How Likely Am I To Be In A Car Accident In Florida?
Michael Babboni
Car Accidents
For most individuals, getting behind the wheel is something they simply do. Whether they’re going to work, running errands, picking up a friend, or dropping the kids off at school, they don’t think too much about the act of driving itself. They expect that they’re going to get inside their vehicle, arrive at their destination, and make it home okay. It’s part of their everyday routine, so they don’t treat it as anything special. However, what happens if you don’t make it home all right? What happens when you don’t reach your destination?No one wants to find themselves involved in a car accident in Florida or anywhere in the United States, but one can happen in the blink of an eye. As a matter of fact, over 400,000 car accidents occur in the state of Florida every year, and this number is only expected to rise as the population of the state increases as well.
To put your likelihood of being involved in an accident in Florida in another perspective, about 5% of all Florida drivers will get into an auto accident on any given year. This means that if you gathered 100 Florida motorists in a room on the first day of the year, 5 of those individuals will likely be in an accident at some point before the year is out. They may cause the accident, or they may be the victim of another motorist’s negligent driving, but ultimately, they will experience an accident of some sort.
Of all the accidents in Florida each year, around 28% will result in some type of injury, and less than 1% will result in a fatality. The injuries sustained will vary, and while some are minor and easy to recover from, others will take weeks, months, or even years of recovery time in order to fully heal. In several instances, those injuries may result in permanent disability.
What Can I Do After A Florida Car Accident?
If you’ve been involved in a car accident in Florida, there are a few things you can do to ensure that you get the compensation you need for your damages. Because Florida observes “no-fault” insurance laws, most of the time you’ll be seeking compensation through your own insurance company whether the accident was your fault or not.
While your insurance provider may have positioned themselves to be in your corner before the accident, you may find them telling a different story once you make your claim. It’s important to remember that insurance companies are companies first, and one of their priorities is to protect their bottom line. What you might find is that your insurance provider is dead set on playing hardball and denying your claim or refusing to settle for the compensation you really need.
When you need to fight for your rightful compensation from your insurance provider, having a skilled St. Petersburg personal injury attorney on your side is crucial. Insurance companies know that most motorists are not well-versed in Florida accident law, and that means they have better chances of underpaying when motorists are not assisted by a professional.
If your accident leads to injuries that meet the serious injury threshold and that accident was caused by another party’s negligence, you may need to seek compensation from the at-fault driver to cover what your insurance does not. In instances like this, your personal injury attorney in St. Petersburg will be there to represent you in court and get you the compensation you require to recover in the most efficient way possible.