Tampa Car Accident Lawyer
As the Tampa Bay area population has increased, so too has the traffic, congestion and number of car accidents. As a matter of fact, last year the number of car crashes in Hillsborough County topped 29,000, and of those, 13,117 were injury crashes and 216 were fatal crashes.
People injured in these auto accidents often suffer serious injuries that require extensive medical treatment and cause pain, suffering and hardship for them and their families. If this has happened to you, you don’t have to handle insurance companies, medical bills and tough financial times alone. The experienced Tampa car accident attorneys at Dennis Hernandez & Associates, PA have helped hundreds of car accident victims throughout Florida and want to help you hold the negligent party accountable and obtain the financial compensation you deserve.
Factors That Contribute to Tampa Car Accidents
Auto accidents occur under a wide variety of circumstances. Some of the most common factors that contribute to car accidents in Tampa are:
- Impaired driving – Despite the fact that efforts to warn motorists about the dangers of drinking and driving in recent years have reduced the number of injuries and deaths attributable to impaired driving, driver impairment remains a leading cause of auto accidents. Impaired driving includes both drivers who are under the influence of alcohol and those under the influence of illicit, prescription, or over-the-counter medications.
- Distracted driving – As long as cars have been around, drivers have found ways to be distracted while driving. Since the advent of cell phones and other handheld electronic devices, however, accidents attributable to distracted drivers have increased dramatically.
- Drowsy driving – Driving while tired is much more dangerous than most people realize. In fact, studies indicate that a drowsy driver can be just as dangerous on the roadway as a drunk driver. The AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety estimates that one in five fatal crashes involves a drowsy driver.
- Speed –The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) consistently tells us that speed is a factor in about one out of three motor vehicle accidents.
- Hazardous road conditions – Conditions such as rain or fog should cause a motorist to slow down and use caution on the roadway; however, not all drivers make the necessary adjustment. The result can be a catastrophic collision.
Injuries from a Car Accident
A car accident can injure almost any part of the body, including the head, limbs and internal organs. Common injuries include:
- Brain injuries – Car accidents are one of the leading causes of traumatic brain injuries (TBIs), which result from a sudden jolt or blow to the head. The brain injuries can result in permanent, life-altering injuries or death.
- Spinal cord injuries – Spinal cord injuries are life-changing and can leave victims paralyzed or with no sensation or function in all of their limbs.
- Broken bones – Broken bones can be very painful. They can also lead to loss of function in a limb, chronic pain, and infections in certain cases.
- Burns: If a vehicle catches on fire following an accident, serious burn injuries can occur. Burn injuries are very painful and can produce scarring and other physical problems.
- Loss of limbs: In serious crashes, an accident victim’s arms or legs can get crushed or torn and damaged so severely that amputation is necessary.
How Can a Tampa Car Accident Attorney Help?
All automobiles accidents are stressful, but injury accidents are especially devastating because of the necessary medical treatment, pain and suffering involved. Unfortunately, these problems can be compounded by having to deal with medical bills and insurance forms.
If you’ve been injured in a car crash, an experienced Tampa car accident attorney can help. Injured victims of a car crash often do not contact an attorney because they do not understand (or were given bad advice about) the Florida No-Fault Law. Contrary to what some think, Florida’s no-fault law does not preclude filing a car accident lawsuit to obtain compensation if you suffered serious injuries.
The skilled attorneys at Dennis Hernandez & Associates, PA can help you understand the law and how it applies to your case. They know how to handle insurance companies, collect the necessary evidence, and get you the compensation you deserve for your injuries, pain and suffering.
Is Compensation Available for a Tampa Car Accident Victim?
If you have been injured in an automobile accident, you may be entitled to recover damages to help compensate you for your injuries. With an automobile accident lawsuit, you can pursue compensation for the following damages:
- Medical expenses
- Rehabilitation and other care costs
- Income lost because of time off because of accident injuries
- Loss of earning capacity in the future
- Physical and emotional pain and suffering
- Diminished qualify of life
In some cases, the injured victim’s family can also pursue compensation for loss of consortium because their spouse or parent can no longer provide the companionship, care and support they did before the accident. If you lost a family member in an automobile accident, you may also be able to pursue compensation as the claimant in a wrongful death lawsuit.
Get Expert Help from the Experienced Tampa Car Accident Attorneys at Dennis Hernandez & Associates, PA
At Dennis Hernandez & Associates, PA, making sure you achieve justice and are compensated fairly for your injuries is our main concern. We assure that all evidence is
gathered in a timely manner to prove negligence, and we negotiate aggressively with insurance companies on your behalf. We build a strong case to demonstrate your need for compensation for physical, emotional, and financial damages caused by the car accident.
Many injury lawyers will do everything in their power to settle with insurance companies and avoid going to trial, but we never back down. We will leverage our trial experience to fight for the compensation you deserve. Working with the attorneys at Dennis Hernandez & Associates means being supported through the entire legal process.
Call us at 855-LAW-DENNIS or fill in the FREE CASE EVALUATION form on our website to get started on your case.
Sources:
AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety. 2019 traffic safety culture index.
https://aaafoundation.org/2019-traffic-safety-culture-index/
Florida Department of Transportation. (2019). FY 2019 highway safety plan.
https://www.nhtsa.gov/sites/nhtsa.dot.gov/files/documents/fl_fy2019_hspar.pdf
Florida Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles. (2020). Traffic crash reports. Crash dashboard.
https://www.flhsmv.gov/traffic-crash-reports/crash-dashboard/