What If The Car Accident Wasn’t Caused By Another Driver?
In most cases, car accidents are caused by another driver. Whether the car accident is caused by you or the other operator, that is a different question. However, the point is that the two parties involved in the accident are two motor vehicle operators.
But, what if that isn’t the case?
What if the problem is that there was a misplaced object? What if there was a random object in the middle of the road, like a cone or barrier and it forced you to swerve into another car. If that was the cause of your car accident in Fort Lauderdale what do you do?
What Exactly Caused Your Car Accident in Fort Lauderdale?
If you are here, it is because you believe that your car accident was caused by something other than another driver.
If your car accident in Fort Lauderdale was caused by another entity other than another driver, it is important to identify WHAT caused your accident. If it was a wild animal or a natural occurrence (like excessive rain, snow, or other natural conditions), then it is impossible to actually nail the blame. How are you going to blame nature for your accident? The entire point of liability is to find someone that can be held responsible so that you can get your financial compensation from that party. So if you point liability to mother nature, how is mother nature going to pay for your car accident?
So now that we established that, if your car accident was caused by the negligence of another entity, then pointing liability at that party makes sense.
If a third-party entity like the federal government or a construction company left a road hazard on the road that could have created an obstacle, then they can be found liable.
For example, you’re driving and suddenly in the middle of the street there are two orange cones. You’re forced to swerve and miss the cones, but because you swerved, you get into an accident. This is when you can possibly point liability at that third-party that left the obstacles on the road.
Severity of Road Hazards
Some road hazards are obviously harmless. Not all road hazards need to cause damage or devastating damage.
But it also depends on what you are driving and how big the road hazard is. Normally, the smaller the vehicle ( bicycle vs car), the bigger the damage can be from a road hazard. A small crack in the road (from improper construction) can be nothing to a car, but to a small bicycle the small crack can flip it over and cause damage to the operator.
Determining Fault With Different Entities
Depending on your state, you may be entitled to more or less financial compensation depending on how negligent the road hazard was. If the road hazard was blatantly negligent, then the entity that caused the road hazard may have to pay in full. However, in most states, there is comparative negligence, which is that both parties are somewhat responsible for the car accident.
That is not the case in Florida though.
Florida is a no-fault state. This does not mean that there is no such thing as fault in Florida. That is a common misconception. In Florida, no-fault means that you can get a certain amount of coverage for the damages (normally up to $10,000) regardless of who is found at fault. Once fault is determined and there are still damages (such as medical bills, lost wages, and property damage) that need to be paid for, the person found largely at fault can be sued.
This is why it is so important to first establish negligence.
Contacting a Personal Injury Lawyer in Fort Lauderdale
We expect entities to uphold their duty to keep the roads safe. As drivers, our sole job should be to uphold our own part by driving attentively and watching for other drivers. However, that’s not always the case. Sometimes, the entities don’t do their part and can possibly leave bits and pieces on the road. This careless behavior doesn’t always lead to injury or death, but in some cases it can.
If you or a loved one got injured by a road hazard that was caused by the negligence of another party, call a personal injury lawyer in Fort Lauderdale.
One should not have to pay for the excessive medical bills that are associated with serious personal injury.
The losses that result from a serious car accident can be:
- Medical bills
- Property damage
- Loss of ability to work
- Lost wages
- Possible death
- Pain and suffering
- And more
These are just the special damages, but when it comes to bodily injury, the list can go on.
Don’t get the rotten end of the stick and end up paying for everything when the accident was not your fault. If the process seems long and endless, call a personal injury lawyer in Fort Lauderdale.
We start you with an absolutely free consultation. During this consultation, we gather preliminary details and determine how to help you. When we determine that we can help you our team will immediately go into gathering evidence like medical bills and photos.
We charge nothing until you win. We don’t win until YOU win.