minor or serious injuries, will help you in a number of ways, most importantly, by ensuring that you get the appropriate care for all of your injuries. But also by generating important documentation about your injuries that will come in handy through your insurance claim. 

Follow Up With Your Doctor

Whether or not you leave the scene of the car accident on your own, you should connect with your primary care physician immediately to schedule a thorough checkup regardless of whether you have suffered severe injuries. Even if you are not injured, or if you have injuries that will only get revealed later on, it will be helpful to give your attorney plenty of evidence to show the insurance company that you are responsible and proactive about your health.

Hire an Attorney Before Beginning the Legal Process

Filing an insurance claim is a simple enough process, but filing is much different than getting the money accident victims actually deserve. Car accident lawyers are highly experienced with Florida law and car accident claims, and when a claim is initiated by an attorney, the insurance company knows right from the start that the victim is prepared to fight for the money they deserve and not just a low settlement that may only cover medical bills and some property damage.

Contact 1-800-Injured as soon as possible to be connected with a law firm and an experienced car accident lawyer for a free consultation and to learn about how they can help you navigate this complicated process as they fight to recover money for your medical bills, lost wages, and countless other damages that you may not even realize that you have a right to.

Calculating Damages After Auto Accidents

There are several types of damages that you might receive when filing an auto accident lawsuit. Awards are typically broken down into economic and non-economic categories. 

Economic Damages

Economic damages include both tangible losses (those that can be seen) and losses that are easily calculated. 

Most commonly, economic damages include car accident victims’ medical bills, lost wages, court costs, property damage costs, and other issues that have measurable dollar values. While it is fairly simple to compile economic damages, there are many that an experienced lawyer can find that victims may not know about. Working with a detail-oriented lawyer is one of the best ways to ensure that all of your damages are accounted for while you stay focused on your medical treatments and personal life. 

Non-Economic Damages

Car accident claims do not always focus solely on economic loss. Non-economic damages take into account losses that cannot be seen or measured but which cause serious harm nonetheless. Examples of non-economic damage include things like the pain and suffering that an accident victim endures from their injuries, as well as the emotional impacts of experiencing such a painful and traumatic event. 

While there is no limit on the amount of non-economic damage one person can recover in a personal injury lawsuit, it is important to note that this area of compensation under US law is the most highly contested and often leads to litigation. Your personal injury attorney will work to support these claims with evidence such as medical records and demand letters from insurance companies to present as evidence that you deserve additional money for your suffering. Partnering with legal representation is an important step to take to get the money you deserve for any non-economic damages after a personal injury.

Punitive Damages

Punitive damages are rare in personal injury cases and are only awarded to victims by a judge or jury at the closure of a trial. These damages are not factored into compensatory damages that are comprised of economic and non-economic damages but are instead meant to punish the defendant more than to award the plaintiff. As such, your attorney will not seek these damages during settlement negotiations, but they may choose to move forward with a lawsuit in the Florida courts before attempting to negotiate if they believe you are a candidate for these additional payments. 

Frequently Asked Questions About Car Accidents

The following are just a few of the many questions that attorneys will answer as they provide legal advice during free consultations and during their work with their clients who have been involved in auto accidents.