Car Accident Attorney in Gainesville
Every time you get into your vehicle, you put your lives in the hand of other drivers. You could follow all of the rules of the road and still be a victim of a car accident. Unfortunately, there’s no way to completely stop an accident from happening.
If you’re a victim of an accident, it’s likely that you’ll experience some troubles. In addition to recovering from your injuries, you need to deal with the financial impact of your collision. You could be left to deal with vehicle repairs, medical bills, and missed paychecks.
A car accident attorney in Gainesville can help you. If another party was negligent and caused your collision, you could file a personal injury claim against them. The money you receive from your claim can make your recovery easier. Here at Abercrombie, P.A., we want to assist you.
Common Car Accident Injuries
In 2016, 5,980 collisions occurred in Alachua County. Many of the drivers and passengers in those crashes experienced injuries. While some walked away with minor injuries, others had much more serious injuries.
Often, the speed at the time of the crash, safety rating of the involved vehicles, and size of the vehicles affect the severity of the injuries. But even a minor fender bender can have serious implications. Some of the most common car accident injuries include:
Whiplash
Although people sometimes joke about whiplash, it’s no laughing matter. The injury is caused by the sudden stopping that happens in a collision. Your neck muscles and ligaments can’t handle the rapid movement, and they tear or strain. After a few weeks, you could heal from the injury. But that isn’t always the case. You could experience chronic back and neck pain.
Herniated Disc
A herniated disc is a painful injury that affects many car accident victims. If you experience this injury, you are likely to have back or neck pain. Although it can resolve itself, the injury may require surgery.
Lacerations
The impact of your collision could result in lacerations. The cuts could be from loose objects, glass, or parts of your vehicle. Whatever the cause, your injury could be serious. You might require stitches. If your laceration is on a nerve, you could require surgery to regain the proper function and feeling. There’s also a risk of infection.
Head Trauma
A traumatic brain injury or any other type of head injury can be serious. As a result, you could face a lifetime of struggle. You could experience trouble sleeping, memory loss, and headaches. Often, head trauma requires regular medical treatment.
Broken Bones
If you’ve ever had a broken bone, you know how painful they are. And car accident victims are likely to learn that first-hand. The force of an accident could cause you to break almost any bone in your body. However, collarbones and rib bones are the most susceptible to breaks.
PTSD and Other Mental Troubles
After an accident, a victim might not have any physical injuries. But that doesn’t mean they are unharmed. They could also have mental injuries.
Those injuries can come in the form of PTSD, anxiety, or grief. Often, your mental health can affect the quality of your life. To recover, you may need to work with a therapist.
When Do You Need a Car Accident Attorney in Gainesville?
No matter how minor your injuries may seem, you should consider working with an attorney. Dealing with an accident alone can be challenging. This is especially true for those who are trying to recover from an injury.
By working with a lawyer, you can spend more time recovering. Your attorney can deal with the other party’s insurance company. All too often, insurance companies fight claims. They might be unwilling to give you the money you deserve.
An attorney can help you in another way. They may be able to file a personal injury claim. However, not all car accident victims can do so. There are several requirements for successful personal injury claims. Specifically, the other party needs to have exhibited negligence. This could come in the form of drunk driving, texting and driving, or speeding. Their negligence must have caused the accident, which also caused your injuries.
Here at Abercrombie, P.A., we can fight for you. We can explain more about the personal injury claim process. Then, we can try to reach a fair settlement. In most personal injury claims, the victims don’t need to appear in court.
If your case does go to court, we will fight for you. You could receive money for your medical bills, missed wages, and more. Contact us to learn more.
If you drive through the streets of Gainesville, you are likely to come across a car accident. Crashes can happen on any road at any given time. Sadly, most of the individuals involved in accidents experience painful injuries. Those injuries can keep them from enjoying life, making money, or having a strong family relationship.
You deserve compensation for your car accident. When you work with a car accident lawyer in Gainesville, you can take steps towards receiving money for your injuries, pain and suffering, and car repairs.
Common Car Accident Injuries
An accident victim can suffer from several different types of injuries. In minor accidents, whiplash is common. The sudden motion of going from slow to fast can cause a soft tissue injury. For days, weeks, or months after your accident, you may be unable to move your neck without pain.
Other common car accident injuries include:
Back pain
The impact of a car accident can result in back pain. In some cases, this is caused by a slipped disc. It can also be caused by bruising or other injuries. You could experience chronic back pain or require surgery.
Internal Bleeding
Although your seatbelt and airbag give you protection from certain injuries, they can also cause you harm. The safety gear could cause you to suffer from internal bleeding. Without immediate medical help, internal bleeding can lead to a fatality.
Spinal Cord Injury
One of the most devastating injuries is a spinal cord injury. The injury is extremely painful and can cause paralysis. In extreme cases, the paralysis could be permanent. The victim could need home health care for the rest of their life.
Brain Injury
During your car accident, you could hit your head. The force of the accident might send your head into the steering wheel or could send an object towards your head. In addition to being painful, this injury can have lifelong effects. You could experience memory loss, decreased cognitive function, and more. Some people have chronic headaches, which could keep them from working.
Regardless of your type of injury, you can suffer. Even a minor injury has lasting implications. Medical bills pile up quickly. As you miss days of work for your recovery and your doctor appointments, you could develop more and more debt. You could have a daily struggle to deal with your injuries and to pay the bills.
Common Causes of Car Accidents
A car crash can happen to even the safest of drivers. For instance, a hidden pothole could make a driver lose control and veer off the road. Rain can create slick roads and make a driver lose traction. While there are accidents caused by things people can’t control, most accidents are caused by something people can control – negligence.
All of the following are common causes of Gainesville accidents, and they all involve some degree of negligence:
Speeding
There’s a reason all roads in Florida have a posted speed limit. If a driver is going too fast, they aren’t able to drive safely. They are more likely to lose control of their car and are unable to react quickly to changing conditions. Speeding through a red light can cause a T-bone collision while speeding on a highway can result in a rear-end collision.
Drunk Driving
In Gainesville, drunk driving is a serious problem. Although the police try to crack down on drinking and driving, there is only so much they can do. A drunk driver does not have the judgment, dexterity, or vision needed to drive safely. They can hit another vehicle and cause significant harm.
Distracted Driving
Most people are guilty of distracted driving at one point or another. And although the action doesn’t always cause an accident, it greatly increases the chances of one. While you’re staring at your phone, you can’t look at the road and react to other drivers or traffic lights. Eating, drinking, and talking while driving can also have the same effect.
How Does Car Insurance Work?
After your accident, you’ll probably be stressed about the thought of all your new expenses. Your injuries, car repairs, and missed weeks of work can impact your finances. However, car insurance can offset the cost of your new expenses.
Florida is a no-fault state for car accidents. This means that accident victims need to go through their own insurance companies for minor injuries and repairs. In Florida, every driver is required to have at least $10,000 in personal injury protection. Your insurance will compensate you for your medical bills from that $10,000 limit.
But the no-fault policy can be misleading. In many cases, the victim does not need to go through their own insurance policy. If the other driver was at-fault for the accident and you have significant injury or damage, you may be able to go through their insurance company.
By going through their insurance, you can prevent your rates from rising. If the other driver has a higher policy limit, you may also be able to get more money for your expenses.
Fighting for Your Claim
In Gainesville, there were 6,075 car accidents in 2017. There were over 4,000 car crash injuries that same year. With such a high frequency of car accidents, you would think that the car insurance claims process is easy. But that isn’t the case.
The process is actually quite difficult. Typically, insurers will fight your claim. They don’t want to pay you the maximum amount; it’s not in their best interest. To receive fair compensation, you need to fight. The insurance company should pay you for your medical expenses, car repairs, and pain and suffering.
Your best chance at receiving the money you deserve is to contact a car accident lawyer in Gainesville. They can negotiate with the insurance company and fight for your benefits. If the negotiations don’t go well, your attorney might file a personal injury claim against the other party.
Abercrombie, P.A. is ready to take on your case. We won’t settle for less than you deserve. Contact us and we can take steps towards resolving your case.
