Car Accident Lawyer in Tamarac

Car accidents in Tamarac often result in serious injuries and expensive medical bills. If you’ve been injured in a car accident caused by another party’s negligence, you have the right to pursue compensation.

Contact an experienced Tamarac car accident lawyer as soon as possible after the collision to improve your chances of a favorable outcome. At The Schiller Kessler Group, we have over three decades of experience handling car accident claims on behalf of injury victims.

Our Tamarac personal injury lawyers will leverage all available resources to help you secure fair compensation from the liable party. Reach out to us today to set up a free case evaluation with a member of our legal team.

Determining Liability After a Car Accident in Tamarac

To recover damages through an insurance claim or personal injury lawsuit after a car accident, you first need to determine who is to blame for your injuries.

Even if the fault seems obvious, there are often multiple factors that complicate the situation, with several parties potentially sharing responsibility for the resulting damages. Proving liability can be a complicated process, but an experienced Tamarac car accident attorney will be able to take on the challenge.

Parties that may be found liable in car accident cases include:

• The driver of any other vehicle involved in your accident
• The manufacturer of any involved vehicles or replacement parts
• A repair company that performed maintenance on any of the involved vehicles
• The government body responsible for maintaining the road where your accident occurred
• A third-party driver who was not directly involved in the crash, but whose actions contributed to causing the collision

A knowledgeable car accident attorney serving Tamarac will know what evidence to collect to help prove liability so you can recover the compensation you need and deserve from the at-fault party.

What Your Car Accident Attorney in Tamarac Will Do for You

When you hire a car accident lawyer in Tamarac, they will take several important steps to help you recover the compensation you need and deserve. With an experienced legal professional taking charge of your case, you can focus on your recovery and getting your life back on track.

Your lawyer will help guide you through each stage of the personal injury claim process, whether you’re pursuing compensation through a lawsuit or an insurance claim.

Some of the tasks your lawyer will perform include:

• Investigating the accident to determine liability
• Collecting evidence to support your legal claim
• Evaluating the specific compensatory damages you can pursue
• Calculating the full value of your losses
• Completing and submitting all necessary paperwork
• Negotiating with insurance companies or the other party’s legal team to secure a fair settlement offer
• Representing you at trial if a settlement deal cannot be reached

Throughout the process, your lawyer will keep you informed about any updates to your case, share settlement offers you receive, and help ensure you fully understand the impact of any offer before you decide whether to accept a deal or not.

Be Mindful of All Applicable Filing Deadlines Following a Car Accident in Tamarac

Familiarize yourself with all filing deadlines when pursuing compensation for damages incurred in a car accident to help ensure your right to recover compensation is protected. In 2023, Florida’s personal injury statute of limitations was amended, reducing the time accident victims have to file a lawsuit from four years to two years.

Failing to file your lawsuit before this deadline could limit your ability to recover damages through a personal injury claim. Securing the services of a car accident lawyer in Tamarac shortly after the crash helps ensure you meet all necessary deadlines and submit the required paperwork properly.

Additionally, bringing in a lawyer early helps them gather important evidence before it is lost or destroyed. Your lawyer will also be able to interview witnesses while their memories are still fresh, which will strengthen your case and improve your chances of recovering the money you need.

The Impact of Florida’s No-Fault Insurance System on Your Case

When pursuing compensation after a car accident in Florida, keep in mind that the state uses a no-fault insurance system. With no-fault insurance, your first option for seeking compensation will always be to file a claim with your insurance provider under your personal injury protection (PIP) coverage.

You can only pursue a personal injury lawsuit if the accident results in a serious injury. Qualifying injuries may include:

• Substantial loss of an essential bodily function
• Permanent scarring or disfigurement
• Death

An experienced car accident attorney serving Tamarac can help you evaluate if your injuries are severe enough to allow you to take legal action.

Our Car Accident Lawyers Get Paid on a Contingency Fee Basis

At The Schiller Kessler Group, our experienced car accident lawyers work on a contingency fee basis. This means you don’t have to worry about paying upfront fees to retain our services or being billed at an hourly rate. Instead of getting paid for the hours we spend on your case, our payment is based on the results we achieve.

Our experienced legal professionals pride themselves on results and only get paid for successful outcomes. If we don’t recover compensation for your losses, you owe us nothing. If we do recover compensation on your behalf, our fee will be assessed as a percentage of the money we obtain, paid at the conclusion of your case.

This fee structure helps ensure that our clients can receive experienced legal help without any upfront cost, making our services accessible to all injury victims. Because we are paid based on the outcome of your case, you can be confident that we will fight for the maximum compensation possible.

Damages You Can Recover Following a Car Accident in Tamarac

After a car accident in which you were seriously injured, you may be entitled to recover a wide range of damages from the liable party. The specific damages that apply vary from case to case, depending on the particular circumstances surrounding the accident and the extent of your injuries and other losses.

An experienced Tamarac car accident attorney can help you identify all the damages you are eligible to pursue so you can maximize the compensation you are able to recover.

Economic Damages

Economic damages cover all of the direct financial losses resulting from your car accident. These damages can cover both the financial losses you have already incurred as well as any projected future losses.

In addition to the medical bills and other expenses related to your accident, these damages can also cover any lost income resulting from an inability to work.

Some of the economic damages most frequently available after a car accident in Tamarac include:

• Medical expenses
• Future medical costs
• Property damage
• Lost income
• Decreased earning ability

Non-Economic Damages

Non-economic damages are far more difficult to quantify than economic damages. That’s because these damages cover the impact an accident has on your quality of life rather than on your bank account.

Because of the profound implications non-economic damages can have, the compensation awarded for these losses is often significant.

Some of the non-economic damages most frequently available after a car accident in Tamarac include:

• Pain and suffering
• Permanent disability
• Loss of consortium
• Mental anguish
• Scarring and disfigurement
• Loss of companionship
• Emotional distress

Punitive Damages

In a small percentage of cases, punitive damages may also be available. These damages are reserved for extreme cases and only apply in situations where the liable party acted with the intention of causing harm or was criminally negligent. 

The focus of punitive damages is not on compensating you for the damages you incurred, but rather on punishing the liable party for their actions.

Florida’s Comparative Negligence Rule May Affect Your Recovery

Florida follows a modified comparative negligence system. If you are found more than 50 percent at fault for the accident, you may be barred from recovering compensation. If your share of fault is 50 percent or less, your award will be reduced by that percentage.

Don’t Trust the Insurance Companies When Pursuing a Claim After a Car Accident

The insurance company is not on your side after a car accident. An insurance adjuster may approach you following a crash, who claims they are there to help, or you may receive a settlement offer shortly after your accident. However, these are simply tactics aimed at disarming you.

Despite promoting themselves as friendly neighbors, ready to lend a helping hand, insurers are really only concerned about protecting their bottom line. They will work hard to devalue or deny your claim to maximize their profit margins. 

Insurance adjusters have a large bag of tricks they use against claimants to give them grounds to deny or devalue valid claims.

The best way to protect yourself is by declining to make a statement or accept any settlement offer until you have hired an attorney.

By forcing the insurance company to work through your lawyer, you will eliminate their ability to manipulate you. With an even playing field, you will be far more likely to recover the compensation you need and deserve.

The Four Elements of Negligence

To recover compensation after a car accident in Tamarac, you will need to prove that the liable party acted with the intent of causing you harm or that they were negligent in their actions or inaction. To prove negligence, you need to establish the four elements of negligence.

These elements include:

• Duty of care
• Breached duty of care
• Damages
• Causation

Duty of Care

Proving that the liable party owed you a duty of care to act in a reasonable manner to help ensure your safety is typically straightforward.
For example, if you are pursuing compensation from another driver involved in the accident, the duty of care is evident as all drivers owe a duty of care to everyone else on or near the road.

Similarly, car manufacturers have a duty of care to take appropriate steps, such as adequate safety testing, to help ensure that the vehicles they put on the road are safe.

Breached Duty of Care

The next step is to prove that the liable party violated their duty of care.

When filing a claim against a negligent driver, establishing that they breached their duty of care can be done in a variety of ways, including using evidence showing that they were speeding, driving under the influence, using their phones, or otherwise engaging in dangerous behavior.

For claims against a vehicle manufacturer, showing that they used inferior materials or failed to conduct adequate safety testing can clearly prove a breached duty of care.

Damages

Next, you will need to show that you sustained damages. Medical records and expert testimony are some of the simplest methods for establishing your damages.

Causation

Finally, you need to prove how the other three elements fit together. You need to show that the liable party owed you a duty of care, failed to uphold it, and that the damages you incurred were a direct result of the breached duty of care. Our experienced Tamarac car accident attorneys can help demonstrate how all the dots connect.

Get Help From an Experienced Car Accident Lawyer in Tamarac Today

One of the best ways to increase your chances of receiving maximum compensation following a car accident is to hire a knowledgeable car accident attorney serving Tamarac. At The Schiller Kessler Group, we’ve helped more than 30,000 injury victims get the compensation they need and deserve.

Contact us today to schedule your free case review. A member of our legal team will go over the details of your case, explain your options, and answer all your questions.