If you’ve been involved in a car accident, it’s important to protect yourself – physically, financially and legally. Your first priority is to get to a safe space. Don’t stay in the roadway. Check yourself for injuries and check on the safety of others involved.

Contact the police, but never admit fault (even if you believe that you share some of the blame). Exchange personal information with the other drivers involved and contact your insurance provider. Always seek medical attention, even if you don’t have any obvious injuries. Many car accident victims are not aware of the injuries they have sustained until well after the accident, which can complicate your personal injury claim.

Lastly (but just as important as the previous steps), contact a skilled car accident lawyer as soon as possible to discuss the details of your case. Attorney Steve Charles can get to work for you right away, gathering evidence and building a strong claim so that you don’t end up leaving money on the table.

Florida is a no-fault state, which means drivers are required to carry personal injury protection (PIP) with a minimum coverage of $10,000. This coverage kicks in when you get injured in an accident. It covers your medical bills, lost income and related expenses, regardless of who was at fault.

Your first recourse is your own no-fault insurance. However, you may still be able to file a personal injury lawsuit against another driver, provided:

You suffered severe injuries (or are a surviving family member pursuing a wrongful death claim on behalf of a loved one who was killed in the accident).

The other driver was at least partly at fault.

A personal injury lawsuit provides an additional avenue for much greater recovery than your own insurance coverage. In cases involving truck accidents or other commercial vehicles , a personal injury lawsuit is almost always warranted given the severity of the injuries and losses.

Through a personal injury lawsuit, you can pursue damages (compensation) for:

Your medical bills, rehab expenses and related costs

Your lost income and reduced earning capacity

Your pain and suffering

Punitive damages – that is, extra compensation designed to punish the wrongdoer – may also be available in cases involving intentional wrongdoing or extremely reckless conduct such as drunk driving. Punitive damages are only available through personal injury lawsuits (not through your insurance) and may be significant.

In some accidents, the fault is immediately apparent. Perhaps the other driver ran a red light and crashed into you. Maybe they were visibly drunk, as later confirmed by chemical testing. Perhaps they rear-ended you.

But in other cases, fault can be more complicated. With multicar pileups, fault may be spread among a large number of drivers. Mechanical issues stemming from defective auto parts may also be a hidden underlying factor.

For this reason, it’s important to never admit fault to the police or your insurance company – especially without first talking to a lawyer. Attorney Steve Charles knows how to dig deep to uncover all possible contributing factors, including those that aren’t immediately apparent.

Potentially, yes. If another party was also at fault, you can still pursue compensation from them, but any compensation you’re awarded will be reduced by your percentage of the fault. For example, if your damages totaled $1 million but you were 50% at fault for the accident, you would only be able to recover $500,000.

As you can see, fault is a critical issue in personal injury claims. The defense may try to overstate your fault (and minimize their own) in order to get off the hook for damages. It’s important to work with a lawyer such as Steve Charles who knows how to present strong evidence with regard to fault.

The statute of limitations for pursuing personal injury cases in Florida is generally four years after the accident. However, any experienced car accident attorney will recommend that you immediately pursue your claim, before memories fade and evidence grows stale. Don’t wait until it’s too late or more difficult to file a personal injury claim.

Dealing with the high-powered lawyers of the insurance company can be daunting and difficult without the help of an experienced advocate on your side. After all, their main objective is to win the case and spend as little money as possible.

Attorney Steve Charles understands how to gauge the worth of your case and will not settle until you are fairly compensated for your injuries. He is compassionate, aggressive, experienced and prepared to fight for your right to maximum compensation. Contact him today at (954) 390-2228 to schedule your free, no-hassle, initial consultation. Available 24/7.