All wrecks have the potential to cause significant injuries, but highway car accidents in DeLand are especially dangerous. Although people can walk away from high-speed crashes, serious injuries and death are more common.
Speak with an experienced car crash attorney at The Florida Firm Injury and Accident Lawyers if you were hurt or a loved one was killed in a highway wreck. We have years of experience representing the residents of Central Florida in auto crash cases. We have an excellent reputation for our knowledge and effectiveness —so much so that other local lawyers send their loved ones and valued clients to us for representation in serious car accident cases.
Common Causes of Highway Crashes
Everyone driving on the highways has the responsibility to drive safely and defensively. Keeping up with highway traffic means you are traveling at high speeds, and even attentive, safe drivers can fail to react in time to avoid an accident.
Speeding is a major cause of highway wrecks, as driving too fast for conditions can cause skidding, brake lock, and loss of control. Alcohol and drugs are a factor in many crashes. Reckless driving spurred by road rage can lead to severe accidents.
Our DeLand attorneys are skilled highway auto accident investigators. We will collect and review available video footage, photos of the crash scene and vehicle damage, police reports, and witness statements. In an appropriate case, we may also hire an accident reconstruction expert to provide an opinion about how the crash happened.
How Is Fault Determined for a Highway Crash?
If you seek compensation for the losses you suffered in an accident, you must prove that an involved driver or another party was negligent. You must be able to tie your injuries directly to the other party’s negligence. The negligent party is usually the party at fault for the wreck.
It is a common misperception that a police report determines who is at fault for a crash. The police report will note whether any involved driver received a citation after the wreck, and a citation can be evidence of negligence. However, although the information in the police report is influential, insurance adjusters determine fault in most crashes.
Procedure When You Are Partially At Fault
Sometimes wrecks are clearly the fault of one person, but often, others also had a role. When you are partially at fault in a crash, Florida Statutes § 768.81 governs the amount of compensation you receive.
The insurance companies for the parties will allocate fault on a percentage basis. If you are more than 50 percent to blame, you cannot collect compensation. If you are not held primarily responsible, the amount of your damages will be reduced by your percentage of fault.
If you work with a DeLand lawyer to handle your highway accident claim, they can protect your interests during fault assessments. If you try to handle your claim yourself, you may end up shouldering too much of the blame. You might collect less than you deserve or be prevented from collecting any compensation.
Proving Your Highway Car Accident Damages
The financial and other losses that arise out of a wreck are called your damages. You must prove these losses to get compensation from the liable party. Our DeLand attorneys will work with you to document all your losses after a highway accident.
We may ask you to keep a calendar to note events you had to miss and plans you had to change because of your injury. We may ask you to keep a personal journal to document:
- The time you must spend on matters related to caring for and adapting to your injuries
- Any challenges you have caring for yourself or performing activities of daily living
- Changes in your personal relationships
- Any psychological symptoms you experience since the accident, such as anxiety or sleep disturbances
We can also use medical records, photographs, video, and statements from yourself and your loved ones to demonstrate how the accident changed your life.
Receipts, invoices, health insurance statements, and tax returns can prove your financial losses. We may hire experts to calculate the future cost of ongoing medical care and lost earnings.
Seek Compensation After a Highway Car AccidentWith a DeLand Attorney
Getting fair compensation after highway car accidents in DeLand requires the skills of a seasoned attorney. At Colling Gilbert Wright, we have years of experience and a clear record of obtaining high-dollar settlements and verdicts for our clients injured in auto crashes.
We do not charge you until we win compensation in your case, so we take all the risk. Schedule a free consultation with the car accident team today!