JZ helps (a Florida injury law firm)

Call Now! (888) 594-3577Get a Free Consultation - 24 / 7
Se habla Español
Call Now! (888) 594-3577
Get a Free Consultation - 24 / 7
Se habla Español


  • Home
  • Videos
  • Blog
  • Settlements
    • Injury Settlements
    • Car Accident Settlements
    • Slip, Trip & Fall Settlements
    • GEICO Car Accident Settlements
    • Rear End Car Accident Settlements
    • Motorcycle Accidents Settlements
    • Truck Accident Settlements
    • State Farm Settlements
    • Uber Accidents
    • Progressive Insurance Settlements
    • Bike Accident Settlements
    • Pedestrian Hit By Car Settlements
    • Uninsured Motorist Insurance Settlements
  • About Us
    • About Us
    • See Inside
    • Types of Injuries We’ve Dealt With
    • List of Cities Where We’ve Settled Cases
    • Press Room
  • Fees
    • Our Fees
    • Referral Fees
  • Cases We Handle
    • All personal injury cases
    • Car Accidents
    • Truck Accidents
    • Uber Accidents
    • Slip and Falls and Injuries on Property
    • Cruise Accidents
    • Florida Motorcycle Accidents
    • Pedestrian Accidents
    • Accidents at a Store
    • DUI Accidents
    • Accidental or Wrongful Death
    • Florida Condo and Apartment Accidents
    • Hotel Accidents
  • Get a Free Case Review
  • Reviews
You are here: Home / Auto Accident Claims / Florida Car Accident Law and Claims

May 4, 2015 By Justin Ziegler, Lawyer Leave a Comment

Florida Car Accident Law and Claims

Hurt in a Florida Car Accident.  What are the laws?
Learn Florida car accident laws.

A careless driver may cause a crash in Florida.  If so, the injured victim may have a case.  I use the word “car” throughout this article.  However, this article also applies to Florida truck accident cases.

Which Factors Affect a Florida Car Accident Case?

Over 86 factors can affect whether you have a Florida car accident case if you are hurt.
Over 86 factors can affect whether you have a Florida car accident case if you are hurt.

Over 86 factors may affect a Florida injury claim.  These factors also apply to car accidents.  An additional 15 important factors may affect car wreck cases.

What Are the Most Common Injuries Claimed in a Florida Car Accident Case?

The most typical injuries claimed in a Florida car wreck case are:

  • Rotator cuff injury, shoulder injury
  • Herniated disc or bulging disc
  • Wrist fracture or tear
  • Ankle fracture or tear
  • Broken hip
  • Lower leg (tibia/fibula) fracture
  • Neck injury or lower back pain
  • Knee fracture or tear
  • Broken femur (thigh bone) or quadriceps tear
  • Broken nose
  • Upper arm (humerus) fracture

How To Calculate a Florida Car Accident Injury Settlement

Calculating a Florida injury settlement is difficult.
Learn how to estimate a Florida car accident payout.

Calculating the possible payout in a Florida auto or truck crash case is similar to a Florida injury claim.  However, there are differences.

First, figure out the full value of the case.  Reduce this value by the percentage chance that a jury would find that the defendant is not negligent.

Reduce this value by the percentage of fault of the victim.  Discount this value by any difficulty proving that the liable party’s carelessness caused the victim’s injury.  Now you have the possible estimated compensation.

Do Florida Car Insurance Companies Look at Past Settlements When Making an Offer?

Florida auto insurers look at past Florida injury settlements (and verdicts) when offering money.
Florida car insurers look at past Florida injury settlements (and verdicts) when making an offer.

Yes. Car insurance companies keep track of past settlements and verdicts.  They focus on the amount awarded for the pain and suffering damages for a particular injury.

Sometimes an auto insurance claims adjuster cannot find a settlement or verdict for a particular injury in a Florida car wreck case.  They would then look at Florida injury settlements for all types of cases.

How Do You Get Your Medical Bills Paid After a Florida Car Accident?

 How to Get Your Medical Bills Paid After Florida Car Crash
A Florida car crash victim should know insurance billing procedures.

Determining who pays your medical bills after a Florida car crash is difficult.  It depends on the type of vehicles involved and other factors.  Personal Injury Protection (PIP) may pay some medical bills.

Is State Farm a good Florida car insurer at paying bodily injury (BI) liability claims?

State Farm Insurance Injury Claims, Settlements in Florida Car, Truck, Pedestrian, Bike, Motorcycle Accidents, Dog Bites

State Farm is Florida’s second largest personal auto insurer.

State Farm is below average in paying Florida car accident cases.  I am referring to cases where someone’s carelessness caused the victim to get hurt.

State Farm is financially strong.  This does not affect their valuation of auto injury claims.  The victim does not have to worry about State Farm going broke any time soon.

Will a Settlement Calculator Help You Figure Out a Car Accident Injury Compensation?

Settlement calculator may help estimate a Florida car wreck settlement.
Some victims use a calculator to estimate a Florida car wreck settlement.

Probably not.  Auto insurers have access to Colossus.  It is the most popular claims evaluation software in Florida.  Injured victims do not have access to it.

Injured Florida car crash victims can find auto accident calculators all over the internet.  However, they are flawed.  They do not use Florida law.

They do not consider the No-Fault threshold.  They do not use out of pocket medical bills.  They use the total medical billed charges.

They do not account for the other driver’s fault or the victim’s fault.  They do not account for the victim’s failure to carry auto insurance.  The list of problems goes on.

I made a Florida car accident calculator.  However, it is very limited.  I make many adjustments when using it.

What are some Florida car or truck accident settlements?

We settled this case for $325,000.  Our client fractured his lower leg.
Auto insurers may look at this $325,000 for a leg fracture when deciding how much to offer.

Check out some Florida car accident settlements for injury victims.

My actual case: $210,000 Settlement for a shoulder injury (labrum tear) in a truck accident.  A truck driver crashed into my client’s truck.  My client had shoulder surgery.

All the settlements in this article are before deduction for attorney’s fees and expenses. Most cases result in a lower recovery. It should not be assumed that your case will have as beneficial a result.

What is the Full Settlement Value of a Florida Car Crash Injury Case?

How Full Settlement Value Affects a Florida injury case
A car crash victim needs to know a case’s full value.

Every Florida car wreck case has full value for settlement purposes.  The full value is the amount of all the damages combined. In Florida, damages include medical bills, lost wages, pain, suffering, mental anguish and inconvenience.

There may be other damages as well.  The victim must know the exact injuries to calculate the full settlement value.  Full value is before reductions for any factors that reduce exposure.

Sometimes the full value can me be zero.  Other times it can $445,000 or more.

Will an Insurance Company Pay You for Pain and Suffering in a Florida Car Accident Claim?

Can You Get Paid for Pain and Suffering in Florida Car or Truck Crash?
Can Florida auto or truck crash victims get money for pain and suffering?

Maybe.  It is not as easy to get as many victims think.  The law on pain and suffering damages in a Florida car crash case is complex.

It depends on the type of vehicles involved, the medical records and other factors.

Will a Florida hospital reduce the Injured Person’s Bill after a car crash?

Maybe.  The victim has the best chance of getting their bill reduced if they are uninsured.  The hospital may also reduce the bill they received a large PIP payment from an auto insurer.

Florida hospitals are less likely to reduce if the victim has Medicaid and the liable party has bodily injury (BI) liability auto insurance coverage.  In that case, the hospital may avoid billing Medicaid.  The hospital may try to get the bill paid from the victim’s settlement.

Florida Pedestrian Accident Cases

Pedestrian Hit by Car Injured in Florida Case
Pedestrians in Florida may have a case if a car hits them.

A car may hit a pedestrian in Florida.  If so, does the pedestrian have a case?  Maybe.

I have written extensively on Florida pedestrian car accident injury cases.  Check out my Florida pedestrian accident settlements.

How Much Money Can You Get for Pain and Suffering in a Florida Car Accident Case?

Pain and suffering: Backache
What is the value of pain and suffering in a Florida car accident case?

It depends on many factors.  You need to qualify for pain and suffering damages.  The amount of money for the pain and suffering component will depend on the extent of your injury.

All things equal, bigger injuries equal more pain and suffering damages.  Whether you will get money is a different story.

The defendant needs to be collectible.  This usually comes in the form of liability insurance coverage or a big company that is self-insured.

Examples of self-insured companies are Walmart Stores, Publix Supermarkets and Walt Disney World.

Does an injured car accident victim’s marital status affect the injury case?

How marital status affects a Florida car or truck accident case

A car accident victim’s marital spouse may affect the injury case in a couple of ways.

Settlement release and check

The auto or truck liability insurer will want to put the spouse’s name on the release and check.  I object to this.  If the case value exceeds the liability insurer’s policy limits, they usually cave in.

If the BI limits are greater than the case value, the auto insurer may insist on including the spouse’s name on the settlement check and release.  If they do, we file a consumer complaint with the Florida Department of Financial Services.

If true, I explain that I did not represent the spouse.  Thus, the settlement does not include the spouse.

If an injury victim is in a rush to settle, they may need to let the insurer list the spouse’s name on the release and check.  If they do, the spouse will need to sign both.

Loss of Consortium (Services) Claim

In Florida, a spouse of a car crash victim may bring a claim for loss of consortium.  In order to do so, the physically injured victim must qualify for pain and suffering damages.

Will a Property Owner’s Medpay Coverage Pay a Pedestrian’s Medical Bills?

Will a property owner's Medpay coverage pay for a pedestrian's bills if a car hits them?
A property owner’s Medpay coverage may pay a pedestrian’s bills in Florida.

Maybe.  A car or truck may hit a pedestrian on private property.  The property owner may have medical payments (Medpay) coverage.  It may pay for the pedestrian’s medical bills.

How is United Auto (UAIC) at paying BI claims?

Bad.  Each Florida auto insurer has its own reputation.  Few Florida auto insurers are worse than United Auto at paying injury claims.

However, United Auto may quickly pay if the damages are much bigger than its insured’s policy limits.  This is due to Florida’s insurance bad faith laws.

Most United Auto policies do not include BI coverage.  If so, the injured person may need to make a claim under his uninsured motorist (UM) coverage.

Did someone’s carelessness cause your injury in a Florida car crash or other type of accident?

See Our Settlements

I am a Miami car accident lawyer.  I have settled many Florida injury cases.  They include, but not limited to, car accidents, truck accidents, motorcycle accidents, bike accidents, pedestrian accidents, taxi accidents, drunk driving (DUI) accidents.

I want to represent you!

My Miami law firm represents people injured anywhere in Florida in car accidents, truck accidents, slip, trip and falls, motorcycle accidents, bike accidents, drunk driving crashes, pedestrian accidents, taxi accidents, accidents involving an Uber or Lyft Driver, and many other types of accidents.

We want to represent you if you were hurt in an accident in Florida.  If you were injured in another state but live in Florida, we may also be able to represent you.

Call Us Now!

Call us now at (888) 594-3577 to find out for FREE if we can represent you. We answer calls 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year. 

No Fees or Costs if We Do Not Get You Money

Miami Car Accident Lawyer : No Fees or Costs if We don't get you money.

We speak Spanish. We invite you to learn more about us.

Related

Filed Under: Auto Accident Claims

I will not become your attorney by you leaving a comment. There is a time limit to file a lawsuit. All comments will be public. This includes the name that you enter. I only represent people who were hurt in Florida or on a cruise ship; or if the injured person lives in Florida or a family member (in the case of a death) lives in Florida. This is because I am only licensed in Florida.

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Serving Florida

Get a Free Consultation. JZ helps (a Florida injury law firm)

Get a Free Consult Now

Complete this form to see if I can represent you. We usually respond fast.

"*" indicates required fields

Name*
MM slash DD slash YYYY
We only represent people for injury or death that happened in Florida (or on a cruise). However, if you live in Florida and the incident happened in another state, we may be able to represent you.
If your accident did NOT happen in Florida or on a cruise, and you don't live in Florida, I likely won't be able to represent you.
Select your most serious injury.
For example, damage to a car(s), hazard that you tripped on, incident scene, crash report, major scarring, etc.
Drop files here or
Max. file size: 50 MB.
    By submitting this form I agree to the Terms of Use.

    We’re Open!

    No Fees or Costs if No Recovery

    Florida Injury Lawyer

    Personal injury lawyer Justin "JZ" Ziegler has recovered over $15 Million in settlements for people seriously hurt in accidents in Florida (or on a cruise).

    We want to represent you. Our office is in Coral Gables (Miami-Dade County), Florida. However, we can meet you anywhere in Florida. Call (888) 594-3577 for a Free Consultation Now!

    Search

    Florida Injury Case Types

    • Auto Accident Claims
    • Cruise Accident Claims
    • Florida Motor Vehicle No-Fault Law, Personal Injury Protection (PIP)
    • Foot and Ankle Injury Claims
    • Hand & Wrist Injury Claims
    • Herniated Disc Claims
    • Lyft accidents
    • Personal Injury
    • Premises Liability
    • Shoulder Injury Claims
    • Slip, Trip and Fall
    • Spinal Injuries
    • Truck Accident Claims
    • Uber Accidents
    • Uninsured Motorist Claims
    • Wrongful Death Claims

    Connect With Us

    • Facebook
    • YouTube

    2010

    Super Lawyers

    2005 & 2006 Up & Coming 

    Interviewed by:

    WSVN 7 Miami

    Miami Herald

    NBC6

    CNNwall street journalQuoted in:
    Miami New TimesTBO - Tampa Tribune

    Telegraph

    Member of:Florida Justice Association

    Florida Justice Association, and Florida Bar

    Subscribe to Blog via Email

    Enter your email address to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.

    We Handle:

    Car accidents, slip and falls, motorcycle accidents, Uber accidents and more.

    We’ve settled many cases with GEICO, State Farm, Progressive, USAA and others.

    We’ve settled cases for people who’ve injured their shoulder, hand, broken a leg, arm, foot and much more.

    Disclaimers

    Follow Us

    • Facebook
    • YouTube

    Attorney Justin “JZ” Ziegler

    Get a Free Consultation Now!

    We’ve had over $11 million in injury settlements for accidents in Miami, Homestead, Hialeah and throughout Florida.

    We’ve settled many personal injury claims in Miami.  However, we’ve also settled cases throughout the entire state of Florida.  This includes several settlements for over $195,000 for accidents that happened in Fort Lauderdale, the Orlando area, Clearwater, Pensacola and other cities.

    Contact Us

    JZ helps (a Florida injury law firm)
    1450 Madruga Ave., Suite 306B
    Coral Gables, Florida 33146

    Our office is near the University of Miami.  Serving all of Florida.

    1-888-JZ-Helps (1-888-594-3577) or 305-661-9977

    24 hours / 7 days a week

    En Español

    We’re also proud of our results in other parts of the state (as well as the Miami area).  Therefore, I call myself a Miami injury lawyer who serves all of Florida.

    Copyright © 2023 · JZ helps (a Florida injury law firm)