If you or a loved one were involved in a collision, you may have suffered injuries and other damages from the negligence of another driver. You have the right to hold them accountable by pursuing compensation through a car accident claim. Personal injuries from a car wreck can result in mounting medical bills, lost wages, ongoing medical care needs, and an inability to continue enjoying the activities you once loved.
While you are recovering from the injuries and trauma, it can be challenging to find the time to follow through with the necessary legal steps for filing a claim. This is where retaining a Sarasota car accident lawyer can help you. Distasio Law Firm understands the difficulties you face, and our full-service legal team is ready to provide you as much help you need. Schedule a free consultation with one of our experienced personal injury attorneys by calling us today.
How a Sarasota Auto Crash Attorney From Distasio Law Firm Can Help
At Distasio Law Firm, our legal team has seen first-hand how an accident can wreak havoc in someone’s life. The effects of accident injuries may linger for weeks and months after the crash, severely disrupting multiple areas of your life.
We understand that the key to helping you pursue the fairest possible settlement in your case is to demonstrate the at-fault party’s negligence and how it resulted in the accident and your damages.
Here are some ways our legal team will be able to serve you:
- Complete and file paperwork associated with filing a claim or a lawsuit within the applicable deadlines
- Conduct an in-depth investigation of your case to determine the at-fault parties
- Obtain, organize, and analyze critical pieces of evidence from multiple sources
- Obtain medical records and bills to demonstrate compensable damages
- Calculate a fair compensation value that reflects the entire range of damages you have sustained
- Communicate with the legal team and insurance provider of the at-fault party
- Negotiate a fair settlement on your behalf with the liable at-fault policies
- Organize and present information that demonstrates negligence and damages
- Represent you in court if your claim does not reach a satisfactory result out of court
- Keep you updated about the progress of your case
By hiring the services of a diligent Sarasota car crash lawyer, you will receive an advocate to help you negotiate with the at-fault party’s insurance company. Should the insurer refuse to agree to a fair settlement, we will represent your case in court. Call our law office today for a free case review.
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How Much Is My Sarasota Motor Vehicle Wreck Case Worth?
Depending on the success of your claim, you may be able to recover compensation for different types of damages. How much you can obtain will depend on several factors that you cannot control, such as the nature and severity of your injuries, who was at fault for the accident, and the at-fault party’s insurance policy.
Three types of losses you can pursue compensation for include:
Economic Damages
These losses have a monetary value and are the easiest to calculate. Depending on your case, economic damages may make up most of your award. These include expenses for:
- Past and future accident-related medical treatments
- Prescription medication
- Physical therapy or rehab
- Lost wages
- Reduced earning potential
- Property damage
Non-Economic Damages
These damages encompass the accident’s impact on your mental health and quality of life. They can be harder to assign a value yourself. Non-monetary damages include:
- Pain and suffering
- Mental anguish, anxiety, fear, or other symptoms emanating from the crash
- Loss of enjoyment in activities you previously found pleasure in
- Loss of consortium
- Disfigurement
Punitive Damages
If your accident was caused by the defendant’s severely careless negligence or criminal behavior, the judge might award you punitive damages. This is meant to punish the defendant and deter the repeated occurrence of the same behavior in the future.
You Have Limited Time to Seek Compensation
After an auto accident, your first step should be to get medical attention for your injuries. Once that’s taken care of, you can start to consider pursuing financial compensation for the losses you had to suffer because of someone else’s negligence.
But note that the law gives you a limited time to file a car accident claim or lawsuit in Sarasota. Under Florida Statutes § 95.11, you have two years from the accident date to pursue damages. That said, exceptions exist which our car accident lawyer would gladly discuss with you.
If you have lost someone to a car accident in Sarasota, one of our compassionate attorneys can help you pursue compensation for funeral expenses and other damages by filing a wrongful death claim. You have two years from the decedent’s death to pursue a wrongful death action.
Act Quickly
Initiate a claim as soon as possible, because the quicker you file a claim, the more options you will have to seek compensation for your injuries and damages. Additionally, here are some benefits to starting early on your path to obtain compensation:
- You will be able to accurately describe the details of your accident since not much time has passed since the incident.
- Evidence such as photographs and surveillance of the accident scene may still be recoverable
- You will be able to document the recovery process from the beginning, including saving receipts, bills, proof of medical treatment appointments, etc.
- You will provide your attorney will enough time to build a compelling and persuasive case.
If you attempt to pursue a legal action once the deadline expires, chances are that the court will dismiss your case, and you will lose your right to seek any compensation from those responsible for your suffering.
Frequency of Traffic Crashes in Sarasota County
In Florida, car accidents resulting in injuries are relatively common. In 2018, according to Florida Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles (FLHSMV), the state had more than 403,000 crashes, resulting in 255,353 injuries.
In Sarasota County, law enforcement reported 6,466 crashes in 2018, resulting in 3,655 injuries and 51 fatalities. When you are driving on the roads in the county, you must always watch for other drivers who are not driving safely.
Common Causes of Car Accidents
When you are involved in a motor vehicle collision, understand that certain drivers may be engaged in behaviors that place others in danger. If you and your Sarasota car accident attorney can prove that the other driver involved in your crash was engaging in one of these behaviors, you can establish negligence, which increases the chances of a successful personal injury claim.
Impaired Driving
Drivers who take drugs or drink alcohol before getting behind the wheel may suffer from a variety of effects on their bodies and their cognitive skills, depending on the amount they have ingested, according to Stanford University. Some of these conditions can include:
- Impaired motor coordination
- Loss of judgment
- Blurred vision
- Mental confusion
- And more
While operating a motor vehicle, any of these conditions could increase the driver’s chances of causing an accident resulting in fatalities or injuries. In Sarasota County in 2018, police reported 10 impaired driver crashes, according to FLHSMV. These crashes resulted in nine deaths and seven injuries.
Violating Traffic Laws
Acts such as speeding or entering an intersection illegally increase a traffic accident’s chances with catastrophic damages.
If law enforcement officers issue a traffic ticket to the other driver, this gives you and your attorney evidence that shows negligence.
Driving While Distracted
If a driver is texting while driving or doing something else in the car that pulls their attention away from the road, this will increase the possibility of this person causing an accident. A driver searching for a certain item inside the vehicle may not see an upcoming hazard on the road until it is too late to stop or swerve.
One of the most common types of crashes that a distracted driver will cause is a rear-end crash. The distracted driver may not see cars stopped at a stoplight or notice traffic that has slowed in time.
Additionally, a distracted driver may miss a stoplight or stop sign while entering an intersection and causing a crash.
Contact a Sarasota Car Accident Attorney to Learn More Today
If you were recently in a motor vehicle wreck, you may be feeling overwhelmed and lost about what steps to take next. If you suffered injuries because of the crash, you do not deserve to have the problems that a collision can cause for you, including a loss of income, medical bills, and lingering pain and limitations.
Instead, you deserve to receive a fair settlement amount that compensates you for your reduced quality of life and the other issues you are now facing.
A Sarasota car accident lawyer from Distasio Law Firm has seen how insurance companies treat injured victims of motor vehicle accidents. You can discuss the specifics of your case and learn about legal options available to you during a free case consultation today by calling now. We take cases on a contingency-fee basis.
