Delray Beach Car Accident Lawyer
Have you recently been in a car accident? Did you suffer injuries as a result of that accident? Are you having a difficult time getting the at-fault driver to pay or have you been given low-ball offers from insurance companies? Are you looking for a Car Accident Lawyer in Delray Beach, Florida?
Automobile accidents are common. In fact, they seem even more common in the southern Florida area because the greater number of tourists and residents who have moved from other locations can mean drivers who are unfamiliar with the area or who learned to drive with different rules and regulations. Auto accidents with tourists can also add to the headache of a routine car accident, as you try to wrangle with different insurance companies, car rental companies, and a person who may not be readily available for questions by law enforcement.
There are many things that can turn the everyday inconvenience of a normal auto accident into a real nightmare for you, especially if you have suffered serious injuries. While most car accidents result in bruises, scrapes, and minor physical damage in addition to property damage, some car accidents are much more serious. Very little separates a regular fender bender from a fatal accident, and sometimes your injuries may be more severe than you initially realize.
What should you do if you have been in a car accident? Documentation is important. Take cameras of the vehicles before they are moved, as well as any conditions that might have impacted the accident. This includes unusual weather condition, any warning signs or traffic signs, any obstructions, or any other factors that you feel may have contributed to the accident. Trade insurance information with the other driver, and contact law enforcement to document the accident.
Many of us avoid seeking medical treatment if we feel like there are no serious or life-threatening injuries. However, after a car accident you may be disoriented and may not be in the best position to determine whether or not you need medical attention. If you feel like you or any of the passengers in your car may have any type of serious injury, especially any potential head injuries, please seek immediate medical attention. While not all injuries are immediately visible following an automobile accident, the earlier you seek treatment for certain types of injuries, the better the long-term prognosis.
If you have been hurt in an automobile accident, you may wonder what type of compensation you can seek from the person at fault or their insurance agency. The goal of damages in our legal system is to make an injured party “whole.” Legally, the concept of wholeness refers to trying to use monetary damages to help you get to the position that you were in prior to the accident. Generally, this means that you may be compensated for expenses you incurred as a result of the accident, such as medical bills, repair or replacement for your car, lost wages, pain and suffering, and any loss of future income that is a result of your injuries.
How do you know if an insurance company is offering you the right amount for your injuries? This is a very difficult question and is probably one of the most common questions that our car accident clients ask us at Demand the Limits. It is easy to determine whether an insurance company is offering you the right amount of money to replace your property. Blue Book and similar car pricing services can offer you a range of values for your vehicle, so that you can verify that you are being offered a fair amount. However, there is no Blue Book for medical costs and lost wages in the Delray Beach area.
Fortunately, our experience working in personal injury law means that at Demand the Limits, we can help you determine the realistic lifelong costs of any injuries that you may have received. If we are unable to assess those costs ourselves, we can work with medical experts who can give us a better idea of whether you will need continuous treatment for any injuries, and, if so, the costs of that treatment. That helps us provide you with the knowledge you need to assess whether any settlement offers are fair or whether you need to negotiate for a higher settlement or even consider going to court to fight for a higher damage award.
How do you know if you need an attorney to help you with your auto accident claim? Some attorneys will tell you that you always need an attorney’s help. We disagree. If there were no injuries and only property damage in an accident, then, if you are savvy, you can determine whether a settlement offer is fair yourself. However, if there are any injuries, then the situation becomes more complex. You may also be dealing with a complicated situation if there is something about your property that makes it difficult to assess its value.
One of the best ways to find out if you need an attorney is to contact us to set up a free consultation. You will meet with one of the personal injury attorneys at Demand the Limits. After going over the facts of the case, including how the accident occurred, whether there are any criminal proceedings connected to the case, whether there were any injuries, and any related medical diagnoses, we will tell you how we would approach your case and what benefit, if any, we believe we can offer you if you hire us to represent you. Some of those benefits will be based on our legal knowledge, while other benefits may be based on our experience as personal injury attorneys in the South Florida area. Combined together, those two parts of our background help us assess whether the other party was at fault, and, if so, what type of settlement offer is reasonable in our area.
One circumstance where we almost always encourage people to hire an attorney, even if they decide to go with a different firm, is when you have been involved in a car accident where the other driver was a truck driver. There are very specific rules regarding commercial vehicle operation, and these laws may be federal or state laws. Drivers also have to obey regulations about how many hours they can drive at a time and the maintenance they must perform on their vehicles. Unless you are familiar with these laws, rules, and regulations, it can be very difficult to appropriately assess fault and damages in a car-truck accident. In addition, because commercial trucking vehicles are generally so much larger than passenger vehicles, truck accidents often involve significant personal injuries and total losses of property.
We cannot promise to take away the frustration of dealing with a car accident, nor can we promise to take away any injuries. However, at Demand the Limits, what we can promise you is an honest assessment of your case, an evaluation of your settlement offers, a professional opinion about how you should proceed, and, if you choose to hire us, zealous representation of your case. Zealous representation means that we will negotiate for the best settlement possible, and, if we feel that settlement negotiations have been unsuccessful, we will take your case to trial and fight for your rights. To find out more, contact our Delray Beach Car Accident Lawyers to schedule your free consultation!