Largo Car Accident Attorney
In the years before coronavirus lockdowns in 2020, the number of fatal car crashes declined somewhat. Then, the figure hit near-record highs in 2020 and again in 2021. During COVID lockdowns, many roads were nearly empty and traffic enforcement dropped off to practically nothing. So, drivers developed some bad habits, such as driving while intoxicated and speeding. Like many other bad habits, these bad habits are easy to form and hard to break.
Making matters worse, many drivers don’t “feel” injured after a collision. So, they don’t seek medical or legal help. Whiplash, a common head-neck injury that’s almost exclusively collision-related, is a good example. The initial symptoms, such as neck soreness, mimic accident shock. Therefore, many victims don’t get treatment until their injuries are more advanced and more difficult to address.
The dedicated Largo car accident attorneys at The Reep Law Firm address both these needs. Although we aren’t doctors, we connect victims with doctors who focus on injury-related matters. Usually, these physicians charge nothing upfront for their professional services. Then, after a thorough case evaluation and a period of evidence collection, we fight for the compensation victims need and deserve. This compensation usually includes money for economic losses, such as medical bills, and noneconomic losses, such as pain and suffering.
What Causes Car Crashes?
In a nutshell, driver error causes over 98 percent of the vehicle collisions in Florida. The specific causes include:
- Aggressive Driving: Speeding is the most common, and most dangerous, form of aggressive driving. It increases the risk of a collision as well as the force in a collision. Other forms for aggressive driving include ignoring a traffic control device, tailgating, and making an unsafe turn. Ignoring mechanical problems is another form of aggressive driving.
- Impaired Driving: We mentioned alcohol impairment and intoxication above. This substance clouds judgment ability and adversely affects motor skills. Fatigue has roughly the same effect. Driving after eighteen consecutive awake hours is like driving with a .05 BAC level. That’s above the legal limit for many Florida drivers.
Other care crash causes include defective products, mostly defective tires, and extreme weather events, like sudden lightning strikes.
Evidence in Vehicle Collision Matters
Compensation is available if a Largo car accident attorney proves negligence, or a lack of care, by a preponderance of the evidence, or more likely than not. Therefore, credible evidence is usually critical in personal injury claims.
Car crash evidence usually includes a combination of physical evidence at the scene, the police accident report, witness statements, including the victim’s own testimony, and medical records.
Sometimes, this evidence is insufficient to obtain maximum compensation. Medical bills are a good example. Frequently, these documents only include diagnosis, treatment, and cost information. That’s good, but it omits information about the victim’s pain level.
In these cases, attorneys often partner with independent doctors. These individuals sometimes review the medical records and offer their expert opinions as to what they mean. Other times, the doctor physically examines the victim. Attorneys need to be flexible to obtain maximum compensation without boring the jury.
Connect With a Diligent Pinellas County Attorney
Injury victims are entitled to substantial compensation. For a free consultation with an experienced car accident attorney in Largo, contact Reep, Coleman & Stubbendorff. We routinely handle matters throughout the Tampa Bay area.
