Did a Speeding Driver Injure You?

Did a Speeding Driver Injure You?

A Car Accident Lawyer Can Help You Recover Compensation

Did a speeding driver injure you? Speeding is among the leading causes of car accidents, often leading to severe injuries and fatalities. If you or a loved one gets involved in a speeding accident in Florida, you may be able to seek compensation from the other driver or another liable party.

The experienced car accident lawyers at Holliday Karatinos Law Firm have worked with many car accident victims and their families to recover total compensation. We may be able to help you reach a fair settlement in a speeding accident case if someone else was liable for the accident.

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Why Work With Holliday Karatinos Law Firm?

After a speeding accident, victims or their families may recover compensation if they can prove someone else’s liability. Our Florida speeding accident lawyers can build a case and seek compensation from all responsible parties involved.

We have over 50 years of collective experience behind our firm to help car accident victims get total compensation. We have handled many car accident cases involving speeding and other types of negligent behavior.

If you need Florida speeding accident attorneys you can trust, turn to the legal team at Holliday Karatinos Law Firm and schedule a free consultation with us today.

Economic Damages

One type of damage that speeding accident victims may recover is economic. Also known as special damages, these damages cover the financial losses resulting from an accident and another party’s negligence or wrongdoing. It’s often easy to calculate these damages based on the costs associated with recovering and coping with injuries the accident caused.

Examples of economic damages in car accident cases may include:

• Medical bills for immediate and ongoing treatment
• Ambulance rides
• Rehabilitation and physical therapy
• Property damage, including damage to vehicles involved in the accident
• Lost income and earning capacity
• Modifications to the home to accommodate a disability

Non-Economic Damages

While economic damages apply to direct financial losses involved in car accident cases, non-economic or general damages cover the more intangible losses sustained. These damages cover the pain and suffering that victims experience physically or psychologically due to an accident.

Some of the specific non-economic damages in speeding accident cases could include:

• Physical pain
• Mental anguish
• Loss of consortium for a partner
• Loss of enjoyment of life
• Wrongful death

Although these damages are somewhat harder to calculate, there are ways to determine how they affect a settlement. An attorney can help calculate these damages in addition to economic damages.

Punitive Damages

In rare cases, the court may award punitive damages in addition to compensatory economic and non-economic damages. Punitive damages punish defendants to prevent them and others from exhibiting similar behavior in the future. The courts will only award these damages if defendants displayed egregious behavior.

An experienced lawyer can help determine if punitive damages apply to your case and calculate them along with compensatory damages.

Types of Accidents That May Result from Speeding

Accidents occur every day in Florida, with one recent year seeing 401,540 crashes, many of which involved injuries and fatalities. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), speeding is also among the leading causes of accidents, with hundreds of thousands injured in speeding-related accidents across the country every year.

There are many types of motor vehicle accidents that can occur because of speeding, which increases the risk of serious injuries and death in accidents. Some of these accidents could include:

Rear-End Collisions

One common type of accident is a rear-end collision, which often results from speeding. Drivers may hit the back of another vehicle and cause potentially severe head and neck injuries in the process.

In rear-end crashes, the force of the rear vehicle often forces drivers’ and passengers’ heads forward, leading to whiplash or more extensive injuries.

Head-On Collisions

Speeding may also cause head-on collisions, which are often serious because of the impact involved in these accidents. Two vehicles heading in opposing directions can cause extensive damage and injuries when they collide head-on. When someone’s speeding, the force of impact will be even bigger and increase the risk of injuries and fatalities.

Rollover Accidents

Speeding may also lead to a rollover accident that causes vehicles to topple over, leading to serious injuries and death in many cases. For example, a driver may speed, lose control, and hit the side of another vehicle, causing the other vehicle to roll over off the road.

Hit-and-Run Accidents

Sometimes speeding drivers may cause a hit-and-run accident and leave the scene after a collision. These accidents are particularly serious and can leave victims and their families without the ability to hold the driver accountable. Although insurance companies may be able to pay compensation for a hit-and-run, they may also work hard to find a reason to deny a claim.

Keep in mind that the driver may not be responsible for a speeding accident. Mechanical failure can also happen, for instance, in which case a driver may lose control over a vehicle, and an auto part manufacturer or mechanic may be liable for damages. With the help of a speeding accident lawyer in Florida, you may be able to identify all liable parties and seek full compensation for all damages sustained.

Negotiating a Speeding Accident Settlement with Insurers

One step that many may take after a car accident is to negotiate a settlement with insurance companies. If your accident isn’t serious and doesn’t involve extensive injuries or high dollar amounts, you may be able to negotiate with insurers on your own without the help of an attorney.

On the other hand, if you or a loved one has suffered from serious injuries and extensive damages, or if a loved one has died in a wrongful death case, you may want help with the claims process.

During negotiations, insurance adjusters may come across as advocates for you and your case, but the fact is that they work for insurance companies. Insurers want to avoid paying out large settlements and will subsequently look for any reason they can to reduce your settlement amount or deny your claim. These risks are why you should consider consulting with a Florida speeding accident lawyer if there’s a lot at stake in your case.

Insurance companies may also make an initial offer that seems tempting, but this first offer is often far below what a case is worth. If you accept this offer, you may not be able to get the full amount of compensation your case is worth. With the help of an attorney, you may be able to calculate the total amount you’re eligible to recover and negotiate accordingly.

An experienced attorney can quantify all economic, non-economic, and punitive damages potentially involved, build a case, and negotiate with insurers. If insurance companies or liable parties refuse to provide a fair settlement, your attorney may also take the case to court.

Steps to Take After a Speeding Accident in Florida

Immediately after a speeding accident in Florida, you should take the appropriate steps to begin the recovery process, build a case, and increase your chances of recovering compensation.

These steps are as follows:

Check for Injuries

After an accident occurs, the first step to take is to check yourself for any injuries. You should also see if others are injured if you can move. If anyone in the vehicle is injured, it’s important to contact the authorities and wait for an ambulance and the police to arrive. In some cases, someone else might need to call the authorities.

Move the Vehicle to a Safe Spot

If possible, you should also pull the vehicle off the road and get it out of harm’s way. If you cannot move the vehicle, you should turn on the hazard lights and exit the vehicle. You can then move to a safe location, such as a sidewalk.

Wait for the Authorities to Arrive

Once everyone is in a safe location, and someone has contacted the authorities, it’s important to wait at the scene until they arrive. Emergency personnel can treat injury victims and potentially bring them to the hospital. Meanwhile, the police at the scene will begin completing an accident report detailing the scene. If the police ask for a statement, be honest and relay the details as you remember them.

A police report is a critical piece of evidence when building a car accident case, making it necessary to obtain a copy at some point after the accident.

Exchange Information With the Other Driver

You should also exchange contact information and details with the driver involved.

This information will include:

• The driver’s name and contact details
• The driver’s insurer and policy number
• The driver’s license plate number and license number
• The location where the accident occurred
• The makes, models, and colors of vehicles involved

While it’s in your best interest to get information from the driver who may be liable for speeding, you should avoid mentioning fault at any point. With the evidence and reports you gather later, you and an attorney may be able to determine liability and argue that the other driver was at fault during the claims process.

Seek Medical Attention

If you don’t need immediate treatment after the accident, you may still have injuries that require it later. Even if you don’t feel symptoms shortly after the accident, see a doctor for a complete assessment. A medical professional can examine you and identify and diagnose any injuries before they can worsen. You can then begin the recovery process and generate medical records that prove the extent of your injuries.

Collect Evidence to Build a Case

In addition to medical records, there are other types of evidence you should collect after an accident. Evidence could include photos and videos of injuries and the accident scene, witness statements, police reports, and other documentation.

Consult Our Speeding Accident Attorneys

Before beginning the claims process, consider contacting a speeding accident lawyer in Florida. An attorney from Holliday Karatinos Law Firm will have the experience handling speeding accidents and other vehicle accident cases to determine your options. We decide to take on your case, we can identify liable parties, obtain evidence and organize it, calculate compensation, and negotiate with insurers.

Speak With Our Florida Speeding Accident Attorneys Today

You may want to build a case against liable drivers or other parties following a speeding accident. If you need help with your case, the attorneys at Holliday Karatinos Law Firm can represent you during negotiations with insurers or in court. We have the experience and resources needed to help accident victims and their families get the compensation they deserve. Reach out to a personal injury lawyer.

To find out whether you have a case we can assist with, reach out to our law offices today. You can contact us online or call us at (813) 868-1887 today and schedule a free consultation with one of our attorneys.