Miami Car Accident Lawyers Fighting for You

Miami Car Accident Lawyer Helping Clients Seek Justice for Their Injuries

Every day there are an average of more than 100 accidents in Miami and the surrounding areas. Each serious accident has its own story: a beloved grandmother injured, a family losing their only vehicle and frantically trying to find alternate transportation, or a husband losing his wife of twenty years in a traumatic, unexpected crash. Whatever challenges you are facing after your accident, Galimidi Law will stand by you and help you get the full compensation you need to cover your medical treatment, lost wages, and more.

Dealing with insurance companies after a car accident can be challenging. Insurance companies only view you as a number, but a car accident lawyer knows you are a person with a multi-faceted life who has suffered in many ways because of your accident. Galimidi Law will work tenaciously for you and your family after your accident. There are many ways in which a personal injury lawyer can make the process easier and less stressful for you, including:

Negotiating settlement offers with the on your behalf.
Ensuring your case’s value is appropriately calculated, so you don’t miss out on any damages you may be eligible to recover.
Filing all necessary documents on time for your claim.
Ensuring that discussions continue instead of being put on the back burner and if necessary filing suit and taking your case to trial by the insurance companies.
Reviewing all legal documents for the case to ensure that you are not signing away your rights or agreeing to an unfair settlement.

Contact a personal injury law firm today to schedule a free consultation with a car accident lawyer: 305-692-0125.

How Do Car Accidents Happen?

While there are factors for car accidents that are out of the driver’s control, like bad weather, low visibility, or damaged roadways, most accidents come down to driver error. With Miami ranking as the ninth most congested city in the U.S. in 2021, even a momentary lapse in concentration by a single driver can cause an auto accident involving several vehicles. You may take the utmost care with your driving, but you could still find yourself in the wrong place at the wrong time and face expensive vehicle damage and debilitating injuries.

Some of the most common factors leading to car accidents include:

Driving while distracted
Disobeying traffic signs or signals
Failing to account for weather or traffic conditions
Driving on the incorrect side of the roadway
Driving while under the influence of drugs or alcohol
Failing to signal for a turn
Following other vehicles too closely
Operating a vehicle recklessly
Merging incorrectly
Speeding
Malfunctioning equipment, such as brakes or tires

Drivers can reduce their risk of car accidents by driving defensively, following the rules of the road, keeping their vehicle in good repair, and leaving three seconds of space between themselves and the car in front, although this last tip is much easier said than done on a crowded highway. If you were driving responsibly and still became involved in an accident, a car accident lawyer can explain your rights and help you get back on the road.

For more information, please see:

The Most Common Causes of Car Accidents

What Are the Types of Car Accidents?

Not all car accidents are the same. They can cause different injuries and may involve varying levels of property damage. The fault may also be assessed differently depending on the type of crash. For example, a rear-end collision is almost always the rear driver’s fault. The five general types of car accidents are:

Single-person crashes: Any time a vehicle hits something other than another car; whether it is a road hazard, an animal, or an inanimate object, it is considered a single-person crash.
Multi-vehicle crashes: As the name implies, these car accidents involve two or more vehicles. There are three main types of multi-vehicle crashes, classified by where the main impact occurred on the car during the crash:
- Head-on collisions
- Rear-end collisions
- Side-impact collisions
Rollovers: These can happen in single-vehicle crashes or may result from a multi-vehicle collision. Rollovers are a violent form of crash, and victims’ bodies are in danger from flying objects, items piercing the vehicle’s roof, and the brutal shaking and twisting of the car. Due to this, rollovers can result in some of the most serious injuries in all auto accidents.

Galimidi Law can help you through the process of getting fair compensation for your injuries, no matter what type of accident you’ve experienced.

What Are Common Car Crash Injuries?

Car accident victims are subjected to powerful forces during their crashes. Modern cars are built with the safety of passengers in mind, with crumple zones to absorb some of the impact and advanced airbags to cushion the body from hitting the vehicle’s interior. However, these innovations can only do so much to protect from the forces of a car accident. Most car accident cases result in some type of injury. Many of these injuries are severe and will require immediate emergency care and months or years of continuing medical attention. Some of the most commonly experienced injuries from a crash include:

Broken bones and fractures
Back, head, and neck injuries
Burns
Dislocations
Head trauma
Lacerations
Paralysis
Severed limbs
Traumatic brain injuries (TBI)
Whiplash

If the injuries are grievous enough, coma or death may occur. Survivors could experience PTSD, nightmares, anxiety, and other trauma-related issues. They may be unable to drive again because of fear, which can limit their opportunities and affect their quality of life.

There can also be secondary effects of injuries, such as internal bleeding, brain swelling, and blood clots leading to strokes. The cost of treating these life-threatening ailments can quickly outstrip the coverage provided by your insurance, and you may be facing long-term disability. If you’ve been seriously injured, Galimidi Law will fight to recover the maximum compensation for your injuries so your car accident doesn’t become a financial catastrophe.

For more information, please see:

What Happens to Your Body During a Car Accident?

Should I Seek Medical Care if My Car Accident Was Minor?

With the current high cost of doctor and ER visits, many people may hesitate to get medical care if their accident was minor and they didn’t suffer any obvious or major injuries. However, this can negatively affect your ability to recover compensation if you end up having injuries that weren’t apparent at the time of the crash. Adrenaline can mask the symptoms of an injury, and certain injuries such as neck sprains and damage to the back are notorious for not causing pain until well after the car accident. Adrenaline and shock can also hide more dangerous injuries, such as internal organ damage. Getting treatment not only protects your potential claim but also protects your well-being.

If you do not get a medical evaluation until many days after the accident, the insurance company may try to deny your personal injury claim. They could claim that the injury wasn’t actually due to the crash, or it wasn’t as serious as you claim because you did not get immediate medical treatment. To prevent these time-consuming and frustrating arguments, it is best to always get medically evaluated immediately following a car crash, even if you feel ok. This creates a provable paper trail for your injuries and their treatment. Just remember to keep track of all your medical records and expenses to make it easier to calculate your damages.

If you are concerned about costs and don’t have symptoms of a severe injury, urgent care centers can provide fast, quality care for a lower price than an ER. You should always consider your health needs above the financial costs, however. When you’ve been hurt in a crash, your own car insurance company will usually pay for care up to a specified limit. If you are concerned about medical bills after an accident, contact an experienced car accident attorney to discuss your options for compensation for your damages.

Is Florida a No-fault or an At-fault State?

Florida is a no-fault state, but this does not mean determining fault isn’t vital in a car accident. Instead, the system is set up to minimize the number of cases going through the court system by allowing accident victims to seek compensation for economic losses such as lost wages, damaged property, and medical bills from their own insurance company instead of having to bring car accident lawsuits. To make this system work, every driver in the state must carry personal injury protection, also known as PIP, as part of their auto insurance coverage.

While no-fault insurance can make it easier to get timely reimbursement for your medical bills for a minor accident, the downside is that you cannot bring a car accident case directly against the at-fault driver’s insurance unless you meet specific guidelines. For example, PIP coverage has limits on how much it will pay out, usually $10,000. If you have serious injuries and exceed that threshold, you may be eligible to file a lawsuit against the other driver’s insurance to recover the excess.

Another time a victim is eligible to bring a lawsuit for economic and non-economic damages is when they have suffered a car accident injury that is deemed permanent. For an injury to be classified as permanent, it must either be the persistent loss of an essential bodily function, damage reasonably expected by medical professionals to be life-long, or result in significant disfigurement or scars. Determining whether it is valid to file a claim or lawsuit against the at-fault driver’s insurance can be incredibly complicated and may require expert medical opinions. If you have suffered a car accident and are struggling to fully recover damages from the insurance companies, an experienced car accident attorney will defend your best interests and help you get the compensation you deserve.

Can I Still File a Claim if I Was Partially at Fault for the Accident?

You might have heard that you cannot get compensation for your losses if you shared some fault in the accident. This is untrue. Florida courts award compensation based on pure comparative negligence, and you are still eligible for compensation, so long as you were not 50% or more at fault. In that instance, your settlement will simply be reduced by the amount of fault you shared.

While this allows individuals to seek compensation for their severe injuries, even if they had some culpability in the accident, it also means that properly determining the percentage of fault for the accident is crucial. The insurance company may argue that you were primarily responsible for your accident to limit or eliminate their costs. If you need to dispute the amount of fault assigned to you for your car accident or want to learn more about how pure comparative negligence standards could impact your case, contact a knowledgeable personal injury lawyer in Miami today.

For more information, please see:

What Damages May Be Awarded in a Car Accident Case?

Accident injuries can impact all areas of your life. When seeking compensation, it is crucial to fully account for all the losses you have suffered due to your car accident. Typically, these losses are split into two categories, economic and non-economic damages. Economic damages are financial losses you’ve incurred as a result of your auto accident and injuries. These damages may include:

Lost income: Any wages, income, or other financial support you’ve lost between your accident and the end of the trial can be recovered.
Medical expenses: Includes bills for ER visits, surgeries, follow-up doctor’s appointments, medications, therapy, rehabilitation, and more. If you need ongoing medical care, this may also be factored in.
Property damage: If your property was lost or damaged in a car accident, you could be compensated for the cost of repairing or replacing it.

Non-economic damages are losses that are not monetary but can profoundly impact a victim’s life. They may include:

Pain and suffering: Injuries cause significant discomfort and misery, and you may be compensated based on the severity of the injury and how long it lasted.
Diminished quality of life: Severe injuries can limit your ability to work, do hobbies, or perform your day-to-day tasks, which decreases the amount of joy and satisfaction you feel in your life, and that is a significant loss.
Emotional anguish: Severe accidents can cause trauma and other mental injuries, including PTSD, depression, panic disorder, and anxiety. These impacts can last long after a person’s body has healed and should be factored into your compensation.
Disfigurement and scarring: Your injuries may change your appearance and how you present yourself to the world, and you can seek damages for these changes.

If your loved one tragically died in an auto accident, a compassionate car accident lawyer can assist you in bringing a wrongful death suit to recover fair and necessary compensation for the economic and non-economic damages associated with their fatal crash, including:

Burial or cremation costs
Funeral expenses
Hospice care
Loss of consortium
Lost income and support
Medical bills

For more information, please see:

What Can a Car Accident Lawyer Do for You?

A car accident can put you in a vulnerable position. You are likely facing stress from painful injuries and wondering how you’re going to pay your medical bills and other expenses if you can’t return to your job. Unfortunately, insurance companies know this too and may try to push you to settle for less than your claim is worth.

Without an experienced car accident lawyer on your side, you may not be getting all the damages you deserve. Galimidi Law is here to ensure you are treated fairly by the insurance companies and receive the full compensation you are entitled to for your injuries. I offer a free consultation so you can understand your rights and options. I work on contingency for auto accident victims, which means that you owe nothing unless a settlement is secured for you.

Contact Galimidi Law today to schedule a free, no-obligation case evaluation with a skilled personal injury lawyer.