Port St Lucie Car Accident Lawyer

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Port St. Lucie Car Accident Law Firm

Port St. Lucie is a beautiful city, but sometimes it can be the location for some ugly car accidents. Anyone who gets snarled in a collision is likely to sustain injuries, which can lead to medical costs, lost wages, pain, and suffering, and other losses.

car crash

Hoskins, Turco, Lloyd & Lloyd is here to help anyone in our community recover from the costs of their unfortunate accident. A Port St. Lucie car accident lawyer can take your case and help you identify all available forms of compensation. Florida law allows you to pursue a personal injury claim against any at-fault driver if you have a qualifying serious injury. Your claim can help pay for the total costs of your accident, including future costs like rehabilitation.

Learn more about your legal options and the strategies you could be able to use to recover damages during a free consultation with an experienced car accident lawyer in Port St. Lucie. We can provide consultations via phone, Skype, Facetime, video chat, or your preferred method of communication. Call (866) 460-1990 or contact us online to schedule your free legal consultation now. You can also hire us electronically if you prefer and we can begin working on your case immediately. You can also hire us electronically if you prefer and we can begin working on your case immediately. 

How Common Are Car Accidents in Port St. Lucie?

Motor vehicle accidents are fairly common in Port St. Lucie, and fatal accidents happen at a higher rate than the Florida average.

According to statistics from the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles (FHSMV), St. Lucie County saw 5,119 vehicular accidents in 2018, leading to 2,997 injuries and 41 deaths. An analysis by Florida Health reveals that St. Lucie County had 16.3 crash fatalities per every 100,000 residents, fairly higher than the Florida average of 14.7, and much higher than the rates of Martin County and Palm Beach County to the south.

How to Claim Damages After You Are Involved in a Port St. Lucie Collision

Once you have been involved in an accident in Port St. Lucie, you are able to file for any medical costs under your Personal Injury Protection (PIP) insurance. This form of insurance is available regardless of who was at fault, allowing you to file a claim soon after receiving treatment, rather than having to delay while you investigate the fault.

PIP insurance will only cover a portion of your costs, though. The policy coverage limit is $10,000, and it only applies to 80% of your medical costs and 60% of your lost wages. Additionally, if the PIP carrier determines that your visit wasn’t technically for an “emergency,” then you may only have up to $2,500 in coverage available.

This leaves you on the hook for the remainder of your costs, forcing you to either pay out-of-pocket for your damages or to identify an at-fault party with liability insurance. In Florida, you are able to file under an at-fault driver’s third-party Bodily Injury Liability (BIL) insurance in the event that you have a serious injury. This includes injuries that significantly limit your bodily functions, either temporarily or permanently. It may also include injuries that exceed the $10,000 PIP coverage threshold.

Working with an experienced Port St. Lucie car accident lawyer can help you determine if your injury meets the criteria, and your attorney can also help you identify any at-fault parties who may be liable for your injury costs. Even when the fault is unclear, Florida law allows you to recover a proportion of your total damages from every party that contributed to your accident. This is why it is so important to find an attorney who can help you investigate your crash and determine who might be liable.

Identifying At-Fault Parties Who Could Be Responsible for Your Damages

To prove that someone is responsible for paying your medical bills, you have to establish that they were negligent and that their negligence was the direct cause of your injuries.

“Negligence,” in the legal sense, refers to actions that count as a breach in the defendant’s duty of care to protect you from harm. This can include instances where they broke a law, such as ignoring a red light, and it can also refer to actions that someone exercising “ordinary care” would know are risky.

You also have to prove that you have damages, which is a way of referring to the losses you have experienced. Common damages filed after a collision in Port St. Lucie include:

  • Emergency Department bills
  • Medical specialist services
  • X-rays, tests, and other diagnostics
  • Ambulance transport
  • Future treatment and rehabilitation costs
  • Reimbursement of injury-related out-of-pocket costs
  • Lost wages
  • Replacement of domestic services
  • Pain and suffering

By proving that the at-fault person was negligent and that their negligence caused your damages, you can be eligible to file an insurance claim on their BIL policy. Note that at-fault parties can include not only the other driver who hit you but other possible defendants. For example, if your brakes failed to protect you from the crash because of a manufacturing defect, then part of your settlement could come from your vehicle manufacturer.

What to Do After You’ve Been in a Port St. Lucie Accident

When you have been involved in a collision, there are a number of steps you should take to maximize your chances of a full medical and financial recovery.

  1. Check on your health status and the status of others involved
  2. Call 911, request a police respondent and an ambulance for anyone with obvious injuries
  3. While waiting for police to arrive, exchange information with other drivers, and take photos of the accident scene, your vehicle damage, and your injuries
  4. Never admit fault, and don’t openly confess to anything unless you are asked directly
  5. Receive medical care as soon as possible. Go to the ER if you are seriously hurt. Visit an urgent care clinic or a doctor’s office within 14 days if you aren’t sure if you have injuries.
  6. Before you talk to insurance companies, talk to an experienced car accident lawyer in Port St. Lucie, who can help you determine what forms of compensation you may have available

Above all else, be careful when talking to insurers. Don’t comment on your health status or the pain you feel, since you are not a medical professional who can accurately describe such things. Never admit fault. Limit your answers to information they would find on your driver’s license and on the accident report. Deny a full release of your medical records, and instead obtain records yourself to send off to them. Don’t give them access to medical records prior to when the accident occurred.

Protect Your Legal Rights and Seek Compensation with a Port St. Lucie Car Accident Attorney

Insurance companies will do anything they can to reduce the value of your claim, so get in touch with experienced injury lawyers you can rely upon to help you avoid common mistakes. Hoskins, Turco, Lloyd & Lloyd can guide you through the claims process every step of the way. We have been handling cases like yours since 2003, and we are familiar with the legal strategies that maximize your chances of getting a reasonable settlement for your accident losses. If you are unable to reach a settlement agreement with liable parties, we will not hesitate to take your case to court and argue it in front of a jury.

Find out why so many along the Treasure Coast rely upon us for seasoned legal advice and our wealth of experience. Get in touch for a free, no-obligation consultation 24/7 when you call (866) 460-1990 or contact us online.

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