Unfortunately, car accidents happen quite frequently throughout Florida every day. You may think your accident is just another number and is no different from the others. Further, you may assume you can only rely on yourself to recover from it. On the contrary, though, you may be eligible to seek out other sources of relief, such as filing a legal claim. With that being said, please follow along to find out common misconceptions of what makes a valid car accident case and how a proficient Panama City car accident attorney at Manuel & Thompson, PA can help assess the strength of your claim.
What are common misconceptions of what makes a valid car accident case?
You may assume there was nothing unique about your car accident, and you may go through the standard procedure of filing a claim with the other driver’s insurance company. You then may accept any payout the insurance company offers you, regardless of whether it covers the full extent of your damages. But do not settle for anything less than what you are entitled to. That is, you should strongly consider that you have a valid car accident case on your hands.
For example, you may be under the assumption that you do not have a case because you did not identify any visible injuries directly after your accident. However, it is common for car accident injuries, such as head, neck, and back injuries, to manifest in the days, weeks, or even months afterward.
Or, you may think you have no chance of winning a case because you were partially at fault for your accident. But Florida is a comparative negligence state. This means that you can still recover damages, but they may just be reduced based on your percentage of fault. So if 20 percent of the blame is assigned to you, the other driver may be ordered to pay 80 percent of your damages.
What are the key elements of a valid car accident case?
You now may have confidently discarded the common misconceptions holding you back from filing your legal claim. The next step is understanding the key elements that ensure the validity of your car accident case. They read as follows:
- The other driver negligently navigated the Florida roads.
- The other driver’s negligence directly caused you to enter a car accident.
- Your involvement in a car accident directly led to your injuries and damages.
- Your injuries and damages have caused you to experience significant financial losses.
In conclusion, you may not have a case if any one of these elements is absent. This is why we strongly encourage you to retain the services of a talented Panama City auto accident lawyer. You may do so by scheduling a free initial consultation with Manuel & Thompson, PA today.
