attorneys for car accidents

Rollover Car Accidents in Florida

Published on: October 11, 2024 | by Gerson & Schwartz, P.A.

When you think about how rollover car accidents happen in Florida, you know that the violence of the impact has devastating effects on the vehicle occupants. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) reports some facts that may concern you. In recent years, the number of fatalities from rollover crashes has increased by 6%. While this figure does not seem concerning on its face, it coincides with the increase in popularity of certain kinds of vehicles. Within the class of light trucks and SUVs, deaths in rollover crashes spiked 35%.

The physical violence of a rollover crash is intense. Victims are often ejected from the vehicle, contributing to the increase in serious injuries and fatalities. Fortunately, under Florida law, you have legal options to recover monetary damages. You should trust a Miami car accident lawyer to assist with your remedies, but a summary of key concepts is useful.

What Happens to Your Body in a Rollover Accident?

Risks When Pregnant Women are Involved in Florida Car Accidents

Published on: September 13, 2024 | by Gerson & Schwartz, P.A.

Being pregnant is a beautiful time, but it can also be a stressful one. If you are expecting a baby and are involved in a Florida car accident, that stress can multiply quickly. The National Institutes of Health (NIH) estimates that up to 5,000 fetal losses occur each year as a result of maternal involvement in automotive crashes. Therefore, understanding the potential risks to you and your baby is crucial.

The sudden impact, along with the worry for your unborn child’s well-being, can be overwhelming. Fortunately, Florida law provides you with options, and a Miami car accident lawyer can assist with enforcing your rights. You could be entitled to compensation, which may be urgently needed for medical issues and other losses that result from a vehicle collision. There are significant risks that pregnant women, in particular, face after a traffic crash.

Three Risks for Pregnant Car Accident Victims in Miami

What Florida County is Deadliest for Car Accidents?

Published on: June 28, 2024 | by Gerson & Schwartz, P.A.

You may hear about car accident statistics and know that they happen frequently, but you might not realize how they affect you close to home in South Florida. According to the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles (FLHSMV), there are more than 59,000 crashes in Miami-Dade County and almost 38,800 in Broward County every year. This data places these counties in the top two spots for the total number of traffic collisions in Florida. Plus, another 24,000 car accidents take place in nearby Palm Beach County, ranking it in the Top 10 most dangerous counties in Florida for auto crashes.

Some additional statistics on traffic collisions may help you know how to avoid them, and information on the deadliest roads by number of fatalities is also helpful. You have rights if you were hurt, so get in touch with a Miami car accident lawyer to learn about your remedies. An overview of the dangers is also useful.

Statistics on Auto Crashes in Florida

Five Tricks Insurance Adjusters Try to Pull on Florida Car Accident Victims

Published on: May 31, 2024 | by Gerson & Schwartz, P.A.

No matter how safe you are behind the wheel and the lengths you go to when defensive driving, car accidents are a common threat in Florida. The Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles (FLHSMV) reports that there were 394,255 total crashes in 2023, including collisions involving cars, large commercial trucks, motorcycles, pedestrians, bicyclists, and other road users. In sum, almost 252,000 victims suffer injuries in all types of accidents. Unfortunately, the numbers for 2024 are not promising. Already, as of mid-April 2024, there have been almost 103,000 car accidents in Florida.

Fortunately for victims, Florida law allows recovery of monetary damages. It is possible to obtain compensation by filing an insurance claim, but dealing with these companies is challenging. They will always try to pay less than what your claim is worth in order to protect profits. With help from a Miami car accident attorney, you can avoid the tricks insurers try to pull.

1. Offering Quick Settlement: In some cases, the adjuster may reach out and make an offer to resolve your claim right away. The companies do this to make sure they capture your attention before you have a chance to retain an attorney. They also know that it is unlikely that you have a full idea of the amount of your losses.

Types of Injuries in a T-Bone Crash in Florida

Published on: March 15, 2024 | by Gerson & Schwartz, P.A.

Car accidents can occur for a wide variety of reasons and under many different circumstances, but a common type of crash is a T-bone. Named for the impact point where two vehicles collide and form a “T,” these collisions happen frequently on Florida roads. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), side impacts comprise about 32% of all vehicle crashes. In Florida, that means around 126,125 car accidents are T-bones out of a total of more than 394,000 traffic collisions annually.

The exact angle of the vehicles in a T-bone crash will be around 90 degrees, and the impact tends to be at the horizontal center point of passenger cars. As a result, there are certain types of injuries that victims often suffer, and they cause significant losses. You should consult with a Miami car accident attorney if you suffered any of the top injuries in T-bone collisions.

Trauma to the Head and Neck

How Do Seat Belts Save Lives?

Published on: January 19, 2024 | by Gerson & Schwartz, P.A.

If you have ever walked down the halls of an elementary school in Florida, you have probably seen student-drawn posters with slogans like “seatbelts save lives” and “buckle up for safety.” The seatbelt has become a byword for safety and caution. Many of the drivers on the road today would never dream of shifting the transmission into drive without first buckling their seatbelts, and if they tried, their cars would make annoying sounds to nag them about it until they buckled up; the others account for a disproportionate share of traffic fatalities.

Despite all the research that goes into developing car safety features, motor vehicle safety engineers have yet to design a safety feature safer than the humble seatbelt. The good news is that if you wear a seatbelt and get into a car accident, your injuries will be less severe than they would be without the seatbelt. The bad news is that if you do not wear a seatbelt and you get into an accident, your injuries will be worse than they would have been if you had buckled up, and insurance companies know this. A Miami car accident lawyer can help you get a fair insurance settlement after a car accident, even if the insurance companies assigned part of the fault to you because you were not wearing a seatbelt.

Not Your Grandpa’s Seatbelt

Deadlines in Florida Car Accident Claims

Published on: November 24, 2023 | by Gerson & Schwartz, P.A.

A Miami car accident can turn your life around, leaving you with sky-high medical bills, days away from work, and immeasurable pain and suffering. Because of the implications, Florida law allows victims to pursue the at-fault driver after a traffic crash. You can recover damages for your medical costs, lost wages, and other impacts on your quality of life. However, there are deadlines you must meet when seeking legal remedies. Florida’s statute of limitations applies to auto collision claims, so time is of the essence.

Plus, timing issues also affect other aspects of your case, and it is possible to gain an edge in your case when you have a solid strategy. Guidance from a Miami car accident lawyer is critical to helping you develop a plan that best leverages all relevant facts. You can also read on for some information on the various time factors that could arise during the legal process.

Details on the Florida Statute Limitations

What Do Motor Vehicle Blind Spots Have to Do With Your Florida Car Accident Case?

Published on: October 6, 2023 | by Gerson & Schwartz, P.A.

Imagine two people yelling at each other after a car accident. The first driver accuses the second one of driving in the first driver’s blind spot. The second driver says that the first driver should have paid more attention to where he was going. Driving in someone else’s blind spot is inevitable sometimes. When you are driving, you must be aware of your surroundings, including noticing if there is another car in your blind spot. Many accidents occur when drivers fail to notice a car in their blind spot. The good news is that most blind spot-related accidents do not result in severe injuries, but the bad news is that even an accident that does not involve serious injuries can be financially burdensome. If you are struggling with medical bills and other accident-related expenses after a collision in which one car was in another car’s blind spot, contact a Miami car accident lawyer.

Where are Your Car’s Blind Spots?

The better question is, where are your car’s blind spots right now? A blind spot is any part of the area near the car that you can’t see when you are in the driver’s seat, even when you look in the rearview mirror or the side view mirrors. Properly adjusting your mirrors will reduce the size of your blind spots, but it is not possible to have a truly panoramic view because of your car’s frame. Blind spots are the parts that are not visible ahead of you or through the car’s mirrors when you are driving.

How the Angle of the Collision Affects Injury Risk and Liability

Published on: September 29, 2023 | by Gerson & Schwartz, P.A.

Laws and etiquette dictate that, immediately after a car accident, you should pull off to the side of the road and talk to the other driver. The first thing you are supposed to say is, “Is anyone injured?” If someone is injured, you should call an ambulance immediately. If no one is injured, you should exchange contact information with the other driver and then give your explanation of how the accident happened to a police officer or to the insurance company. Except in the case of accidents that involve injuries severe enough to require emergency medical treatment, the biggest thing on your mind is probably whether the insurance company will find you at fault for the accident because the insurance companies’ decisions about fault affect how financially damaging the accident will be to you. The best way to get the money you need to cover your accident-related financial losses is to contact a Miami car accident lawyer.

The Worst Kinds of Collisions Are Not the Most Common

High speeds increase the risk of death or serious injury in a car accident; the slower the vehicles are moving at the time of impact, the more likely it is that no one will be seriously injured. Even at the same speed, some angles of impact carry a greater risk of severe injury. For example, striking another vehicle or a stationary object head-on is dangerous. Frontal collisions have the highest rate of fatality among collisions where the vehicles were traveling within the speed limit. They are also disproportionately represented among single-vehicle collisions. As with all car accidents, seatbelts and airbags reduce the risk of death or catastrophic injury in head-on collisions.

How Long Do I Have to Sue After a Miami Car Accident?

Published on: August 11, 2023 | by Gerson & Schwartz, P.A.

South Florida is one of the most dangerous regions of the state to drive in, and statistics prove the risks. According to the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles (FLHSMV), there are more than 128,000 total traffic crashes in Miami-Dade, Broward, and Palm Beach Counties every year. Around 800 people lose their lives and 67,400 victims are injured in these incidents. They suffer massive losses because motorists do not exercise care behind the wheel.

Fortunately, state law provides you with remedies if you were hurt or lost a loved one in a crash. As with all personal injury cases, there is a statute of limitations to keep in mind. Florida recently enacted tort reforms that affect your deadlines, so you should rely on a Miami car accident lawyer to assist with your claim. An overview of the legal process and timing issues is also useful.

Florida’s Traffic Crash Statute of Limitations