Belleair Personal Injury Attorney
If you were harmed in a Belleair traffic collision, either as a driver, passenger, pedestrian, bicyclist, motorcyclist, or other road user, we urge you to contact an experienced Belleair personal injury lawyer as soon as possible. Chances are, the other party who caused the collision is liable for your medical bills, pain and suffering, and much more. The Belleair personal injury attorney at The Reep Law Firm are here to help make this happen.
Proving Negligence in a Belleair Personal Injury Claim or Lawsuit
No two personal injury cases are the same, which is why our attorneys take the time to listen to your story, gather evidence, investigate the cause of the incident, determine what your damages are and what liability the other party (or parties) has, and, at the end of the day, hold said party fully accountable. Personal injury claims take an extensive amount of time to settle because of all of these elements, particularly when the plaintiff’s damages are very serious—it takes many months for a victim’s long term medical outcome to be established.
Establishing Fault and Damages in a Personal Injury Claim
In order for a distracted driver or negligent manufacturer to be held accountable for your damages, we must establish negligence, as well as liability. The following questions can help us answer these questions.
- Did the other party have a duty of care? For example, all drivers have a duty to follow the rules of the road and operate their vehicles in a safe and prudent manner.
- If the party had a duty of care, did they breach this duty? To continue with the negligent driving scenario, was the other driver speeding or rapidly changing lanes without bothering to yield right of way? If so, they likely breached their duty of care.
- Did the breach cause the crash? If so, they are liable for your damages.
- Damages in a personal injury claim include economic and non economic damages, such as the following:
- Pain and suffering
- Medical expenses
- Lost earning capacity and lost wages due to disability
- Property damage
- Emotional distress
- More
Comparative Negligence
Florida is a modified comparative negligence state. This means that if you are found to be even a small percentage at fault (you also had a duty of care and breached that duty, causing the incident to occur) your compensation will be reduced by that percent of negligence. For example, if a motorcyclist is struck by a driver who fails to use their turn signals while changing lanes on the highway, yet the motorcyclist was speeding, the injured motorcyclist might be found 40 percent at fault, for example. As such, they would only be able to recover 60 percent of their damages. For this reason it is vital that your attorney minimizes any degree of competitive negligence in order to maximize your take-home compensation.
Contact a Belleair Personal Injury Lawyer at The Reep Law Firm Today
For skilled representation, look no further than The Reep Law Firm. We will aggressively defend your best interests and fight to maximize your compensation, whether the case is settled out of court, or requires litigation. Call our Belleair personal injury attorney today at 727-330-6502 to schedule a free consultation.
