Fort Lauderdale, FL Distracted Driving Accidents Lawyers Providing Legal Support for Injured Victims

If you were involved in an accident that was caused by a distracted driver, you are likely suffering from serious injuries and feeling helpless as your medical bills start coming in. You should not have to deal with the consequences of a distracted driving accident alone. You deserve to get legal advice from distracted driving accident lawyers you can trust so you can recover damages from the at-fault driver.

That’s why the legal team at Milano Legal Group, PLLC is eager to talk to you after your distracted driving accident. We don’t believe you should have to pay for the expenses related to a crash you did not cause. If you want the chance to pursue compensation for medical expenses, property damage, lost wages, and pain and suffering, come to our Florida law office for a free case evaluation.

What Is Distracted Driving?

If you believe the driver who caused the accident was distracted behind the wheel, it’s important to understand what this means and why it often happens. In general, the distracted driver fails to pay sufficient attention to the road, which means they cannot safely operate the car. This can lead to a serious car accident that injures or kills other drivers and passengers.

If the cause of the car crash was not immediately obvious, your distracted driving accident lawyer will investigate to discover what caused the driver’s attention to be anywhere other than the road. Note that there are three main types of distracted driving behaviors, all of which can cause devastating auto accidents. They include the following:

Visual distraction: This moves the driver’s eyes away from the road.
Manual distraction: This takes the driver’s hands off the steering wheel.
Cognitive distraction: This takes the driver’s mind off driving safely.

Some distractions can fit into all three categories. For example, smartphones usually take the distracted driver’s eyes, hands, and mind off the task of driving safely. This is why using a phone while driving is usually considered the biggest risk when it comes to distracted driving. Texting, emailing, and using social media can be extremely dangerous and is likely to lead to a distracted driving accident. However, the following are other common distractions that could cause a collision:

Eating
Drinking a beverage
Talking on a cell phone
Talking to passengers in the car
Daydreaming while driving
Looking at a map
Interacting with pets or children in the car
Putting on makeup
Brushing hair
Smoking
Looking at a car accident while driving by it
Adjusting the radio
Adjusting the air conditioner or heater in the car
Setting up navigation on the dashboard
Searching or reaching for a dropped item
Thinking about problems with home or work
Focusing on strong emotions, such as sadness or anger

If you think the distracted driver who caused the accident was displaying one or more of these distracted driving behaviors before hitting your car, you should let a personal injury lawyer know. The Florida law firm you hire can look into the crash to determine who caused it and how, so you can then move forward on recovering compensation for your expenses related to the collision. Come to Milano Legal Group, PLLC today for a free consultation to learn how our team can help you seek compensation after a crash that injured you on a Florida road or highway.

What Compensation Can You Recover?

As you’re likely finding out now, car accidents can be quite expensive for injured victims. The more serious your injuries are, the more bills you have, especially if you will need ongoing medical care for years to come. This is why our Fort Lauderdale personal injury attorneys work hard to help our clients pursue recoverable damages after a devastating distracted driving accident.

If you’re curious about what kind of compensation you can recover, the answer is that it depends on what your specific needs are. When you hire a distracted driving accident lawyer from our law firm, we’ll start gathering information from you about your expenses so we can begin calculating the economic damages of the distracted driving accident.

Medical Expenses

One of the most basic types of compensation to request involves medical expenses. Whether you went to the emergency room for severe injuries or saw your doctor days after the car accident, you likely have some bills to pay after getting the necessary treatment. You should not have to pay those bills on your own, so your personal injury claim should request funds for doctor copays, prescription medications, medical equipment, surgery, physical therapy, and any other costs associated with the care you need after a distracted driving accident.

Property Damage

Another type of compensation to seek is property damage. Distracted drivers can hit the cars around them hard enough to leave damage that costs thousands of dollars to fix. They may even total the vehicles, causing accident victims to have to search for new cars to buy while they’re still trying to heal from the severe injuries caused by the distracted driving accident. You shouldn’t have to pay to fix property damage caused by distracted drivers, so your personal injury lawyer will likely seek compensation that will cover this.

Lost Income

Recoverable damages can also include money for lost wages. No matter how long you had to stay home to recover from severe injuries, you likely missed out on earning the money you normally make. This can leave you struggling to pay important bills, such as utilities, student loans, and rent. Your distracted driving accident lawyer will request damages for lost wages, so you don’t have to spend time worrying about how you’re going to pay your bills after a distracted driving crash.

Pain and Suffering

Car accidents can leave victims not just in debt but also feeling inconvenienced, humiliated, and anxious. If you’re still dealing with the emotional trauma that was caused by the poor choices made by a distracted driver, you deserve compensation that goes above and beyond your bills. This is often called pain and suffering, which is money that your distracted driving accident lawyer will request on your behalf. This way, you can easily afford to take extra time off work to heal emotionally and get counseling if you choose to do so.

Wrongful Death

If an accident caused by a distracted driver led to fatal injuries for a loved one, you can pursue compensation for this, as well. Your personal injury lawyer can file a wrongful death claim against the insurance company of the distracted driver, so you get financial compensation to pay for a funeral, any medical costs, lost income, pain and suffering, mental anguish, and any other damages that apply to your car accident case in Florida.

When you come to our law office, you can get a free case review to find out what compensation would be right for your claim with the insurance company. Contact us today to talk to a distracted driving accident lawyer about your case.

What’s the Statute of Limitations on a Distracted Driving Case?

Every state has a statute of limitations on personal injury cases. This means there are limitations on how long you have to file a lawsuit against an insurance company. In Florida, the statute of limitations for car accidents is four years. The statute of limitations for wrongful claims is two years, so if you lost a family member in a distracted driving accident, you’d need to file a lawsuit within that time period.

This is why it’s so important to contact a personal injury lawyer as soon as possible after any crashes caused by distracted drivers. Even though four years may seem like a long time, you never know when there will be a complication that takes months or years to sort out. Plus, over the years, it gets more difficult to remember details about the crash and the accident scene. It can also become harder to get ahold of paperwork that could help prove your case against the other driver, such as medical records and the accident report. So, if you plan to file a personal injury lawsuit after your accident, be sure to get a free legal consultation from Milano Legal Group, PLLC, as soon as possible.

How Can a Distracted Driving Accident Lawyer Assist with Your Case?

Experienced distracted driving accident lawyers can handle all the details of your claim against the insurance company while you focus your time and effort on recovering from your injuries. After all, no matter how simple you assume your case will be, you might be surprised at the complications that come up. When this happens, you’ll be glad to have a Broward County lawyer on your side to handle any issues.

For example, insurance companies are not known for being easy to work with when it comes to offering compensation to victims. They often deny or delay payment and offer less than what the victim deserves. If this is the case for you, you’ll need an experienced attorney to deal with insurance disputes, as it will take time and legal knowledge to negotiate with the insurance provider in order to get the damages you deserve.

Lawyers are also adept at proving liability, which is important for any personal injury lawsuit. They can look at the facts of the accident, starting a thorough investigation to find out who and what caused the crash. This might involve looking at pictures, videos, phone records, police reports, medical records, and eyewitness statements. Your lawyer can also take the time necessary to add up all your expenses to calculate economic damages and then start looking at non-economic damages, which can be much harder to figure out.

If you’re not sure how a lawyer can help with your case, you should schedule a free consultation at a Florida firm to learn your legal options. If you’re ready to hire a team that will give you personal attention and will never make you feel like just another client, call us at 855-545-1777 to set up a free consultation today.