Palm Beach Gardens Car Wreck Lawyer
A car accident will leave you with injuries and other losses that can stay with you for the rest of your life. If you sustained serious injuries during the crash, you will experience chronic pain and incur high medical bills, at a time when you may not be able to return to work to pay for them. You should not have to bear the burden of these losses, particularly if the crash was not your fault. Our Palm Beach Gardens car wreck lawyer explains how you can obtain the compensation you need to offset these losses below.
The No-Fault Insurance Laws in Palm Beach Gardens
As throughout the rest of Florida, car wrecks in Palm Beach Gardens are governed by no-fault auto insurance laws. According to these laws, all drivers in the city are required to carry at least $10,000 in personal injury protection (PIP). After an accident, PIP will cover 80 percent of your reasonable medical expenses. Again, this type of coverage is no-fault, which means you do not have to prove another driver acted negligently when filing a claim. You can also claim PIP benefits if you caused the crash or were partly at fault.
When Can You File a Personal Injury Claim After a Car Wreck?
Like any type of insurance policy, PIP does have its limits and most drivers do not purchase more than the $10,000 required by law. However, it is important to consider that this amount is not enough to fully cover the cost of injury. For example, if you suffered paralysis during a crash, the cost of treatment will be approximately $110,000 every year after the accident. Once you have exhausted the coverage available through your own insurance policy, you can file a personal injury claim against the negligent party.
If you file a personal injury claim against the party that caused the accident, you must prove that they caused your crash. This means you must show the other driver was driving while distracted or impaired, speeding, violated traffic law, or otherwise acted negligently. Proving negligence requires strong evidence that will corroborate your claims.
Filing a personal injury claim also requires extensive negotiations with the insurance company. This is very difficult, as insurers will use a number of different tricks to shield themselves from liability. A car accident lawyer can negotiate with the insurer on your behalf so these strategies do not work and you receive the full settlement that is justly yours.
Although filing a personal injury claim does present many challenges, there are some benefits they carry, as well. For example, unlike with PIP coverage, you can claim your full medical expenses as well as pain and suffering and other losses.
Our Car Wreck Lawyer in Palm Beach Gardens Can Help You Obtain Full Damages
If you have been hurt, our Palm Beach Gardens car wreck lawyer at Smith, Ball, Baez & Prather can help you obtain the full and fair compensation you are entitled to. Call or text us now at 561-500-HELP or reach out to us online to schedule a free review of your case and to learn more about how we can help.