Side-impact car collisions are less common than head-on or rear-end collisions, but they have the potential to cause more injuries. In a side-impact collision, only the doors and windows are between the crashing cars and the vehicle’s occupant, instead of bumpers, trunks, and engines. This lack of protection can lead to serious injuries.
You may be able to recover compensation for your losses through a civil lawsuit if you or a loved one suffered injuries or death due to a side-impact car collision caused by another driver in the Sarasota, Florida, area. A Sarasota side-impact collisions lawyer at Ben Crump Law, PLLC may be able to help you. To schedule a free consultation at no obligation, call (844) 730-0233 today.
Common Causes of Side-Impact Collisions
The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety reports that side-impact car collisions account for 23% of passenger vehicle occupant deaths. These dangerous car accidents generally happen in one of two ways: one car drives straight into the side of another (also called a T-bone or broadside accident), or one car drifts too close to another and causes a lateral impact.
The most common causes of side-impact collisions include:
- Failure to stop at a red light
- Failure to stop at a stop sign
- Failure to yield
- Failure to check blind spots
- Improper lane change
- Driving in or drifting into the wrong lane
- Speeding
- Reckless driving
- Driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol
- Road rage or aggressive driving
- Distracted driving, such as texting, talking, or eating while driving
For a free legal consultation with a side-impact collisions lawyer serving Sarasota, call (844) 730-0233
Recourse to Recover Compensation After a Side-Impact Collision
When you suffer injuries and property damage or your loved one dies because of a car accident that was not your fault, you have several legal options for recovering compensation:
- For minor injuries, you can file a claim with your own car insurance company. Florida’s no-fault insurance laws and required personal injury protection (PIP) coverage for all insured drivers means that your own insurance policy should pay for medical bills for minor injuries.
- For property damage, you can file a claim with the at-fault driver’s car insurance company. Their insurance provider should be responsible for reimbursing you for vehicle repairs or replacement and other costs.
- For serious injuries, you can choose to pursue compensation through a personal injury lawsuit. Florida’s no-fault insurance laws allow you to go outside of the insurance system to seek reimbursement if you suffer serious or permanent injury in a car accident.
- For a loved one’s death, you can file a wrongful death lawsuit. This type of civil lawsuit is similar to a personal injury lawsuit, but you bring the claim on behalf of your deceased family member.
Depending on the situation, it can be challenging to recover the compensation that you deserve after a car accident. A Sarasota side-impact collisions lawyer at Ben Crump Law, PLLC, may be able to help you with this process. We can negotiate with insurance companies on your behalf, investigate who was at fault for the accident, pursue damages for you in civil court, and argue for you to receive a fair settlement.
A successful personal injury or wrongful death lawsuit requires proving that the defendant was at fault for the car accident. Determining who was at fault for a side-impact collision can sometimes be more challenging than in other types of car accidents, as both drivers can bear responsibility.
For instance, if it was your turn to proceed at a four-way stop and another driver failed to yield or stop and crashed into you, you still had the responsibility to look in all directions before proceeding. In a situation like this, because of Florida’s comparative negligence law, Florida Statutes § 768.81, your compensation for the crash would be reduced by your percentage of fault. If you are 10% at fault, you would receive 90% of the damage award.
Since determining fault is crucial to recovering damages for a car accident, consider hiring the team at Ben Crump Law, PLLC, who can investigate the crash and gather evidence for you.
Sarasota Side-Impact Collisions Lawyer Near Me (844) 730-0233
Possible Recoverable Damages
The damages you could recover through a civil lawsuit for a side-impact collision include both out-of-pocket expenses, called economic damages, and general ones that are harder to quantify, called noneconomic damages. Economic and noneconomic damages may include:
- Medical expenses
- Property damage costs
- Lost income
- Lost future income
- Funeral and burial costs
- Pain and suffering
- Emotional distress
- Inconvenience
- Loss of enjoyment of life
- Loss of companionship
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Time Limits for Civil Lawsuits
Almost all types of court cases are subject to a time limit, or a statute of limitations. According to Florida Statutes § 95.11, the statute of limitations for personal injury lawsuits in Florida is four years. For wrongful death lawsuits, the statute of limitations is two years.
In the majority of cases, you will not be able to recover compensation if your side-impact collision occurred outside of these time frames. However, there can be rare exceptions to statutes of limitations, so to be sure you know all of your legal options, check with a Sarasota side-impact collisions lawyer.
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The Team at Ben Crump Law, PLLC, Is Here for You
Side-impact collisions can cause a wide range of serious injuries, from whiplash and concussions to spinal cord injuries, paralysis and death. Even if your injuries were minor, you should seek medical attention after any type of car accident.
In addition to physical pain and trauma, car accidents can be devastating emotionally and financially. A Sarasota side-impact collisions lawyer at Ben Crump Law, PLLC, is here to help you through this time. Our team can take on your case and fight for your right to compensation so you can spend your time recovering from this experience.
We can investigate your accident, gather evidence of who was at fault, and identify the damages you could be able to recover. We will negotiate for you to receive the fair settlement for your losses that you deserve, whether that is with insurance companies, in court, or outside of court. Since we work on contingency, you will never owe us anything unless we can obtain a settlement for you. Call (844) 730-0233 today to learn more and get started.
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