Sarasota Car Accident Lawyers
A car crash can change your life in an instant, leaving you with sky-high medical bills and a long recovery, If you cannot work, you will naturally worry about how to support yourself and your family while you heal. When someone else is to blame for the wreck, you need legal guidance to hold them accountable.
At Luhrsen Goldberg, we are your choice for Sarasota car accident lawyers. Our focus is on providing experienced and compassionate representation for those in need. Contact us to schedule a free case evaluation and learn more about your options for seeking compensation.
Why Choose Luhrsen Goldberg for a Car Accident Claim?
Luhrsen Goldberg’s auto accident attorneys understand how dramatically a car crash can affect you. You may be left with pain, aggravation, and fear, and need to take steps to hold the at-fault driver accountable.
We have an extensive background as personal injury attorneys who can provide crucial services to our clients, such as:
- Identifying all responsible parties
- Pursuing all available insurance coverage options
- Collecting the relevant accident, medical and other supporting documentation
- Counseling and guiding individuals throughout the process
- Negotiating and communicating with insurance companies to resolve the claim
- Filing paperwork and meeting deadlines for a lawsuit on behalf of the client, if needed
Our car accident lawyers in Sarasota, FL, work diligently towards a quick and satisfactory settlement but are also prepared for the courtroom from Day One.
How Our Auto Accident Lawyers Manage Claims for Clients
Throughout Florida, our team is committed to providing ethical, caring, and detailed legal counsel to each client. We listen to you, the injury victim and your story during our initial free consultation meeting, then offer our advice on the next steps.
When you choose to work with us, you can rest easy and focus on recovering. There is no cost to you when you hire us; our contingency fee arrangement means that you only owe attorneys fees and costs if we prevail on your behalf. When you retain us, we will manage the case for you, performing tasks such as:
Determining Who Is at Fault
Our Sarasota auto accident lawyers will focus on identifying all responsible parties involved in your crash. In some cases, there are people or entities who contribute to a crash yet are not on the road when the accident happens. For example, homeowners who neglect to keep their landscaping trimmed can make it difficult for drivers to see stop signs or each other. Road construction crews may leave debris on the highway that when encountered causes a driver to lose control.
When there are many potential at-fault parties, our team will investigate to find them. This helps us understand all potential avenues for compensation that can help alleviate some of your suffering and loss.
Assessing Injuries and Damages
Luhrsen Goldberg’s auto accident lawyers will work to ensure you find appropriate medical care. If a crash is particularly complicated, we can hire appropriate support including, for example, an accident reconstruction expert to put together a recreation of the wreck based on physics, existing video footage, and other data. Proving fault and negligence is critical to securing the compensation you deserve, and we use every resource at our disposal to build your claim.
Communicating With Insurance Companies
Insurance adjusters are familiar with the law and their policies. They depend on crash victims being unaware of what they can claim. They also prefer to keep premiums; put another way, they look to refuse or minimize what they pay as fair compensation. They will make low offers, hoping a victim will jump at the chance to pay their bills.
We will handle all communications and negotiations with all insurance companies so you can avoid making mistakes that could cost you a satisfactory settlement. Crash victims are always in control of when to accept an offer, but we will help ensure the insurance carrier does not take advantage of you. If the carrier operates in bad faith, we will help clients hold them accountable.
Preparing a Sarasota, FL, Car Accident Case for Court
Our car accident attorneys maintain an excellent record of achieving fair and appropriate insurance settlements for our clients. Sometimes, the insurance company will not meet our demands, and we must take them to court. You can count on us to manage all the legal complexities for you
We ensure all paperwork is filed correctly and on time, and we prepare a powerful case to demonstrate how the other party was negligent. We present robust evidence to support your claims of injury and damage, fighting tenaciously to secure the best possible outcome for your unique situation.
Luhrsen Goldberg Attorneys Can Handle All Car Accident Claims
Regardless of the kind of crash you experienced, our Law Powered By Women car accident attorneys have managed them. Our team understands the severe injuries, the property damage, and aftermath of various types of wrecks, including:
- Head-on collisions: Head-on crashes are rare but usually the most serious, often resulting in fatalities or serious injury. When two vehicles collide this way or a driver runs directly into an object, it can be challenging to determine who is at fault.
- Rear-end collisions: These crashes commonly occur at stoplights and when drivers turn left. Whiplash, concussions, and other injuries can result.
- Rollover accidents: Trucks, SUVs, RVs, and overloaded vehicles are prone to rolling over if they leave the roadway or are hit from the side. As these vehicles tend to be bigger and heavier than passenger vehicles, the impacts are often more significant as well. In short, these crashes can cause severe injuries when the automobile tips onto its side or rolls onto its roof or otherwise is impacted.
- T-bone collisions: These usually occur in an intersection when a driver hits someone who is turning left or when a driver runs a red light or stop sign.
We can sort out who is to blame and how the accident happened. Common causes include inattention, drunk driving, reckless actions, and failure to obey traffic laws and signals. We also identify situations when a repair shop, road conditions, or other factors have contributed to the accident.
Florida Is a No-Fault State for Auto Insurance
In Florida, insurance laws require all drivers to carry a minimum amount of insurance to pay for medical care for injuries suffered (as well as coverage to cover property damage caused by a driver’s negligence to another’s property).. Called Personal Injury Protection (PIP) (and Property Damage Liability (PDL), respectively), Florida drivers must have proof of this coverage with them at all times.
An advantage of requiring PIP is that if you are injured in a motor vehicle accident, you do not have to wait for an insurance company to determine who is at fault before you can seek medical care. You have a more immediate source of payment for your medical bills and lost wages –up to the $10,000 maximum limit for PIP. The disadvantage is that PIP only covers up to $10,000 in damages which is very often inadequate to cover what you need.
It is also vital that you seek needed medical care quickly after a crash. First, to address your injuries and get the care you need. Just as importantly, it’s important because Florida law only extends to you your $10,000 in PIP coverage if you seek medical care within 14 days of the crash; waiting until day 15 or thereafter to seek treatment, will leave you with $0 in PIP benefits.
Given the $10,000 PIP coverage limit, when the other person is at fault for the accident, you may also be able to pursue a claim or as appropriate sue them in a lawsuit for financial relief for your injuries, damages and costs. Our team will ensure that you understand all your options, share our thoughts and recommendations with you and then proceed according to your decisions.
Filing a Lawsuit After a Sarasota, FL, Car Accident
Insurance can be complicated. Likewise, the legal system can be overwhelming to anyone who is not trained and experienced in handling such claims and cases.. The process and requirements are best handled by an experienced litigator who can take on these burdens while you recover.
Our team begins to prepare a client’s case from the beginning so we do not lose the benefit of early work and of time.. We assemble a compelling case built on demonstrating:
- The defendant(s) owed you, the plaintiff (i.e., injury victim) a duty of care to drive or behave safely.
- They failed to uphold that duty through their actions or inactions.
- You suffered injuries and property damage as a direct result of their failure in their duty.
- You have amassed expenses related to your injuries and other impacts and damages that must be repaid.
Again, the person or entity at fault is not always just another driver. We can examine the evidence to determine other liable parties, including:
- Automakers who produced poorly manufactured vehicles
- Commercial drivers and trucking companies
- Drivers and others who were not hit but contributed to the crash
- Government agencies in charge of road maintenance
- Hit-and-run drivers
- Vehicles that dropped cargo on the highway
Florida uses a pure comparative negligence rule when assigning fault in personal injury cases. This means that multiple parties can be found liable, including you, the victim. If for example, you are found partially at fault, your damage award will likely be reduced by the same percentage. For example, a finding of 15% fault will make a $100,000 claim result in an $85,000 jury verdict. In March 2023, Florida further limited a crash victim’s right to recover by precluding a right to recover altogether when it is found that you, the crash victim, were more than 50% at fault for the accident.
Such a potential bar to your recovery makes quick action and investigation all the more important. Minimizing the appearance of your liability is crucial to maximizing compensation recovery. Our attorneys will do everything possible to push back against insurance and defense lawyers who want to place the blame on you.
High-Quality Evidence Is Key for a Successful Car Accident Claim
After a car accident, you and the other involved parties to the accident should always exchange insurance and contact information. As they say, a picture paints a thousand words. So to further protect yourself, take photos of the scene, of your visible injuries, of the property damage, and anything else that may show what happened. You should also ask witnesses and bystanders for their contact details.
This is the start of the valuable process of collecting high-quality evidence to determine who is at fault and to support the claim. Our motor vehicle accident attorneys will take on the task of adding to and enhancing any materials you bring to us.. We will gather documentation such as:
- Accident reconstruction analysis
- Auto shop repair estimates
- Witness statements
- Data from GPS units, safe driving apps, or private vehicle tracking devices
- Driver cell phone records
- Driving histories for all drivers
- Expert testimony
- Information, videos, and photos from social media
- Photographs of skid marks, obstructions, debris, road construction, and property damage
- Police accident reports
- Video footage from traffic cameras, dash cams, security cameras, and bystander cell phones
- Medical records and receipts
Tracking technology follows us everywhere through many of our personal devices. Information from these items can be invaluable in showing whether a driver braked, accelerated, swerved, or was distracted when the accident occurred. An attorney will make use of this to show insurance companies and defense lawyers that we have what it takes to hold their clients accountable.
Potential Compensation From a Car Accident Claim
Minor fender benders may cause little physical injury or automobile damage, but they can have lingering effects that worsen over time. When severe injuries are involved, victims can take years to recover fully. Each case is unique, and each person’s damages will be different, even for those in the same vehicle during the crash.
No matter how much you are injured, there are key steps to take to protect your claim, including:
- Get medical care at the scene.
- Follow up with their doctor after the crash ( but no later than 14 days of the crash to retain full access to your No-Fault PIP benefits which help pay for such medical care).
- Keep a journal to record their pain and recovery process.
A pain journal, along with other key evidence, are helpful at demonstrating why and how much compensation you may be due. These losses are more than just your medical bills. They include the many ways your life has been affected by the incident.
Obvious, significant injuries such as losing a limb, suffering hearing or vision damage, can push crash loss into millions of dollars. Regardless of the nature and significance of your injury, every penny deserves to be repaid, including compensation for your future treatment and care needs. Our attorneys will help a you pursue and recover for all of your damages, including:
Medical Bills
Medical bills are considered an economic damage. These are losses that have a fixed price tag and can be demonstrated with a receipt or record. Every expense related to the injuries can be claimed, including many that you might overlook.
Ambulance fees, surgery costs, ICU or ER bills, and travel expenses for doctor visits are valid expenses. A victim can also request reimbursement for in-home nursing care, rehabilitation facilities, and medications. Prosthetic limbs and physical therapy, plus renovation costs for a home, are valid expenses if a person suffers an amputation or paralysis. Even expenses you incur because you hire someone else to handle housework, pool maintenance, yard work or the like because your injuries preclude you from handling this work yourself are recoverable.
Projected Expenses
In addition to the bills a person may have already paid for medical treatment, you can include a projection of what your future treatment will cost. This compensation is designed to protect you into the future, after your case is over.
At Luhrsen Goldberg, we work with your medical providers to provide information that helps us develop an appropriate estimate of your future needs.
Lost Wages and Financial Opportunities
After an accident, you often may lose time at work. Minor injuries come with the need to schedule doctor visits and get repairs done on their vehicle and the like.. And, if the accident lands you in the hospital, you could be out of work for even longer. This can leave you with little to no income as the bills pile up.
Your No-Fault PIP coverage can help you on a temporary, interim basis, but isn’t enough. In addition to the $10,000 limit in PIP coverage, PIP only covers a portion of your lost wages. As such, your lost pay and earnings, use of vacation days or PTO and the like are compensable damages to you. In addition, if you miss too much work, your opportunity to earn overtime, promotions and raises can be affected. The impacts of your injuries to you and your families can have long term consequences for which you and your family could suffer significantly and for which the at-fault party should compensate you.
Inability to Return to Work
When the injuries are catastrophic, you may never be able to return to your job or even work again. With paralysis, lost bodily functions, or decreased cognitive ability, you and your family may be left with an uncertain future. You should never have to suffer dramatic financial changes because of someone else’s negligence, and our team will work tirelessly to secure a comfortable settlement or jury award for you.
Property Damage
In addition to the damage to a vehicle, you may have other items that were destroyed in the car accident. Cell phones, computers, clothing, luggage, and gifts could require repair or replacement as part of the economic damages. Our attorneys can guide you through this process as needed as well. Gathering receipts and records of the value and current replacement costs based on comparable items is part of this process with respect to your damaged property items.. This can be especially important if the vehicle is vintage, highly customized, or a luxury automobile.
Emotional Distress and Impact on a Person’s Personal Life
In a lawsuit, you can also seek non-economic damages, which address the emotional distress you suffer after a crash. A pain and recovery journal and witness accounts of the trauma can support your claims in this category. You can also claim losses such as:
- Anxiety
- Depression
- Isolation and loss of society after amputation or scarring
- Loss of consortium with a spouse or partner
- Loss of guidance and comfort for children
- Pain and suffering
- Scars and disfigurement
- Sleep disturbances
When a Car Accident Leads to Death
A crash can be devastating enough, but if a crash victim passes away, their family will be left with grief on top of their expenses. The car accident attorneys at Luhrsen Goldberg also wrongful death claims to assist survivors in securing compensation after a family member dies. Families can claim funeral and burial expenses, medical and property costs, lost earnings, support, companionship and more.
Speak With Our Sarasota, FL, Car Accident Lawyers to Discuss a Claim Today
If you or a loved one have been harmed in a Sarasota, FL, car accident, and someone else is at fault, you need powerful legal representation to protect your rights and secure your future financial stability. You should not have to suffer the consequences of another person’s poor choices and actions.
The team at Luhrsen Goldberg offers over 50 years of combined legal experience. At Law Powered By Women, we are committed to your full emotional, financial, and physical recovery. Allow us to work for you so you can concentrate on getting better without the stress and worry of doing it alone.
Contact us to schedule a free consultation with our Sarasota car accident lawyers today.