Celebration Auto Accident Lawyer
Celebration, Florida, is a unique, master-planned community, but that doesn’t mean it doesn’t see its share of severe injuries and fatal car accidents. Drivers, cyclists and pedestrians everywhere are at risk of injury or worse from negligent, drunk or distracted drivers, and residents and visitors to Celebration are no exception.
When a serious car crash results in permanent injury or death, the Celebration auto accident lawyers at Draper Law Office step in to hold negligent drivers responsible to the people they have harmed. We’ve been helping crash victims in Celebration and Osceola County for more than 35 years, and our attorneys are prepared to put our decades of experience to work for you. If you’ve been hurt in a car accident in Celebration, call Draper Law Office at 407-846-0075 for a free consultation. We’ll take the time to sit down with you, hear about your case, and let you know how we can help you get the medical care and compensation you need and deserve. There’s no fee until after we recover compensation for you.
Will Insurance Cover My Expenses After a Car Crash in Celebration?
Insurance can come in very handy after a crash, but it’s essential to know that there are different kinds of insurance with vastly different results when it comes to fully compensating an auto accident victim in Florida. Here’s what you need to know about car insurance if you’ve been hurt in a crash in Celebration.
No-Fault Insurance
No-fault insurance is called Personal Injury Protection, or PIP, in Florida. You are required to have PIP coverage on all your registered vehicles. The basic PIP amount is $10,000. If you are hurt in a car accident, whether as a driver, a passenger, or even a bicyclist or pedestrian who maintains PIP insurance on a vehicle in the household, then you can file a claim for no-fault benefits after the crash. Since these benefits are no-fault, you do not have to prove the other driver was at fault. Even if you caused the crash, you should still be able to receive no-fault benefits.
No-fault benefits don’t fully compensate you for your injuries, but they help. The $10,000 in PIP coverage will pay for 80% of your reasonable medical expenses, as well as making up 60% of your lost wages if your injury causes you to miss work. However, if you don’t seek treatment for an emergency medical condition within 14 days of the crash, your PIP benefits can be capped at only $2,500.
Liability Insurance Claims
One of the disadvantages of no-fault insurance is that it only pays for a portion of your costs, sticking you with out-of-pocket expenses for an accident, even if it wasn’t your fault. The other drawback is that you can’t sue the at-fault driver unless you suffer a very serious or permanent injury. Claims and lawsuits against a negligent driver are only authorized if the accident caused one of the following:
- Significant and permanent loss of an important bodily function
- Permanent injury within a reasonable degree of medical probability, other than scarring or disfigurement
- Significant and permanent scarring or disfigurement
- Death
If you did suffer one of these injuries, an experienced Celebration auto accident attorney at Draper Law Office could help you recover the full amount of legal damages, including all of your medical expenses, lost income, and pain and suffering.
Uninsured Motorist
Assuming you suffered a permanent injury, suing the negligent driver might only make economic sense if they carried bodily injury liability (BIL) insurance. Florida does not require drivers to carry BIL, and most don’t. This leaves you suing the driver directly and collecting a judgment against their personal assets if they have sufficient non-exempt property to pay the judgment.
Another alternative is to file a claim for uninsured motorist (UM) benefits. UM is coverage you purchase, usually in conjunction with a BIL policy. If you have UM, you can file a claim for your damages up to your policy limits. You will still want to get help from an experienced Celebration auto accident attorney to negotiate a full settlement. People who settle with their insurance company by themselves don’t get as much.
Comprehensive and Collision Coverage
Comprehensive and collision coverage are other optional forms of insurance that can help pay for your property damage if the other driver is uninsured or can’t be found (as in a hit-and-run), and you don’t have UM coverage. Property damage claims are typically fairly straightforward, yet our office fields a lot of calls from frustrated policyholders who don’t feel the insurance company is adequately covering their property damage. Call Draper Law Office if you are having difficulty with a property damage claim after a car crash in Celebration, Florida. We’ll help you get your claim covered and also make sure you don’t have any personal injury as well.
Call the Celebration Auto Accident Lawyers at Draper Law Office
If you or a loved one has been hurt in an auto accident in Celebration, Florida, call Draper Law Office at 407-846-0075 for a free, confidential consultation. We don’t charge a fee until after we are successful in obtaining a monetary award on your behalf. Call Draper Law Office for professional representation and personal guidance throughout your claim process. Hablamos Español.
