What Types Of Car Accidents Can I Recover Money From?
According to the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles, there were over 65,000 car accidents in Miami-Dade County alone. A total of 285 fatalities were also reported, with injuries totaling over 32,000. Most of these accidents were caused by acts of negligence such as speeding or drunk driving.
Since negligence-based accidents can be avoided if drivers act more responsibly on our roads, Florida statutes allow you to seek compensation if damages resulted from another driver’s gross carelessness or willful acts of negligence. Irrespective of the cause or complexity of your accident, our lawyers are on standby to help you seek the maximum settlement you are entitled to under the law from the parties responsible for your damages.
Common Car Accidents in Miami We Can Help You Recover Money From
Rollovers
Vehicle rollover crashes are complex and violent in nature. More than other crashes, rollovers involved motorists, their vehicles, and environmental factors. While the behavior of a driver plays a role in the accident, so does the nature of the vehicle, environmental conditions, and road maintenance. Factors that could lead to vehicle rollovers include drunk driving, faulty roads, and speeding. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), about 85% of all rollover accidents are single-vehicle crashes. You can seek a damages settlement from an at-fault party’s insurance, your vehicle insurance, and/or your health insurer for damages sustained in a rollover accident.
Single Car Accidents
In these types of accidents, only one car is involved. Most of these crashes are collisions with fallen debris, run-off-road collisions, collisions with animals, and rollovers. For single-car accidents, you can seek a settlement from your insurer, your vehicle manufacturer, a road authority, or any other party that could have played a part in your accident.
Rear-End Collisions
A rear-end collision happens when a car crashes into the vehicle in front of it. These normally happen due to driver distraction or inattention, panic stops, tailgating, and reduced traction.
Side-Impact Collisions
Also known as T-bone collisions, these happen when the side of a vehicle is impacted. These crashes are common at parking lots and at intersections. According to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS), side-impact collisions lead to about 25% of passenger vehicle occupant deaths, and good side-impact safety ratings correlate with lower passenger death rates.
Head-On Collisions
One of the most dangerous types of accidents, head-on collisions, often leads to traffic fatalities. This type of accident occurs when the front ends of two cars hit each other from opposite directions.
Intersection Crashes
A significant number of accidents happen at intersections. Usually, intersection accidents are caused by driver inattention and speeding.
Sideswipes
While sideswipe accidents are generally low-impact accidents, they are very common in Miami. A sideswipe crash can change a vehicle’s direction, making it run off the road into another driver’s path.
Hit-and-Run Accidents
Like drunk driving accidents, hit-and-run accidents can be very frustrating to deal with. These happen when a motorist crashes into a pedestrian, a cyclist, or another car, or damages property and fails to stop. Many drivers flee the scene of an accident because they are uninsured, underage, or have a prior Driving Under the Influence (DUI) conviction. If you are unable to capture the details of a hit-and-run driver, you can seek compensation from your uninsured motorist cover.
Phantom Car Accidents
A phantom accident resembles a hit-and-run, only that the driver is in most cases unaware of the accident he/she caused. Such a driver could cut in front of you, forcing you away from the road into a ditch or into more danger, such as into oncoming traffic. In a phantom accident, you’ll have similar recourses to compensation as individuals injured in a hit-and-run accident. You can also claim damages using your basic driver’s insurance policy.
Truck Accidents
Due to their large size, trucks commonly lead to fatalities and extensive property damage. If a negligent truck driver led to your damages and suffering, you have grounds to seek compensation. Call us to learn about identifying the damages you can claim and the limits set on different types of truck accident cases.
Common Causes of Car Accidents
- Distracted driving: Distractions such as calls, texting, eating, reading, grooming, and applying makeup while behind the wheel are a major cause of accidents in Miami.
- Drunk Driving: DUI and DWI (Driving While Intoxicated) are common negligence-based causes of Miami accidents that you can seek recovery of losses from.
- Speeding: According to Forbes, speeding is the second leading cause of accidents in the country. Speeding refers to driving past the speed limit or driving at unreasonable speeds in unfavorable conditions such as snow or fog.
- Reckless Driving: This is characterized by driving over the speed limit, changing lanes too quickly, or driving aggressively.
- Adverse Weather Conditions: Rain, fog, and storms are common causes of crashes.
Other common causes of Miami road accidents are:
- Road design defects
- Running red lights
- Tailgating
- Improper turns
- Night driving
- Wrong way driving
- Irresponsible teenage driving
- Potholes
- Animal crossing accidents
- Tire blowouts
- Confusing signage at construction sites
Let Us Handle Your Accident Damages Claim
While you can pursue an accident claim process on your own, you are statistically more likely to end up with a lower settlement as opposed to the payout range you can target if you work with an accident and insurance expert. Our lawyers are skilled at holding aggressive negotiations with insurers and we will fight for you to win the claim you rightfully deserve. Call us today at 305-853-9171 to start with a free, no-obligation discussion of your case and to learn about the next steps you need to take.