Car Accident Lawyers in Stuart

– Client Reviews

A car accident can turn your world upside down in the blink of an eye. If you were injured or lost a loved one, the physical, emotional and financial stresses after an accident can be overwhelming. The experienced Stuart car accident lawyers at Gordon & Partners have seen firsthand the devastation that can result from a car crash. That is why we have a strong commitment to defending the rights of the injured and fighting for the compensation they deserve. Depending on the circumstances surrounding your car accident case, you may be entitled to compensation for your injuries, including medical expenses, lost wages, property damage, and pain and suffering. If you decide to move forward, our attorneys can take the time to personally and thoroughly explain the law so you know what to expect. We have many years of combined experience dealing with law enforcement, health care professionals, and insurance company adjusters and we know how to help protect your claim.

Our firm has helped provide comprehensive legal counsel to many injury victims in the Stuart area and throughout South Florida. We have recovered millions in compensation on behalf of our clients, including a $13.5 million settlement for injuries sustained in a car accident caused by a defective auto part. We know the tricks and tactics insurance companies use to avoid paying compensation, including denying your claim or making a lowball offer. Since 1993, our reputable Stuart personal injury attorneys have worked with insurance companies and fought for fair compensation with our clients’ best interests in mind. Our office in Stuart is conveniently located at 729 SW Federal Highway #212, just off of U.S. Route 1, which intersects with Florida State Roads A1A, 76 and 714.

Schedule a free consultation to review your case today and get started working toward your recovery. We can also discuss the legal options available to you and whether you have a valid claim for compensation. We take all car accident cases on a contingency fee basis. This means there are no upfront costs involved for our services unless we help you recover favorable compensation.

Call 1 (855) 722-2552 or complete a Free Case Evaluation form.

What to Do After a Car Accident

The aftermath of a car accident can be chaotic. It can be difficult to know what you should do next in the midst of dealing with the other driver involved in the crash, medical professionals, police and insurance companies.

Speaking with a reputable Stuart car accident lawyer immediately following an accident can help bring clarity to a hectic situation. An attorney can try to make sure you are doing everything you can to protect the full value of your claim, so you have a chance to receive the maximum amount of compensation you deserve.

Immediately after a car accident, you should:

Call 9-1-1

Contact the local police department so that an officer will be promptly dispatched to the accident scene. The police officer will work to make sure you and anyone else involved is safe, investigate what happened, and write an accident report. It is important to cooperate with the police when they arrive, but only provide the basic facts of what happened. He or she will use this information to complete a report about the crash. The officer may also make a notation of who he or she thinks is at fault.

However, you should not admit any fault or wrongdoing. You may not know all the facts about the accident and the investigation will help shed light on how much fault you have in the crash, if any.

Gather Information

Gather as much information as possible at the accident scene. This includes taking photos of the scene and your injuries, video of any property damage, and/or writing down the details of the accident while it is still fresh in your mind. It is also important to write down the contact information, driver’s license number, license plate number, and car insurance information for all drivers and passengers involved. If there are any witnesses who may have seen the accident unfold, be sure to obtain their contact details as well.

Get Medical Help

Seek immediate medical care after the accident, even if you believe your injuries to be minor. You may have a hidden injury or underlying symptom that may not appear until days or weeks afterward. By seeing a doctor, your injuries can be diagnosed and treated with an individualized treatment plan. Once you are put on a treatment plan, it is crucial to follow it, including any limitations placed on your physical activities.

In order to receive coverage for your medical bills through personal injury protection insurance (PIP), you must seek medical care for your injuries within 14 days of the accident.

If you do not have a serious “emergency medical condition,” your payout may be limited to $2,500. Unfortunately, this is almost never enough to cover the full costs of your injuries and medical expenses. Florida law says accident victims may receive compensation for 80 percent of any medically necessary ambulance, hospital, nursing, X-ray, dental, surgical, prosthetic devices and rehabilitative services.

This is why accident victims may wonder about filing a lawsuit to recover additional compensation. However, there are strict limitations on when a personal injury lawsuit can be filed. In Florida, you must have suffered serious or permanent injuries to file a car accident lawsuit to seek additional damages. A serious injury is one that is permanent, or causes significant and permanent scarring and disfigurement, or significant and permanent loss of a bodily function. Our team of accomplished attorneys and knowledgeable staff will review the details of your claim to determine if you are entitled to file a lawsuit to recover the additional compensation you need.

Get started today by completing a Free Case Evaluation form.

Why Hire Our Stuart Car Accident Lawyers?

If you are struggling to recover the compensation you need to put your life back together after a car accident, you need the help of a knowledgeable car accident lawyer. Our Stuart personal injury lawyers are well-versed in Florida car accident laws and regulations and how to apply them to the specifics of your case.

Fault in a car accident is not always clear and even when it is, the right evidence must be collected in order to prove it. Our legal team can conduct a thorough investigation into your accident, including collecting any physical evidence, pictures from the scene, video footage, police report and eyewitness statements. We will investigate every minute detail of your claim in order to build a robust and compelling case on your behalf.

If you are injured in a car accident and suffer losses, you may think that the insurance adjuster responsible for processing your claim will recognize this and fairly compensate you. Unfortunately, insurance companies are only interested in lining their own pockets and paying out as little as possible. They are hoping that you will take their first offer of compensation out of desperation and frustration.

They are hoping you will not contact an experienced lawyer who can talk to the insurance company on your behalf and reject unfair compensation offers. At Gordon & Partners, we have gone head-to-head with insurance companies in order to recover just compensation for our clients, and we are not afraid to take a case to trial if necessary.

We also handle Diminished Value and Loss of Use Claims.

Our firm has an experienced team of attorneys who specialize in handling both Diminished Value and Loss of Use claims on a contingency basis. Most people are unfamiliar with these claims and the damages they are entitled to recover. Insurance companies are banking on that fact so they don’t have to pay, however, we know how to fight the insurance companies on these types of property damage claims.

Our Stuart car accident lawyers have a proud reputation of standing up for the injured against large insurance companies that are only focused on their bottom lines. We will work tirelessly in order to help you receive the compensation you need as quickly as possible.

We understand the strain car accident injuries can have on a victim and his or her family. That is why we are committed to helping you seek justice and the maximum amount of compensation you are entitled.

Schedule a free, no obligation consultation today. Call 1 (855) 722-2552.

How to Report a Car Accident in Florida

According to state law in Florida, you must report your car accident to the Florida Highway Patrol or local city police, if it caused:

• More than $500 in property damage
• Any injuries or deaths

Accidents must also be reported if they were caused by a drunk driver or if one of the drivers involved fled the scene.

You will also need to file a report with the Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) within 10 days after the accident if it resulted in any of the following:

• Death, personal injury or complaints of pain or discomfort by anyone involved in the accident
• Damage to any vehicle that required it to be towed from the scene

Accidents must also be reported to the DMV if they involved a commercial vehicle, drunk driver or hit-and-run.

To file a car accident report with the DMV, you must complete the Crash Report form. This form will need to include the following information:

• Date, time and location of the accident
• Detailed descriptions of all vehicles involved
• Names and addresses of all drivers and passengers involved
• Names and addresses of all witnesses present at the scene
• Names of the insurance companies of all parties involved

In the event a police officer has already filed a report on your accident, then you will not need to file a car crash report with the DMV. Crash reports are exempt from public disclosure for 60 days after the date the report is filed, but they can be made quickly and readily available to all parties involved in the accident.

When you file a car accident claim, the insurance company will ask you for the police report. It may be the only way to link your injuries or damages to the accident and the insurance company may deny or devalue your claim without it.

Fill out our free online form so a Stuart car accident lawyer can review your claim.

Minimum Car Insurance Requirements

Anyone who owns a vehicle with at least four wheels must carry a minimum amount of car insurance coverage. Florida is known as a no-fault state, which means that after a car accident, you must generally turn first to your own insurance company to get compensation for medical bills, lost income, and other out-of-pocket expenses up to the policy limits, regardless of who was at fault.

However, no-fault or PIP insurance does have limits to the amount of losses that can be claimed. For example, you cannot obtain compensation for non-monetary damages, such as pain and suffering. In order to claim these types of damages, you would need to file a third-party or personal injury lawsuit against the at-fault driver. The only way to hold the other driver liable for the crash is if it resulted in serious injury to you.

This is why all Florida drivers must have the following minimum amounts of car insurance coverage:

• $10,000 in no-fault or PIP benefits, and
• $10,000 in property damage liability benefits, in case you damage someone else’s vehicle or property

No-fault or PIP insurance can also help cover your child, other members of your household as well as most passengers who do not have their own PIP insurance and do not own a vehicle. Unlike other states, Florida does not require drivers to carry bodily injury liability coverage. This coverage is optional and helps pay for serious injuries and damages to others if you are at fault for the car accident.

If you have been injured in a car accident, you may be unsure about your legal options or how the Florida car insurance system works. A Stuart car accident attorney at our firm can review your insurance policy in great detail to determine whether or not you are adequately covered for your injuries and losses.

Call us today at 1 (855) 722-2552 for a free consultation.

Florida’s Comparative Fault Rule

In certain cases, the other driver may be completely responsible for causing the accident that led to your injuries or you may be found partially to blame. This means that both you and the other driver may share some percentage of fault, which can affect the amount of compensation you may be able to receive.

In determining fault, Florida follows a pure comparative negligence rule. Under this rule, if your car accident case goes to trial, a judge or jury will calculate the percentages of fault for each driver and reduce the award amounts accordingly. For instance, if your damages are worth $60,000, but you are found to be 30 percent liable for the accident, you are only entitled to 70 percent of the award, or $42,000.

Even if you are found to be more responsible for the car accident than the other driver, the comparative fault rule still applies. (In some states, if you have more fault than the other driver, you are prohibited from recovering any compensation.)

The comparative negligence rule may also be used in insurance claims. Our Stuart car accident lawyers can help you deal with insurance adjusters who may be trying to place more blame on you for the accident than you deserve.

Complete our Free Case Evaluation form now so we can get started.

Deadline to File a Lawsuit

Every state abides by a statute of limitations, which is a law that sets a time limit on your right to bring a lawsuit, and Florida is no exception. If you try to file a lawsuit after the deadline has already passed, the court will dismiss your case and you will be unable to obtain compensation for your injuries and other losses through a lawsuit. The time limit for car accident cases will depend on whether the crash resulted in injury or death.

If you have been injured due to another driver’s negligence, you must file a lawsuit within four years of the date of the accident. The same four-year deadline applies to any lawsuit you want to file over damage or total loss of your vehicle as a result of the accident. However, if you lost a loved one in a car accident caused by driver negligence, you must file a lawsuit within two years from the date of the accident.

Whether you have two or four years to file a lawsuit, you want to make sure that you give yourself plenty of time to gather the necessary evidence, determine liability for your injuries and calculate the value of your damages in order to build the strongest case possible for compensation. That is why it is so important to work with an experienced Stuart car accident lawyer every step of the way. A trusted lawyer can work to try to make sure you do not miss any deadlines.

Talk to a member of our legal team by calling 1 (855) 722-2552.

Car Accidents Our Firm Handles

Unfortunately, many car accidents are caused by driver error. This includes driving while drunk, distracted, drowsy, speeding or while failing to comply with traffic laws. Accidents can also be caused by driving in poor weather conditions and inadequate vehicle maintenance, among other causes.

According to the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles’ latest data, there were about 686,590 drivers involved in a traffic accident in 2017. There were also 2,924 fatal accidents, 3,116 fatalities, and 254,310 injuries. The state averaged about 1,098 crashes per day in 2017. Martin County alone experienced 3,466 crashes that same year, with 25 fatalities and 2,087 injuries.

Our Stuart auto accident attorneys are prepared to represent victims of many different types of car accidents that resulted from negligence, such as:

Aside from driver negligence, there are also accidents caused by faulty construction, design or maintenance of roads as well as defective or faulty car parts.

We know how devastating a car accident can be on a physical, emotional and mental level. If another party was at fault for the crash that caused your injuries, we are ready to pursue fair compensation for your injuries.

Fill out a free online form today so we can start reviewing your case.

Contact Us Today For a Free Consultation

Gordon & Partners is a leading personal injury firm in South Florida providing trusted service to those who have been injured or lost a loved one because of the negligence or carelessness of someone else. We are committed to helping you put your life back together and getting back on your feet after an accident.

Our Stuart car accident lawyers can help you recover fair compensation for your injuries and losses without the hassle of having to work with an insurance company on your own. Let us put our knowledge and experience to work for you.

Schedule a free, no obligation consultation today. We proudly offer our services on a contingency fee basis, which means you do not pay any fees or other costs unless we recover a successful verdict or settlement on your behalf.

Complete a Free Case Evaluation form or call 1 (855) 722-2552.