Hollywood, FL Car Accident Lawyer
The busy roads and intersections of Hollywood, Florida, see a constant flow of local traffic, commuters, and tourists. This high volume of vehicles unfortunately leads to a significant risk of car accidents. When a crash caused by a negligent driver leaves you injured, you are suddenly faced with physical pain, emotional stress, and a confusing insurance system. You have the right to seek full compensation for the harm you have suffered.
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The law firm of Ace Your Case provides direct, helpful, and experienced legal representation for car accident victims in Hollywood. We are a dedicated team that fights to ensure our clients receive the justice and financial recovery they need to rebuild their lives. We handle the legal complexities so you can focus on getting better.
Speak with a Hollywood Car Accident Attorney for Free
Florida is a "No-Fault" State - What Does That Mean?
Florida’s auto insurance system is known as “no-fault.” This can be a confusing concept for many accident victims. In simple terms, it means that after an accident, you must first turn to your own auto insurance policy to cover your initial medical bills and lost wages, regardless of who was at fault for the crash.
This is handled through your Personal Injury Protection (PIP) coverage, which is mandatory for all Florida drivers. Your PIP benefits will cover:
- 80% of your initial medical expenses.
- 60% of your lost wages.
- Up to a total limit of $10,000.
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It is critical to understand the limitations of PIP. It only covers a portion of your economic losses, and it provides zero compensation for your pain and suffering. Furthermore, you must seek initial medical treatment within 14 days of the accident to be eligible for PIP benefits.
Fighting for the Compensation You Truly Deserve
While PIP provides initial benefits, it is often completely inadequate for anyone who has been seriously injured. To recover the full cost of your damages, including compensation for your pain and suffering, you must step outside the no-fault system and file a personal injury claim against the at-fault driver.
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To do this, your car accident attorney in Hollywood must prove that you sustained a “permanent injury” as defined by Florida law. Our firm excels at gathering the necessary medical evidence and expert testimony to meet this critical threshold. This allows us to fight for the full compensation you deserve, including:
- All past and future medical expenses not covered by PIP.
- All past and future lost wages.
- The full impact of your physical pain and emotional suffering.
- Compensation for any permanent scarring or disfigurement.
- Loss of enjoyment of life.
We Handle All Types of Auto Accidents in Hollywood
As an experienced Broward County car crash lawyer firm, we have the resources and skill to handle all types of motor vehicle accident claims. Our practice includes:
- Rear-End Collisions: Often caused by distracted driving and tailgating.
- T-Bone Accidents: Serious side-impact crashes that frequently occur at intersections.
- Uninsured/Underinsured Motorist (UM) Claims: If the at-fault driver has no insurance or not enough insurance to cover your damages, we can help you file a claim with your own UM policy.
- Accidents Involving Tourists: We are experienced in handling the unique complexities of cases involving out-of-state drivers and insurance policies.
- Pedestrian and Bicycle Accidents: We fight to protect the rights of our most vulnerable road users.
Frequently Asked Questions
What should I do immediately after a car crash in Hollywood?
First, call 911 to report the accident and request medical help. Second, if you are able, take photos of the scene, vehicle damage, and any visible injuries. Third, get the other driver’s insurance and contact information. Finally, see a doctor within 14 days and contact an auto accident lawyer in Hollywood before speaking to any insurance companies.
How is fault determined in a Florida car accident?
Fault is determined by evidence such as the police report, witness statements, traffic laws, and physical evidence from the scene. Our firm will conduct a thorough investigation to prove that the other driver’s negligence caused the crash.
The insurance company offered me a settlement. Should I take it?
You should never accept an insurance company’s offer without speaking to an attorney. Their initial offers are almost always too low and will not cover the full extent of your long-term damages.
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Plantation Personal Injury FAQs
When Is It the Right Time to Call a Personal Injury Lawyer?
The right time to call is as soon as possible after your accident. There are many reasons why you need to begin the legal process as quickly as you can. The legal process may even begin without you, with many calls from the insurance company trying to either rush you or to pressure you to give a statement. They may try to catch you unaware and trick you into compromising your legal rights. Hiring an attorney could prevent this from happening.
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Equally important, as time passes from the time of your accident, the evidence that could help your claim can become harder to find. People might quickly clear the scene of the accident, and you may lose the ability to contact witnesses. The witnesses that you have may begin to lose their recollection of what they saw. When you hire a personal injury lawyer, they will get to work immediately to gather the evidence before it is lost.
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Calling a lawyer to get started on your case is a crucial step in the legal process. Knowing that you have someone on the job with the experience and tenacity to fight for you can give you at least some peace of mind during an undoubtedly difficult time.
How Do Insurance Settlement Negotiations Work?
An insurance claim is just like any other negotiation. You have a number in mind for what you think that you should receive for your injuries, and the insurance company has a much lower number in mind for what it wants to pay. Your insurance claim begins when your Plantation personal injury attorney files a demand letter with the insurance company. This is when the adjuster goes to work to try to save money for their bosses.
The insurance adjuster may outright deny your claim or question liability. They may come back with a settlement offer. When the number seems low, and it will, know that this is just their opening offer. Your Plantation injury attorney will likely reject the offer and respond with your own demand.
Eventually, you will lower your number, and the insurance company will raise theirs, and you could meet somewhere in the middle. This is a time-honored dance that personal injury lawyers have been doing with insurance companies since the advent of courtrooms. Even when you seem very far apart from the insurance company, most cases eventually will settle.
What Happens After I File a Personal Injury Lawsuit?
Filing a personal injury lawsuit is an early part of the claim process. Most cases will never go far enough to see the inside of a courtroom. Statistically speaking, a vast majority of personal injury cases are settled out of court. However, if your case does make it to court, you should expect going into it that the trial process may take one to two years to complete. The legal system is far from rushed, as courts and judges have busy schedules and full dockets.
In the short term, you can expect motions and attempts to obtain evidence. Many people associate a lawsuit with a trial, but that only happens after many months of the nuts and bolts of the legal system. The phase of your case that will take the longest time is discovery. This is when the two sides obtain evidence that the other has in their possession. At this point, you may even need to sit for a deposition.
Filing a lawsuit will not cut off settlement negotiations. As was previously mentioned, most cases will settle without a trial. If anything, litigation may give each side more incentive to settle. The two parties usually continue negotiating right up until the point when the jury is seated.
What Evidence Can Prove My Injury Claim?
Negligence is the basis of every personal injury claim. When you file a lawsuit in court, you have the burden of proof. It will be up to you to show that what you say is more likely than not to have happened. You need to back your claim up with evidence.
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Your Plantation personal injury lawyer will work to gather things that can backup your side of the story, including:
— Witness statements from people who say your injury or accident
— Pictures of the scene of your accident
— Security camera footage
— Expert witness testimony that could reconstruct the accident
— Maintenance logs of the area or vehicle involved
— Medical records that can help prove damages
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These are things that can be difficult to get on your own and piece together to tell the story of what happened. Injury lawyers in Plantation, Florida, know how to both get the evidence and use it to prove that someone else was responsible for your accident.
What if I Cannot Work Due to My Injuries?
Your personal injury damages include both economic and non-economic compensation. Economic compensation aims to pay you back for the actual money that you lost. This includes bills that you paid and earnings you lost. This specifically pays you back for lost wages from your job when you are unable to work. Since you would have worked, this is money out of your pocket.
Lost wages in a personal injury settlement are much broader than you think. Of course, this includes the time that you have already missed from work. It also encompasses time that you will miss from work in the future. You do not need to outright miss work to receive compensation for this. For example, if you were qualified for a promotion but cannot get it now because your injury limits you in the type of work that you can do, you can get compensation for the reduction in your earning capacity.
Lost wages are often a very contested part of your personal injury claim because you can bet that the insurance company will see things differently to try to lower its bill. They may dispute what your possible earnings are or use a lower rate of inflation to calculate what they may be in the future.
Hear It From Our Clients
“Ace Your Case Excellent Attorneys”
Personal injury attorneys Craig Posner and Eric Feingold are both excellent attorneys, but more importantly, they are excellent people. I have seen first hand their hard work and dedication to clients. I would not hesitate to recommend their services to others.
“Great Guys Who Take Their Job Seriously”
Great guys who take their job seriously. They took care of me when I had my accident and made sure I was walked through 100% of the way.
“Pleasure And Blessing To Have Ace Your Case Represent My Family”
It has been a pleasure and blessing to have Ace Your Case represent my family. They always kept me updated on our case. The staff was excellent they always got back to me on questions I had. I highly recommend them and will continue to use them if needed.
“Not Only Very Efficient But Caring As Well”
These lawyers are not only very efficient, but caring as well. I would not hesitate to refer them to anyone.
“I Highly Recommend Them!”
Big thanks to Eric and Doug for doing a great job with the handling of my auto accident. I highly recommend them!
