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(561) 295-5825According to studies, Americans spend an average of 294 hours driving in their car every year. The auto insurance industry estimates you will be involved in a collision that results in an insurance claim every 17.9 years. On average, there’s a good chance you will be involved in a car accident three to four times in your lifetime.
Car accidents can happen anywhere. The National Highway and Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) studies these car accidents and has reported that regardless of the circumstances or weather conditions, the vast majority of car accidents occur within 25 miles of the drivers’ homes.
Anyone that has ever been involved in an accident knows that gut-clenching feeling at impact. Your heart immediately races as you try to gather your bearings and process what just happened. Your mind starts spinning, and you’re not sure what to do. These matters are only complicated when you’re injured as a result of the accident.
The town of Jupiter is a family-friendly community that is one of the fastest-growing cities in Palm Beach County, with a population of 60,802. Jupiter has become a hub for boating and water sports, dining on the water, major league baseball, and the iconic Jupiter lighthouse. All of these attractions have increased traffic and congestion along Indiantown Road and U.S. Highway 1. The increase in traffic leads to an increase in car accidents.
If your car accident occurred in Jupiter, then the responding police department to the scene of the accident will be either the Jupiter Police Department, the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office or the Florida Highway Patrol.
The difference between the responding police agency is important because each one has different video recording capabilities. The Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office only has in-car dash cameras in some patrol cars.
Your attorney needs to request and preserve these videos. Any delay or hesitation can result in the videos being recorded over or lost by the police departments. Unfortunately, this tends to happen more frequently than it should.
In Jupiter, injured parties will be transported by ambulance. Except for traumatic injuries, injured parties will be transported to the Jupiter Medical Center.
We regularly work with Jupiter Medical Center and are familiar with their policies and procedures. This helps you obtain your necessary medical records quickly. More importantly, if there is an issue with your medical bills from the Jupiter Medical Center, we know who to contact and how to handle these issues to maximize recovery from your car accident.
Car accidents are frequently caused by driver negligence or error. This includes:
When a driver fails to drive safely, this is called negligence. Negligence is a breach in the duty of care drivers owe to one another on the road. When you get behind the wheel, you’re agreeing to drive without engaging in any activity that could cause harm to another person or yourself.
Car accident injuries can range from minor to severe and life-threatening. Even the most minor of injuries can result in high medical debt and lifelong consequences, such as chronic pain. Moderate to severe injuries often require lengthy medical treatment, specialist visits, surgery, and more. These types of injuries can rack up medical bills fast. Types of injuries caused by car accidents include:
1. Call the police and obtain a police report. This is a crucial step in documenting important facts about the accident. Details like the date, time, location, weather and roadway conditions, vehicle descriptions (make, model, year, and color), vehicular damage, injury, and any eye witnesses should be recorded immediately. Take pictures of the scene of the accident and the vehicles involved. Make sure to get the names of insurance companies and policy numbers of everyone involved in the accident.
2. Safely move your vehicle from the roadway. If the accident is minor, and you can drive your vehicle, move it out of the lanes of travel to a safe location.
3. Seek medical treatment immediately. It is important to seek medical treatment immediately after an auto accident to document your injuries. Pursuant to Florida Statute Section 627.736, “an insurance policy will pay eighty percent of all reasonable expenses for medically necessary medical… if the individual receives initial services and care pursuant to subparagraph 1. within 14 days after the motor vehicle accident.”
4. Contact an experienced personal injury attorney. It is necessary to contact a personal injury attorney as soon as possible to assist you through the legal process. A personal injury attorney will be able to answer all of your questions and handle your claim from start to finish, allowing you to focus on your health and recovery.
You may have heard that Florida is a “no-fault” state, or maybe you have heard of Personal Injury Protection (PIP). That means whether you or someone else is at fault for an accident, your own auto insurance company is the primary payor of your medical bills and will pay the first $10,000 of that cost.
Personal Injury Protection pays 80% of medical bills and 60% of lost wages up to $10,000. Under Florida’s “no-fault” law, you must seek treatment within fourteen (14) days of the accident, or your auto insurance company can deny payment of your medical bills.
Ultimately, you are responsible for paying your medical bills upfront. Many hospitals and treatment centers offer payment plans or will allow you to delay your payments in the case of an accident.
This will allow you the time to file a lawsuit and receive compensation. You can then use that compensation to pay your medical bills.
Receiving compensation is the main reason people choose to file a lawsuit after the accident and resulting injuries. Getting into a car accident is expensive, from medical bills to lost wages and more. Thankfully, by working with KMW, you’ll be able to recover your damages and receive the compensation that you deserve—or you won’t pay a cent!
Damages refer to the losses that you experience because of the accident and resulting injuries. There are two types of damages, economic and non-economic. Economic damages cover monetary losses like medical bills and lost wages. Non-economic damages cover more abstract losses, like pain and suffering, emotional distress, and loss of earning capacity.
To calculate the compensation you can recover, we’ll add up your economic damages and take a look at your non-economic ones. Non-economic damages are calculated by looking at how your quality of life has been affected by the accident. If there has been a great chance to your quality of life, you’ll receive more compensation.
Yes. An experienced personal injury attorney will be able to guide you through the entire process, from making a claim to settling your claim, allowing you to focus on what matters—getting better.
Your attorney will investigate your claim, obtain all official emergency reports, inspect the scene of the accident, take witness statements, gather your medical records and bills, communicate with all insurance companies involved, and give you legal advice to help you make the best decisions for your future.
An experienced car accident attorney can be the difference in whether you make a financial recovery in cases where there is disputed liability. Oftentimes, insurance companies base their decisions in car accident cases on the belief that most unrepresented persons will not contact an attorney.
Insurance companies will even attempt to deny coverage in some circumstances. However, insurance companies have to follow regulations required by statutes. A car accident attorney can carefully examine these requirements and force the insurance company to provide coverage even after an initial denial.
It is important to remember that just because an insurance company tells you one thing, it does not mean that it is accurate or that they are treating you justly. Insurance companies are in the business of saving money on claims, not paying out claims fully and fairly.
Attorneys in the state of Florida are governed by the Florida Bar Association. Rule 4-1.5, Fees and Costs for Legal Services, outlines the types of fees that attorneys can charge. Personal injury attorneys work on a “contingency fee” agreement, meaning you don’t owe your attorney a dime unless they make a recovery for you.
As discussed above, there are nuances in your case that a Jupiter car accident lawyer will have a little more experience handling. The most important reason to hire a Jupiter car accident lawyer is because of their community involvement. We know where to go obtain surveillance videos.
We know where there are dangerous intersections that contribute to car accidents. Any time you are involved in a legal dispute, such as a car accident, you should want any advantage you can get in this adversarial process. The little advantages that a local Jupiter law firm can provide can be the difference-maker in your case.
At Keller, Melchiorre & Walsh, we pride ourselves in being involved in the community and giving back. When we opened our law firm, our goal was to be the go-to law firm in Jupiter. We want to provide the best representation and fight for the rights of Jupiter residents. It is the individual residents that make up the Jupiter community. By helping individuals through their struggles and problems, we are making the Jupiter community better and stronger.
The attorneys and staff at Keller, Melchiorre & Walsh, PLLC have the experience, resources, and reputation to take on the insurance company and get you the compensation you deserve.
Read what our clients say about us and check out our recent case results.
Some of our recent car accidents cases have resulted in the following:
A $3,473,000 settlement for a commercial auto accident case in June 2022.
A $175,000 settlement for an auto accident in Palm Beach in November 2022.
A $250,000 settlement for an auto accident in Palm Beach
Each and every year, we settle multiple car accident cases for our clients, providing them with fair and just compensation. With our help, they’re able to pay for their medical treatment and other damages.
The attorneys and staff at Keller, Melchiorre & Walsh PLLC are here to help you. If you have been injured or harmed as a result of the actions of others or if you are facing criminal prosecution, don’t wait. Contact us online or call us at (561) 295-5825 now for a free strategy session.
If you were involved in a car accident in your own car and you don’t have auto insurance, it’s okay. If you have health insurance, health insurance may cover your medical bills.
If you were involved in a car accident in someone else’s car and also don’t have auto insurance, then you can get PIP benefits through the vehicle owner’s auto insurance carrier.
If you have it, you may also be able to use Medpay.
In cases like this, you may also receive compensation from the at-fault party’s bodily injury coverage.
If you were not at fault for the accident, the at-fault party’s insurance company will pay to fix your car. If the at-fault party does not have insurance, your own insurance company may be responsible to pay for the damage if you have collision coverage on your policy.
