Consult With an Experienced Accident Attorney

Written and edited by our team of expert legal content writers and reviewed and approved by Daniel Harwin

Content last updated on:
August 22, 2023

Recovering from an injury after an auto accident can be a long and painful struggle. Medical expenses pile up quickly, and lost wages due to missed time at work can put you in a financial bind.

The lawyers at Freedland Harwin Valori, PL have a track record of superior and proven results. We care about our clients and do whatever it takes to get you the compensation you deserve after your auto accident. Our attorneys look forward to meeting with you to begin working on your behalf.

Why You Need an Attorney

Your accident claim may seem simple. From your perspective, the other driver was clearly at fault, so the insurance company should compensate you for your medical bills, lost time from work, and other expenses. However, it is in the best interest of an insurance company, to pay you as little as possible to close your claim.

Hopefully, this will be the only accident you ever suffer. However, insurers deal with these issues day after day and have the experience to keep their claims to a minimum. Having an attorney on your side evens the playing field and ensures you have a team with the knowledge and experience to get sufficient compensation to cover your expenses.

Calculating lost wages can sometimes be a simple matter. Unfortunately, if your injury keeps you from earning your wages, calculating your potential future missed wages can be difficult and requires expertise. Likewise, medical expenses can continue longer than you expect, resulting in higher expenses than you may foresee. An experienced attorney can help you accurately determine exactly what expenses you may have that require future compensation.

Proving that you deserve any compensation can also be complex, requiring the meticulous collection of evidence, interviewing of potential witnesses, and securing depositions of experts and expert testimony on your behalf. Our lawyers will assemble the facts to prove your case.

Florida Car Accident Statistics

Unfortunately, you aren’t alone when it comes to being involved in a car accident in Florida. For 2016, the most recent year for which statistics are available, Florida had over 395,000 auto accidents. This is a significant increase over previous years, and the trend shows no signs of slowing. These accidents involved over 3,100 fatalities. This is the highest number of deaths from traffic accidents since 2006. Auto accidents in Florida hurt more than 254,000 people over the course of the year. Like the number of accidents, this is also a significant increase over previous years.

The number of alcohol-related accidents decreased slightly, to just over 5,200. Alcohol-related accidents resulted in 461 fatalities and over 3,100 injuries. These numbers are just from the cases where authorities confirmed that alcohol was a factor.

Florida Car Accident Laws

Florida is a no-fault auto insurance state. This means that, in the event of an accident, your insurance company will pay for your medical expenses and property damage, up to the level of your coverage. However, there are some exceptions to this rule. That does not address the compensation due you for the other damages discussed below. You are also eligible to sue the driver who was at fault for your economic losses as well as pain and suffering you have endured.

Common Injuries in Car Accidents

Head injuries are very common in automobile accidents. In an accident, the head may strike against a steering wheel, the dash, or windows. Skull fractures or concussions can result from these forceful impacts. Head injuries can lead to coma, cognitive difficulties, or speech or vision problems. Brain injuries often result in long-term care and ongoing medical treatment.

Neck injuries often result from even minor car accidents. The crash throws the head forward and then back suddenly in a whip-like motion, resulting in damage to neck muscles and ligaments. At best, this can lead to soreness and stiffness in the neck. At worst, such an event can mean serious nerve damage to the spine. Whiplash injuries can make many everyday activities difficult or impossible, resulting in lost time at work and medical expenses.

Back injuries are another very common set of injuries suffered in auto accidents. Damages to the vertebrae of the spine can be extremely painful and limit movement for weeks during recovery, often resulting in permanent damage to the spine.

Damages to the spinal cord can have very serious consequences. These include paralysis, loss of control over bowel function, weakness in extremities, and an inability to control limbs. Years of rehabilitation may be necessary to overcome these problems, and some conditions may be life-long. Ongoing medical treatment, medications, rehab, and missed time from work may well result from spinal injuries.

Chest injuries result from blunt force trauma experience during a car accident. It is not uncommon for accident victims to experience bruised ribs and soreness in the chest. More seriously, broken ribs may require medical treatment for recovery.

Broken ribs may also lead to punctured organs and internal bleeding. Internal bleeding is a serious and often life-threatening condition that may not be initially apparent to people on the scene, but it requires swift medical attention. Punctured lungs are also a potentially life-threatening injury that requires immediate medical attention and may require ongoing treatment for a significant period of time.

Broken arms, feet, legs, and hands are often the result of a car accident when the crash subjects the victim’s limbs to forces beyond their ability to endure. Broken limbs often require months of recovery and can significantly impact a person’s quality of life and even prevent the victim from returning to work for some time.

Types of Damages Available in Florida Car Accident Cases

There are two broad categories of damage recovery in Florida accident cases: economic damages and non-economic damages.

Economic Damages

Economic damages are those that have a verifiable dollar amount for which the courts or a settlement can offer a victim compensation.

Examples of economic damages include:

Medical expenses. You may list doctors’ bills and hospital stays among the cost of your injuries. You can also include prescription medication, any specialized medical equipment you may need at home, and costs for rehabilitation programs.
Lost wages. Any work missed due to your injury results in lost wages and you can claim them as economic damages. This also includes the inability to work in the future.
Property damage. Damage to your property, including your car or other property damaged in the accident, are also economic damages.

Non-Economic Damages

Non-economic damages are usually the compensation you seek for pain and suffering. In cases where you suffer permanent injury, or significant and permanent scarring or disfigurement, you can seek compensation for non-economic damages as well as economic damages. Since pain and suffering are subjective, there’s no legally-established dollar amount for non-economic damages, and a jury or judge usually decides the amount that the court awards if the case comes to trial.

Contact Us Today

The lawyers at Freedland Harwin Valori, PL have over 50 years combined experience handling personal injury lawsuits. Our attorneys have been consistently involved in high-profile cases that drew national attention resulting in millions of dollars in damages for our clients. With each case, we take the time to get to know you and your unique situation. We fight for all our clients as though they were the most important case in the world. When you contact us, we will conduct a short interview, over the phone usually, to get some basic information about your case. Then, we will schedule you for a free, no-obligation consultation with one of our attorneys. If you are not able to travel to one of our conveniently located offices, we can often meet with you at your home or workplace or other location convenient to you, sometimes as soon as that same day.

During your consultation, we will listen to your description of your situation and give you an honest assessment of the merits of your case. Should you decide to allow us to go to work on your behalf, we charge no fees upfront. In fact, you will not owe Freedland Harwin Valori, PL anything unless we are able to secure you compensation.

Our attorneys have a proven track record of excellence, and we look forward to earning your trust. Contact us today and let us begin the process of getting you the compensation you deserve.

free consultation anytime, anywhere.

ALL FIELDS REQUIRED

CASE RESULTS

$24.5 Million

MEDICAL MALPRACTICE

JURY VERDICT

Damages Jury Verdict on behalf of the family of a 34-year-old woman who bled to death during childbirth. With the assistance of top experts, we were able to demonstrate that doctors did not follow proper safety protocols, forcing the defendants to admit liability shortly before trial.

$12.2 Million

PHARMACEUTICAL LIABILITY

SETTLEMENT

A settlement won on behalf of the family of a 47 year old woman whose death resulted from the use of a dangerous pharmaceutical drug. We proved the manufacturer knew of the dangerous side effects & did not provide proper warning.

$10 Million

BIRTH INJURY

SETTLEMENT

A settlement on behalf of a child who suffered a brain injury as a result of oxygen deprivation during birth. Through years of tactical and technical litigation, we were able to prove that the nurses and physicians both failed to intervene and prevent the brain injury.

$1.2 Million

MOTOR VEHICLE ACCIDENT

SETTLEMENT

A settlement on behalf of a middle-aged man who was read ended by a waste management truck.

$1.5 Million

NURSING HOME NEGLIGENCE

SETTLEMENT

A settlement on behalf of the family of an elderly man who died as a result of being neglected and uncared for by a nursing home.

TESTIMONIALS

I met Dan when I was in therapy and he came and right away it felt like a family member visiting you, a connection, like a brother. He’s been on both sides of the fence. He’s represented the hospitals and the doctors, and then he jumped over to the other side. It is a fantastic group, it was like Bell Belichick leading the team. They changed my life and still check on me. I recommend FHV to anybody and they thank me.

LARRY

I met Dan about a year ago. He never made me feel that it was about the money. When he spoke with me he was asking how Bill (my brother) was and if he was doing better. He made me feel like family and always asked if I was alright. That means a lot. Everyday is something new and I challenge for my brother. I would recommend [FHV] to everybody because I really believe that they’re helping from their hearts… from a really good place.

BILL

For anyone to represent anyone for 5 years and take the time to do it, not once just “get it out of the way” and “get it done with”. It was about what was best for Hunter and our family. It was about the case and the people.

ASHLEY