According to data from the state of Florida, over 600,000 drivers in Florida were involved in a car accident in 2016.  Of 395,785 car accidents in 2016, over 160,000 resulted in injury.  The number of car accidents and accident-related injuries rose by over 5% and 4% respectively from 2015 to 2016.

Dealing with the trauma and aftermath of a car accident can be overwhelming.  If you have suffered an injury or lost a loved one due to careless or reckless driving, an Orlando car accident lawyer can help.  Bryan W. Crews is an Orlando personal injury attorney with decades of experience.  Mr. Crews is prepared to evaluate your claim and advocate on your behalf.

Car accidents can be life altering events requiring months or years or physical recovery.  A driver the negligently operates a motor vehicle is liable for any resulting physical or property damage.  This may require obtaining compensation through an insurance company or hold the driver personally liable for legal action.  An experienced car accident attorney can help you navigate the legal complexities of recovering compensation for your loss.

Florida’s no-fault insurance laws require that injured drivers turn to their own insurance policies for most minor car accidents.  Drivers are required to carry $10,000 in personal injury protection, or PIP, insurance.  So, most traffic accidents resulting in injury will be paid out by the injured party’s insurance, regardless of who was at fault.  In other jurisdictions, injured parties have the option of filing their claim with the other party’s insurance.  The threshold for pursuing a claim against the negligent party’s insurance is whether the injured party suffered a permanent injury.  In other words, car accidents that result in major injuries meet the statutory threshold for seeking compensation from the negligent party’s insurance.

Plaintiffs have a limited amount of time to file suit.  Florida, like most jurisdictions, sets a deadline for bringing a claim against a negligent defendant.  In Florida, you have four years to file.  If you do not file within the statutory timeframe, you likely will be barred from obtaining a judgment.  There is an exception to this timeframe if you do not immediately discover your injuries.  Rather than starting the clock from the date of the accident, the court will view the discovery of the injury as the start date for the filing deadline.

In Florida, it is illegal to leave the scene of an accident without fulfilling the requirements of Florida Statute § 316.062 Duty to give information and render aid.  This statute requires those involved in an automobile accident to exchange information and provide reasonable assistance.  This statute not only imposes a duty on you, but may result in criminal liability for someone that carelessly or recklessly causes your injury.