What is it?
A motor vehicle collision takes place whenever a car, truck, van, or motorcycle collides with another object, whether it's another vehicle, a pedestrian, an animal, or an immobile object such as a light post or guardrail.
They are a leading cause of preventable death in the U.S.A. In Florida alone, there are more than 3,000 people killed in auto accidents every year, with tens of thousands more injured. According to national statistics, there's roughly a 1 in 16 chance that you'll be involved in an accident in a given year.
Types of motor vehicle collisions include:
What causes it?
There can be a wide range of causes for a motor vehicle collision including:
• Driver error
• Vehicle failure
• Damage to the road
• Environmental factors like weather
What's involved?
Florida is a "no-fault" insurance state, which means that, by law, when a motorist is injured in an accident, the first $10,000 of each injured person's medical care is paid for by the insurance of the driver in whose car they were riding, regardless of who was at fault in the accident.
Liability is figured out and litigated separately from medical costs. That means that if you've been injured in an auto collision and are seeking coverage for your medical care, the party you are dealing with, and perhaps suing, is your own insurance company, or the insurance company of the person you were riding with. And make no mistake, your own insurance company can fight you as hard or harder than the other driver's company.
It also means that if the other party in the accident was clearly at fault, you may have to be involved in two separate suits – one against your own insurance company for medical care, and the other against the other driver's insurance company for damages and pain and suffering due to the other driver's liability. In Florida, you can only file suit for pain and suffering if the injury you sustained was permanent, meaning you'll never fully recover.
Why Jacobs & Goodman?
We're motor vehicle collision experts. We have handled thousands of auto insurance cases successfully. We're also recognized experts in every aspect of Florida's "no-fault" law. Our attorneys have appeared numerous times before committees of the Florida legislature to testify about "no-fault" insurance policies and have worked to help craft laws to make "no-fault" friendlier to consumers. Our attorneys write and lecture on the topic regularly, and are even called to testify or serve as co-counsel on complex cases. We can guide you through the complexities of the law, and help you reach the best possible settlement.
We know the other side. After many years litigating these kinds of cases, we know how the other side thinks, what tactics they'll try, and what actions to take to counter them.
We're experienced trial lawyers. We approach each case as though we're going to trial. While many of our cases settle out of court with satisfactory financial rewards for the client, it's only because the defense knows we can take it to trial effectively.
At Jacobs & Goodman:
• You always get an attorney, never a case manager like at other firms.
• We take a personal interest in your case, and help you through every aspect, including helping you deal with medical liens and debts.
• We work on a contingency basis, which means if we don't win your case, you don't pay.
If you've suffered an injury in a motor vehicle collision,
talk to us before you accept any agreement from the insurance company.