Clearwater Car Accident Lawyer
A car accident can upend your life in an instant. Catastrophic injuries may leave you with significant financial losses and physical disabilities that can affect your quality of life and future. If you’ve suffered injuries in a motor vehicle accident caused by someone else, you deserve to seek compensation for your financial losses and personal suffering. Contact Zervos & Calta, PLLC for a free initial claim evaluation and learn how our Clearwater car accident lawyers could help you hold those at fault for your injuries accountable.
Contents
- 1 What Are the Main Causes of Car Accidents in Clearwater?
- 2 What Are the Most Common Car Accidents in Clearwater?
- 3 What Injuries Occur Most Often in a Car Accident?
- 4 What Are the Most Dangerous Roads and Intersections in Clearwater?
- 5 What Should I Do If I Am Involved in a Clearwater Car Accident?
- 6 What Are Florida’s Insurance Laws?
- 7 What Does PIP Cover?
- 8 What Can I Do If the Driver Who Hit Me Fled the Scene of the Accident?
- 9 Can I Recover Compensation If I Am Injured in a Clearwater Car Accident?
- 10 Do I Have a Deadline for Filing a Car Accident Claim in Florida?
- 11 Contact a Clearwater Car Accident Lawyer
What Are the Main Causes of Car Accidents in Clearwater?
Car accidents frequently occur due to the negligence or recklessness of drivers. Some of the top causes of car accidents in Clearwater include:
- Speeding
- Reckless driving
- Aggressive driving and road rage
- Tailgating
- Failing to yield the right-of-way
- Running red lights or stop signs
- Failing to use turn signals or mirrors
- Unsafe or illegal turns or lane changes
- Distracted driving
- Drowsy driving
- Driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs
- Driver inexperience
- Poor road conditions
- Inadequate vehicle maintenance
- Auto part defects
What Are the Most Common Car Accidents in Clearwater?
The type of car crash may affect accident victims’ injuries or determine who caused the crash. Common examples of car accidents include:
- Rear-end collisions
- Head-on collisions
- Sideswipe collisions
- Side-impact or T-bone collisions
- Rollover accidents
- Single-vehicle accidents
- Road departure accidents
- Multi-vehicle or pile-up accidents
What Injuries Occur Most Often in a Car Accident?
Car accidents can cause all kinds of injuries, from mild to severe. Examples of physical trauma that car accident victims may suffer include:
- Lacerations and abrasions
- Broken bones
- Dislocated joints
- Ligament sprains and tears
- Muscle or tendon strains and tears
- Herniated spinal discs
- Nerve damage
- Whiplash
- Burns
- Internal organ damage or internal bleeding
- Facial injuries
- Spinal cord injuries and paralysis
- Traumatic brain injuries (TBIs)
- Amputation or limb loss
What Are the Most Dangerous Roads and Intersections in Clearwater?
According to data compiled by the Florida Traffic Safety Dashboard, some of the busiest and most dangerous roads and intersections in Clearwater include:
- Gulf to Bay Boulevard
- US-19
- Myrtle/Missouri Avenue
- Court Street
- Drew Street
- Gulf to Bay Boulevard & Keene Road
- US-19 & Drew Street
- Court Street & Fort Harrison Avenue
What Should I Do If I Am Involved in a Clearwater Car Accident?
You should take the following steps to protect your legal rights after a car accident in Clearwater:
- Report the accident to law enforcement immediately and request a copy of any police accident reports.
- Notify your insurance company about the accident and file a claim if you incur medical expenses or lost wages.
- Seek immediate medical attention to diagnose injuries you suffered in the crash.
- Follow your doctor’s treatment recommendations.
- Request copies of medical records from your treatment.
- Keep all bills, invoices, and receipts of expenses from the accident. Gather your pay stubs or income statements if you miss work.
- Contact a Clearwater car accident lawyer from Zervos & Calta, PLLC as soon as possible after the crash to prepare and pursue your claim.
What Are Florida’s Insurance Laws?
Florida requires all drivers to have motor vehicle insurance that provides at least $10,000 of property damage liability (PDL) coverage and $10,000 of personal injury protection (PIP) coverage. PDL coverage pays other people for property damage they suffer in a car accident caused by the insured driver. PIP coverage provides insured drivers and their passengers with money for financial expenses or losses incurred due to car accident injuries, no matter who caused the accident.
What Does PIP Cover?
PIP can provide money for financial losses from injuries in a car accident, regardless of which driver caused the crash. For this reason, drivers often refer to PIP coverage as “no-fault” coverage. PIP can provide compensation for expenses such as:
- Medical treatment and rehabilitation bills
- Lost income from missed work
- Costs of housekeeping or other services you cannot do yourself
- Funeral and burial expenses for a covered car occupant killed in a crash
What Can I Do If the Driver Who Hit Me Fled the Scene of the Accident?
If the driver who hit you flees the accident scene without exchanging information, you may have an avenue to recover compensation for your losses. First, you can file a PIP claim with your auto insurance company to be compensated for medical bills, lost wages, and other expenses related to your injuries.
In addition to PIP, you can turn to your uninsured motorist coverage if you’ve purchased this coverage. With uninsured motorist coverage, your car insurance company steps in to compensate you for losses you have the right to recover from an at-fault who doesn’t have liability insurance. However, insurance companies also treat hit-and-run drivers like uninsured motorists. This allows you to file an uninsured motorist claim if you’ve purchased coverage.
In some cases, you may also be able to pursue a car accident lawsuit against the hit-and-run driver. An experienced Clearwater car accident attorney can review your case and help you determine all your possible sources of compensation.
Can I Recover Compensation If I Am Injured in a Clearwater Car Accident?
After suffering injuries in an auto collision, you may be entitled to compensation for:
- Medical care treatment and rehabilitation expenses
- Costs of long-term care or support for permanent disabilities
- Ongoing and future losses of income and job benefits if you cannot work
- Physical pain and anguish
- Emotional distress
- Loss of quality of life due to disabilities or permanent, visible scarring and disfigurement
Do I Have a Deadline for Filing a Car Accident Claim in Florida?
Florida’s statute of limitations requires you to file a lawsuit within two years of a car accident. If you file your lawsuit after the statutory deadline, you may lose your right to pursue compensation in civil court. Because you have limited time to bring your car accident claim, contact Zervos & Calta, PLLC as soon as possible to protect your legal rights.
Contact a Clearwater Car Accident Lawyer
If you were injured in a car accident due to another driver’s negligence, let the team at Zervos & Calta, PLLC help you seek compensation and justice. Contact our firm today for a free no-obligation consultation with our Clearwater car accident lawyers.