Were you or a loved one injured in a car accident involving a distracted driver? Contact an experienced car accident lawyer who specializes in distracted driving accidents in Fort Walton Beach, FL. At Brannon & Brannon Car Accident & Personal Injury Lawyers, we can help you fight to recover compensation for medical bills, lost wages, and more.
Our lawyers have decades of experience in personal injury law–and we’ve recovered tens of millions of dollars to help accident victims recover from their injuries.
It’s never too early to get the legal advice you deserve. Call our law offices in Fort Walton Beach, Florida at (850) 863-5297 to schedule a free consultation today or contact us here.
How Brannon & Brannon Car Accident & Personal Injury Lawyers Can Help After a Distracted Driving Accident in Fort Walton Beach
Distracted drivers can cause serious damage. If your life has been changed because someone else was careless, you deserve to be compensated. Florida insurance laws often make getting fair compensation more difficult than you might think.
Our Fort Walton Beach car accident lawyers at Brannon & Brannon Car Accident & Personal Injury Lawyers can help you fight for the fair compensation you need. Collectively, we have over 60 years of experience helping car crash victims like you. We’ve also received an AV-preeminent rating for our high-quality legal representation.
More specifically, you can count on our lawyers to:
- Fully investigate your accident to locate the evidence you need
- Work to put a fair dollar value on your personal injury claim
- Hire experts who can offer insight into the more complex aspects of your case
- Defend you if someone tries to blame you for causing the accident
- Negotiate with the insurance company to maximize your settlement award
You deserve someone in your corner to protect your legal rights. Our Fort Walton Beach car accident attorneys would be proud to fight for your family. To get started, all you have to do is call to schedule a free case evaluation today.
How Common Are Distracted Driving Accidents in Fort Walton Beach?
Distracted driving is a serious safety risk–in Florida and across the U.S. According to National Highway Traffic and Safety Administration reports and statistics, 3,142 people were killed and over 424,000 victims were injured in distracted driving accidents during 2019.
Studies show that Florida is the second worst state in the nation when it comes to distracted driving accidents. That’s true even though Florida law now bans texting while driving.
According to Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles (FLHSMV) crash data, 48,537 distracted driving crashes were reported statewide in 2020. Over 2,750 victims suffered serious bodily injuries in those accidents. 308 people were killed in distracted driving accidents–up from 267 in 2019.
What is My Fort Walton Beach Distracted Driving Accident Case Worth?
The value of a personal injury claim depends on the specific facts of the case. Many different factors will play a role in determining how much your injury case is worth.
Examples include:
- The type and severity of your injuries
- Your long-term prognosis and need for future medical care
- The cost of your current medical treatment and out-of-pocket expenses
- Your lost income
- Whether you’ll be able to return to work in the same capacity
- Any damage to your quality of life or emotional wellbeing
- Whether your actions contributed to the cause of the accident
From a practical perspective, the amount of insurance coverage available can also impact how much money you take home.
What Types of Damages Are Available to Distracted Driving Accident Victims?
Florida personal injury laws classify compensatory damages as either economic or non-economic.
Economic damages represent your financial losses and out-of-pocket expenses. Distracted driving accident victims may be entitled to money for:
- Past and future medical expenses
- Lost wages
- Reduced earning potential
- Physical therapy
- Rehabilitation
- Property damage
Non-economic damages are meant to make up for your non-financial, personal losses. Some examples of these losses include:
- Pain and suffering
- Mental anguish
- Diminished quality of life
- Physical disfigurement and scarring
- Anxiety
- Depression
- PTSD
- Loss of consortium
You may have also heard about victims recovering punitive damages. Courts only award punitive damages in rare car accident cases. Instead of compensating the victim for a specific loss, punitive damages are meant solely to punish the at-fault party.
Regardless of your situation, you can count on our car accident attorneys in Fort Walton Beach to seek the full compensation you deserve. Give us a quick call for a free case review today to learn more about how we can fight to win your case.
Can I Recover Damages If I’m Being Blamed for a Distracted Driving Accident in Florida?
A single factor causes some auto accidents. In other cases, multiple things can happen to contribute to the accident. Under the comparative fault laws in Florida, you don’t lose your right to seek compensation if you share some of the blame. However, you do lose that right if you are mostly responsible.
Liability will be divided between everyone who was responsible for the accident. Each party is responsible for its share of damages. In other words, your compensation award can be reduced in proportion to your percentage of fault.
That’s only true if the insurance company can prove you were partly responsible. Our experienced attorneys can defend you if the insurance company is unfairly trying to pin the blame on the victim.
We’ll Fight to Recover Compensation for All of Your Distracted Driving Accident Injuries
Victims of distracted driving accidents often sustain a wide range of injuries. At Brannon & Brannon Car Accident & Personal Injury Lawyers, our Fort Walton Beach distracted driving accident lawyers often represent clients who have suffered:
- Whiplash injuries
- Soft tissue damage
- Traumatic brain injuries
- Spinal cord injuries
- Other head and neck injuries
- Concussions
- Back injuries
- Crush injuries
- Broken bones
- Burn injuries
- Amputations and loss of limbs
- Paralysis
- Catastrophic injuries
- Wrongful death of a loved one
Recovering from a serious injury won’t be easy. Our lawyers will do everything we can to help. That means fighting for the maximum compensation available in your case. Call to schedule your free case evaluation today.
What Causes Most Distracted Driving Accidents in Fort Walton Beach, Florida?
Driver distraction is one of the leading causes of motor vehicle accidents nationwide. CDC research has identified three primary types of driver distraction:
- Manual distraction
- Visual distraction
- Cognitive distraction
Manual distraction happens when drivers take their hands off the wheel. Some common examples of manual distraction include:
- Texting or talking on a cell phone
- Searching for an item in the vehicle
- Changing the radio stations
- Using the vehicle GPS or entertainment system
- Putting on makeup or grooming
- Eating or drinking
- Smoking or vaping
Visual distraction happens when drivers take their eyes off the road. When drivers don’t pay attention to their surroundings, they often don’t have enough time to react to conditions on the road.
For example, when drivers look at a cell phone to compose a text message, they take their eyes off the road for an average of five seconds. At 55 miles per hour, the vehicle can travel the entire length of a football field–and it’s like the driver had their eyes closed the entire time.
Cognitive distractions take a driver’s mind off the task of driving. Some common examples include:
- Daydreaming
- Thinking about the contents of a text message
- Talking with passengers in the vehicle
- Worrying about work
- Being intoxicated while driving
Any type of distracted driving is dangerous. Texting while driving, unfortunately, involves all three types of distracted driving. The driver:
- Thinks about what to write in the text
- Takes their hands off the wheel to compose the text
- Looks at the phone, rather than the road, while typing
Like most states, texting while driving is illegal in the state of Florida. Still, 42% of teen drivers admit to texting or emailing while driving.
How Do I Prove Negligence After a Distracted Driving Accident in Florida?
Someone is negligent when they fail to exercise reasonable caution under the circumstances. Distracted driving is a form of driver negligence. Still, you’ll have to prove that the at-fault driver’s distraction caused your accident to recover damages.
Many types of evidence can support your negligence claim. Our lawyers will work to locate:
- Video surveillance footage
- Dash cam footage
- Eyewitnesses who can testify about what they saw
- Cell phone records
- Police and accident reports
Sometimes, the opinions of accident reconstruction specialists can also help prove that the other driver breached the legal duty to drive carefully.
How Long Do I Have to File a Lawsuit After a Distracted Driving Accident in Florida?
The statute of limitations in most Florida personal injury cases is two years. Victims have two years from the date of the accident to file a personal injury lawsuit unless an exception applies. After that time, they lose their right to seek damages.
Contact a Lawyer to Learn More About Distracted Driving Accidents in Fort Walton Beach, FL
If you have questions about victims’ rights after distracted driving accidents in Fort Walton Beach, FL, or Okaloosa County, you aren’t alone. Our experienced Fort Walton Beach car accident lawyers at Brannon & Brannon Car Accident & Personal Injury Lawyers can help. Just call our law firm to schedule a free consultation today.
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