Advising Motor Vehicle Victims with Dedication and Compassion

Millions of people are hurt in motor vehicle accidents each year, and many of those injuries are serious. An estimated 1.3 million people are killed in car accidents worldwide each year. That’s an average of 3,287 fatalities a day. There are also 2 million drivers that receive permanent injuries due to driving accidents each year. 

The state of Florida requires vehicle owners to have a minimum amount of $10,000 in personal injury protection. Fla Stat 627.730. This will provide you with compensation in the event that you are injured in an accident. You are able to have a higher amount if desired to cover such things as surgical costs, funeral costs or disability benefits. This is no fault insurance so will be received no matter who is to blame for the accident. 

Most insurance companies under value your car or repairs. Diminished value claims make your insurance company make up for loss in value. 

If you are injured as a passenger in an automobile accident you have a right to receive compensation for damages. You can make a claim against both the driver of a separate vehicle as well as the driver of the vehicle you were riding in if applicable. As a passenger you would rarely be considered at fault in an accident unless you had explicitly done something to distract the driver. Retamar & Millian, P.A. are here to represent you if you’ve suffered an injury as a passenger. 

Pedestrian fatalities have risen a staggering 27% between 2007 and 2016. Pedestrians now account for 16% of motor vehicle related deaths as of 2016. Pedestrians now make up a larger portion of traffic fatalities then they have done in the past 33 years.   It is indeed a dangerous time to walk the roads. 

An auto accident is overwhelming, you’ll have many questions. Do I call the police or just my insurance company? What information will I need? How do I know when to contact an attorney? We’re working on a list of frequently asked questions to help you in this stressful time.

According to Florida law, both drivers and front-seat passengers are required to wear seatbelts. Fla. Stat. 316.614. If you are found not to be wearing your seat belt when injured in an accident insurance companies are likely to argue that had you been buckled in per the law you would not have sustained your injuries. 

One of the most common contributors to traffic accidents in the United States is speeding. The Insurance Information Institute reports that speed associated crashes cost Americans $40.4 billion each year as of 2019. Speeding has also been a factor in one-third of all auto related fatalities for more than two decades. 

In the United States in the year 2016 there were a total of 6,296,000 automobile crashes reported to the police. An estimated 10 million crashes occur each year that are not reported to the police. Overall the estimated economic impact of vehicular accidents in the US is $242 billion as of 2010. 

Unfortunately for us, human beings were not built to sustain some kinds of impact, such as that which is caused by a vehicle crashing. Our heads weigh approximately 10 pounds, and sit upon our neck, both the most flexible and least reinforced area of our spine. The 32 joints, as well as other parts, of our neck are easily injured in a forceful impact.

If your car has been damaged in an auto accident we know that you have many questions. Many of those can be answered without consulting an attorney. Here we help you understand some of your options regarding automobile damage.