Delray Beach, Florida Auto Accident Attorneys
An automobile crash is instantaneous, and the consequences often result in a lifetime of physical, emotional, and mental anguish for all parties involved. Having the appropriate automobile insurance coverage provides economic protection should you accidentally cause injury to others, but it can also protect you and your family if you are involved in a motor vehicle accident in which the “at fault” party has little or no insurance coverage.
With Uninsured Motorist Coverage in place, your insurance company is legally obligated to pay the economic and non-economic damages to which you are entitled if the “at fault” owner/operator is uninsured or underinsured. There are numerous components to each and every motor vehicle and trucking accident, and it is necessary to painstakingly recreate the sequence of events leading to each accident in order to mediate and/or prepare it for trial appropriately.
The Russo Firm is Here to Help You
At The Russo Firm, our resolve, resources, and experience have enabled us to successfully litigate car and trucking accident cases on behalf of the injured victims or families of the deceased. The lawyers at The Russo Firm have also successfully litigated cases against insurance companies that have failed to pay their own insured claims properly.
The Russo Firm focuses its practice on catastrophic and traumatic injury cases. People with catastrophic injuries need a lengthy recovery time and long-term medical treatment. If you or your loved one has suffered a catastrophic injury, you may be unable to work again. You may require life-long care, medical equipment, and intensive physical and psychological therapy.
We Have Years of Experience Working on Car Accident Cases
Our auto accident attorneys have handled over 10,000 auto accidents in the state of Florida and nationwide. We have extensive experience in helping those who are injured get the financial resources they need to cope with the significant cost of their injury. In addition to our legal services, The Russo Firm provides victims and their families with a continuum of care that begins at the first consultation.
We offer our clients access to resources, information, referrals to specialized medical treatment, and the details of support groups and other organizations dedicated to helping the seriously injured. Our bilingual team ensures that you get the serious injury resources you need to cope with your new circumstances.
It is important you contact an attorney with experience and success in handling traumatic injury cases. The Russo Firm has successfully litigated countless catastrophic injury cases and has extensive experience with severe injuries.
Types of Injuries Caused by Car Accidents
Car accidents can cause a wide variety of different injuries. These injuries can range from mild to severe and life-threatening. The most common types of injuries caused by car accidents include the following:
- Traumatic brain injuries
- Spinal cord injuries
- Back and neck injuries
- Soft tissue damage
- Internal injuries
- Broken bones and fractures
- Wrongful death
Causes of Car Accidents
Driver negligence often causes car accidents. Negligence refers to an act committed that breaches the duty of care we owe to each other. When anyone gets behind the wheel of a car, they are submitting themselves to this duty. By operating a motor vehicle, you’re pledging to keep other drivers safe with your behavior. To breach this duty is negligence.
Negligence can be a simple error, such as:
- Running a red light
- Not checking before merging
- Failing to signal properly
- Following too closely
Or, it can be an active decision, such as:
- Distracted driving
- Drunk driving
- Fatigued driving
Unfortunately, whether the driver means to commit negligence or not, they can be held liable for their actions.
Elements of an Auto Accident Lawsuit
The elements of proof necessary to bring a successful personal injury claim are as follows:
- the other party was negligent, reckless, or acted in an intentional manner;
- your injury was caused by that other party’s negligent, reckless, or intentional act; and
- you have suffered damages.
How does The Russo Firm Prove Those Elements to Win Your Auto Accident Lawsuit?
Our legal team will gather all the necessary evidence to prove your claim. This includes taking photographs and video of the accident scene and your injuries, obtaining incident or accident reports, securing all medical records and bills, and speaking to witnesses to confirm the negligence of the other party. At the proper time, we’ll present the records, bills, and evidence to the insurance company and attempt to negotiate a fair settlement for you. If we can’t settle your case to your satisfaction, then we file a lawsuit on your behalf, conduct further discovery, and present your case to a jury.
How to File an Auto Accident Lawsuit
The Russo Firm provides free, confidential case consultations to all clients. If you hire us, we work on a contingency fee basis governed by The Florida Bar. All lawyers working on a contingency fee are subject to the same fees set by the Florida Bar. The contingency fees range from 20% to 40%, depending upon the settlement amount of your case.
CONTACT US FOR A FREE CONFIDENTIAL CONSULTATION
Damages You Can Recover After a Car Accident
The costs really add up after an accident. You may have thousands to tens of thousands of dollars in medical bills alone. Some car accident victims may even have hundreds of thousands or millions of dollars in bills. The amount of damages you have is a direct result of the severity of your injury. More severe injuries like traumatic brain injury or spinal cord injuries will leave you with more damages.
No matter the amount, filing a lawsuit is worth it. By filing a lawsuit, you can recover both economic and non-economic damages. Economic damages refer to losses with a monetary value associated. Non-economic damages are more abstract.
Economic damages include:
- Medical bills (surgery, ambulance rides, specialist visits, medical equipment, prescriptions, etc.)
- Lost wages
- Lost earning capacity
Non-economic damages include:
- Pain and suffering
- Loss of consortium
- Mental anguish
- Disfigurement and scarring
If a car accident resulted in the loss of a loved one, you can recover damages on their behalf. Those damages include both funeral and burial costs.
Statutes of Limitations and Other Restrictions on Your Auto Accident Lawsuit
All states impose a time limit on when you must file your personal injury claim. This is known as a “Statute of Limitations.” For example, in Florida, the injured person has four (4) years to file a lawsuit for injuries in automobile accidents and slip and fall premise liability accidents. However, if the incident or accident causes death, the injured person only has two (2) years to file a lawsuit.
There are further restrictions when a Florida governmental entity is involved. Many times, specific notices need to be filed at least six months before a lawsuit is filed, and the time period is three (3) years to file a lawsuit.
Additionally, the state of Florida and all state agencies, counties, and cities can only be held liable for damages up to $200,000 for an individual person and $300,000 total for all injured parties in an accident or incident.
The Cap on Punitive Damages
Punitive damages have a cap of three times the compensatory damages or $500,000, whichever is greater. If the conduct of the defendant was “motivated solely by unreasonable financial gain,” then the punitive damages have a cap of four times the compensatory damages or $2 million, whichever is greater. The only exception to this cap is if the defendant intended to harm the injured person.
An employer is only liable for punitive damages for the conduct of an employee if the employer “actively and knowingly participated” in the conduct; “knowingly condoned, ratified, or consented” to the conduct; or “engaged in conduct that constituted gross negligence.
The most important thing is that you seek immediate legal advice after an auto accident. The Russo Firm provides a free, confidential case consultation.
Contact Our Experienced Auto Accident Lawyers For A Free Case Evaluation
If you or a loved one has suffered a personal injury from an auto accident, call The Russo Firm at 844-847-8300 or contact us online to talk with an experienced personal injury lawyer about your case. If you can’t travel to our office, we will come to you, or we can work by phone, fax, email, or other methods of communication. Remember, you pay no fee unless we obtain compensation for you.