Boca Raton Car Accident Lawyer
Unfortunately, car accidents are common in Boca Raton, Florida. The Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles issues annual reports with traffic crash facts for Florida and each of Florida’s counties. According to the FLHSMV, there are approximately 400,000 car crashes in Florida every year, involving upwards of 600,000 vehicles annually. The Boca Raton car accident lawyers at Hersh Kirtman Injury Law help auto accident victims and their families in Boca Raton recover compensation for the harm they suffered from auto accidents caused by the negligence of other drivers.
When someone is injured in an auto accident, they are generally overwhelmed, facing enormous obstacles and dealing with significant physical, emotional, and financial needs. Hersh Kirtman Injury Law has the experience, determination, and compassion to work with car crash victims to help them achieve success, obtain the medical care they need, and recover the compensation they deserve. Call our car accident lawyers in Boca Raton, FL today for a free consultation to discuss your needs.
Why You Need a Boca Raton Car Accident Lawyer
Car crash victims need an attorney because they have medical and financial needs that typically will not be met without legal representation. That is because insurance companies place profits ahead of ensuring fair compensation for those who have been harmed. Insurance companies will do all they can to avoid liability for their insureds and limit payments to crash victims. Therefore, people who have been hurt or lost loved ones in car crashes need an attorney. But not just any attorney; they need the right attorney with the right knowledge and grit to help achieve success.
Car crashes happen because of many reasons, resulting in a wide range of injuries. These differentiations make each car crash case distinct, and that also necessitates having an experienced car accident attorney involved to help victims through the process and to prove the claim so that compensation is recovered.
What to Do After a Car Accident in Boca Raton, FL
After you have been injured in a car accident, it may take some time to fully adjust to the reality of what has occurred. While you may be feeling stressed and overwhelmed, there are several steps you need to take to ensure you have the best chance of a full recovery and of getting justice for your injuries. After a car accident in Boca Raton, you should do the following:
- Call emergency services
- File or obtain an official accident report from the responding police department
- Take photos and videos of the accident scene, any damage to your property, visible indicators of the crash, and any visible injuries
- Get a statement and contact information from any witnesses at the scene
- Exchange insurance information with the driver who hit you
- Seek medical attention
In addition to the above steps, it is crucial that you seek the help of one of our trusted car accident lawyers. When you contact our Boca Raton law firm, we will provide you with the trusted legal counsel needed to help you seek the fair compensation you deserve for the injuries and losses you have suffered.
What Are the Causes of Car Accidents in Boca Raton?
Auto accidents happen in Boca Raton often. Miami-Dade and Broward Counties lead the state in car crashes annually. Palm Beach County ranks fifth for having the most car accidents in the state. Palm Beach County averages approximately 25,000 auto accidents every year. As a result of those crashes, Palm Beach County averages approximately 15,000 car crash injuries and nearly 200 car crash fatalities annually.
Car crashes happen for many reasons, presenting different obstacles for the victims when bringing a claim or lawsuit. Car crashes result from, among several other things, speeding, failing to follow road markings and traffic signals, distracted driving, failing to yield the right of way, and driving under the influence. The increasing usage of smartphones and mobile apps has brought with it a drastic rise in crashes resulting from distracted driving. When someone is hurt or loses a loved one in a car crash, they may bring a claim or lawsuit. Regardless of the reason for the crash, they must prove that the other driver was negligent and responsible. In some instances, the type of crash makes proving negligence simple, but in other instances, the type of crash causes proving negligence to be far more complicated.
The Boca Raton car accident attorneys at Hersh Kirtman Injury Law have experience handling nearly every variation of car crash cases and are uniquely equipped to prove the cases on behalf of their clients.
What Happens if you Are Injured in a Car Crash?
If you are injured in a car crash, you will need medical care, among other potentially expensive needs. As a result, costs after an auto accident in Boca Raton and elsewhere in South Florida can be significant. Florida’s personal injury protection (PIP) benefits only offer a limited amount of help. Injured drivers can apply for no-fault PIP benefits and receive up to $10,000 in medical and disability benefits, provided they sought initial care and services within 14 days of the accident. These benefits won’t pay for all damages, however; they only cover 80% of medically necessary and reasonable expenses, plus 60% of lost income or earning capacity. Additionally, unless the doctor determines there was an emergency medical condition, the total benefit amount is limited to $2,500 instead of $10,000.
Damages in Car Accident Claims
In addition to having some medical expenses covered by PIP under these circumstances, car crash victims are allowed to file a negligence claim or lawsuit against the at-fault driver to recover damages caused by the accident if they incurred medical expenses or suffered harm. Serious harm includes the following:
- Significant and permanent loss of an important bodily function
- Permanent injury within a reasonable degree of medical probability, other than scarring or disfigurement
- Significant and permanent scarring or disfigurement
- Death
In situations involving serious and permanent harm, you can bring a claim against the at-fault driver for negligence and seek to recover not only all of your medical expenses and lost wages, but also compensation for your pain, suffering, mental anguish, and inconvenience endured because of the crash.
Proving Liability
The burden falls on you to prove that the other driver was negligent and that their negligence caused your injuries. This requires showing:
- A duty of reasonable care was owed by the at-fault driver
- They breached that duty of care
- This breach directly resulted in injuries or other losses
Doing this requires knowledge of the law and legal procedure and experience working with insurance companies that defend negligent drivers. Because car crashes result in different types of injuries with varying degrees of severity, having the right attorney with the right experience is crucial to completely and adequately prove the fullest extent of damages and injuries.
How We Can Help
The Boca Raton car accident attorneys at Hersh Kirtman Injury Law can help guide you, protect you, and fight for you to recover fair compensation for the damages caused by the auto accident. Our personal injury attorneys have a long list of successes in settlements and jury verdicts in auto accident cases, including multi-million dollar results in crashes involving catastrophic injury or wrongful death. Every case is unique, but you can rest assured that we will apply all our skills and years of experience inside and outside the courtroom to get you the best result possible.
Contact Our Car Accident Attorneys in Boca Raton, FL Today for a Free Consultation
Hersh Kirtman Injury Law can help with all your needs when you’ve been hurt in a car crash in Palm Beach County or lost a family member to a fatal auto accident. We bring all our attention, care, and skill to every case to ensure our clients are taken care of and to help get them significant results on their auto accident claims. Contact our auto accident lawyers today by calling (561) 208-3700 or filling out our contact form for a free consultation.