According to data from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS), side-impact accidents caused 27% of all passenger car fatalities in 2018, resulting in over 3,500 deaths nationwide. Sadly, countless other victims suffer serious injuries and financial losses from these accidents every year.
Thankfully, if you have been injured after a negligent driver hit the side of your car, you may be entitled to compensation for your pain and suffering. We know these cases may seem confusing to the average person, especially when you have just suffered a life-altering accident. We want you to know that you do not have to go through your legal battle alone and our Brandon car accident attorney has got your back.
If you retain a Brandon T-bone accident lawyer at our firm, we can be there to help seek justice for you and your loved ones side impact collision.
We offer a variety of services to help address your unique legal needs, including:
- Gathering evidence to help prove liability
- Settlement negotiations
- Assigning a value to your case
- Representing your case at trial
- Providing legal counsel on local and federal laws
- Communicating with insurance companies, defendants, and legal counsel
- And more
- For more information about our legal services at Distasio Law Firm, contact a Brandon T-bone car accident attorney today to receive your free consultation.
A LOOK AT SIDE-IMPACT TRAFFIC COLLISIONS IN BRANDON
According to Florida Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles (FLHSMV), in 2018, there were approximately 29,000 motor vehicle crashes in Hillsborough County, resulting in 176 fatalities and 20,114 injuries.
Looking at the data, it is safe to say that negligent side-impact wrecks resulted in hundreds, if not thousands, of common injuries in the Brandon area over the last few years.
In 2018 alone, the most common types of traffic accidents throughout Florida included:
- Failure to yield to the right of way: 3,028 incapacitating injuries and 395 fatalities.
- Failure to maintain lane: 768 incapacitating injuries and 248 fatalities.
- Running stop signs: 408 incapacitating injuries and 63 fatalities.
- Improper turns: 367 incapacitating injuries and 46 fatalities.
- Driving too fast for conditions: 362 incapacitating injuries and 92 fatalities.
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RECOVERABLE DAMAGES FOR T-BONE CRASH VICTIMS
If you file a claim against the negligent driver and they are found liable for your losses, you may be eligible to recover economic, non-economic, and punitive damages, with help from our personal injury attorneys.
Examples of recoverable damages include:
- Property damage
- Mental anguish, including a loss of companionship with loved ones, trauma from physical disfigurements, and overall impacts on your quality of life
- Lost wages, loss of benefits, and diminished income potential
- Medical treatment and the cost of ongoing care
- Physical pain you have suffered from the accident
- Accommodations for long-term disabilities
- And more
As for punitive damages, they are only awarded by the court if an extreme wrongdoing has been committed. As detailed under Florida Statutes §768.72, you cannot receive punitive damages unless you provide evidence that the offender displayed intentional misconduct or gross negligence during the commission of your injuries.
Ultimately, punitive damages are reserved to punish the most heinous of offenders. In doing so, these unique damages are meant to serve as a warning to the public, dissuading them from engaging in similar behavior.
ASSIGNING A VALUE TO YOUR SIDESWIPE ACCIDENT CASE
When you retain a proactive Brandon side-impact collision attorney, we can begin gathering evidence to help us assign a monetary value to your personal injury case. The more proof we can obtain, the better we may be able to document the true extent of your physical, financial, and mental losses.
Our personal injury law firm uses multiple methods to help us assign case values, including:
- Calling upon expert witnesses to examine your unique situation, including medical specialists, psychiatrists, economists, and industry professionals from your line of work.
- Collecting medical documentation of your physical injuries, including health examinations from before your accident, your current diagnosis, and your outlook for the future.
- Gathering evidence of your financial losses, including medical bills, vehicle repairs, lost wages, and calculations for your diminished earning potential.
- Utilizing the multiplier method to assign monetary values to non-economic suffering. This technique involves assigning a number between 1.5 and 5 to your case, proportionate to the severity of your losses. That number will then be multiplied by your economic losses to help represent your overall pain and suffering.
- And more.
Ultimately, every side-impact accident case brings unique losses that will need to be accounted for. To learn more about calculating damages for your T-bone crash in Brandon, contact an experienced legal professional at Distasio Law Firm today to receive your free consultation.
UNDERSTANDING FLORIDA’S COMPARATIVE FAULT LAWS
Florida practices something known as “comparative fault,” meaning that you may still be eligible to recover damages even if you were partially to blame for your sideswipe accident. However, as described under Florida Statutes §768.81, your final settlement can be reduced proportionate to your responsibility for your accident.
Basically, the court will consider the evidence presented before them, then they will translate your overall responsibility into a percentage. This percentage will then be deducted from your final settlement amount.
For example:
- If the court awards you $50,000 for your losses, but you were deemed 10% responsible for your accident, your settlement will be reduced to $45,000
STATUTE OF LIMITATIONS ON PERSONAL INJURY CLAIMS IN BRANDON
In accordance with Florida Statutes §95.11, personal injury claims are subject to a general two-year statute of limitations, beginning on the day your injuries first occurred. If you fail to file a personal injury claim within this time period, you may be unable to recover damages.
LEARN ABOUT YOUR LEGAL OPTIONS BY CONTACTING THE OFFICE OF A SIDE-IMPACT COLLISION ATTORNEY
We have spent years representing accident victims from all walks of life. Along the way, we have seen the good that can come out of these tragic situations. Ultimately, if you retain a Brandon T-bone accident attorney at our firm, we will work to fight for your future because we care about victims in our communities. Best of all, if you do not win your case, you do not owe us anything.
To get started with your free consultation with our Brandon car accident lawyer today, contact us.
