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Uninsured Driver Caused an Accident? What Your Next Steps Should Be

There are few things more terrifying than being involved in a severe car accident. The situation becomes even more complicated when that accident was caused by an uninsured negligent or reckless driver.

Traditionally, we hold insurance companies responsible for doling out compensation to victims. Indeed, the state of Florida requires that all drivers have valid automobile insurance coverage at all times to ensure that payment is always available.

This means an uninsured driver that causes an accident has not only broken the law, but may be personally responsible for compensation expenses. Those expenses, however, may be far more difficult for you to obtain.

Here are steps you should take if you are injured in an accident caused by an uninsured driver:

 

Collect Essential Information

 The first thing you should do following any automobile accident is collect information from witnesses and drivers. This should include phone numbers, addresses, and a brief description of what each person saw. This will help you piece together the incident if you choose to file a personal injury lawsuit.

If your injuries are too extensive and you must be transferred to a hospital, you can collect the information later by referring to a police report — which should have been created immediately following the accident.

You should also keep a personal journal during this time, detailing your injuries and your recovery.

 

File an Uninsured Motorist Claim

 Your next step will be to file an uninsured motorist claim against your insurance provider. Your provider will likely try to award you the smallest amount possible, but it should help you cover a decent portion of your medical and automobile repair bills.

You will not, however, be given any compensation for your pain and suffering, or anything else that cannot be accurately measured in dollars and cents.

 

Contact an Experienced Attorney

Even if you have decided to file an uninsured motorist claim, you should get in contact with an experienced car accident attorney to help you determine your next steps.

Perhaps the award from your insurance company fails to cover your expenses. Or maybe you simply wish to fight for the full compensation you deserve. An attorney can walk you through the process and ensure you make the best choice for your future.

 

Consider a Personal Injury Lawsuit

 At some point, your attorney may ask you to consider filing a personal injury lawsuit. This lawsuit type is designed to award compensation to victims injured by the negligence or recklessness of a third party.

If your lawsuit is successful, you could walk away with compensation for medical bills, future medical bills, pain and suffering, loss of income, permanent disfigurement, and future loss of income — among other things.

 

Get in Touch With a Car Accident Lawyer for Assistance

 Have you or a loved one been injured in an automobile accident caused by an uninsured driver? This should never keep you from collecting the compensation you deserve. Contact an experienced Daytona Beach car accident lawyer at Zimmet & Zimmet by calling (386)-210-9658.

 

Additional Reading:

 

Car Accident Lawyer in Daytona Beach
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Delayed Symptoms After a Car Accident

Of the more than 2 million car accident injuries that occur each year, many survivors are immediately aware of their injuries. However, there are also cases where injury symptoms can take hours, days or weeks to materialize. Some delayed injuries can result in permanent disability or death without prompt treatment. Intracranial bleeding is a good example. This is where blood pools up under the skull, which can lead to brain swelling.

There are a couple of post-crash symptoms that may signal a more serious problem. The Mayo Clinic maintains a list of symptoms that are commonly associated with delayed injuries after a car accident. Injuries that can lead to delayed symptoms include:

 

  • Concussion. There are some immediate concussion symptoms, such as dizziness, nausea, fatigue and confusion. However, some symptoms can persist for days or weeks after the accident. Mental health problems or issues with concentration may plague crash survivors weeks after suffering a concussion.
  • Internal bleeding. The symptoms of internal bleeding depend on the organ that is affected. You may vomit blood in some cases if you have an abdominal injury. However, if you have intracranial bleeding, you may develop a severe headache, vomiting, confusion and dizziness. Some of these symptoms are similar to concussion symptoms. You should get checked out by a doctor after an accident if you experience some of the symptoms listed here.
  • PTSD. Post-traumatic stress disorder is a mental health condition that is most famously associated with war veterans. However, many car crash survivors can also develop PTSD. This debilitating condition can lead to insomnia, anxiety, panic attacks, substance abuse and a fear of being around other people.
  • Whiplash injury. The impact forces of a collision, especially one from the rear, can lead to a whiplash injury. With this type of injury, your muscles and nerves suffer damage. You might notice neck pain, tingling around the site of the injury, difficulty moving your arms or neck and headaches that start at the base of the skull. Additional symptoms of a soft-tissue injury include inflammation, stiffness and discoloration on and near the site of the injury.
  • Infection. You are at a greater risk of infection if you suffered lacerations or burn injuries during the crash. For this reason, you should look for potential signs of an infection. Symptoms include redness around the site of injury, discharge, swelling and pain. Infections can spread to other parts of the body. You should seek immediate medical attention if you notice any of these symptoms.

 

You should seek medical treatment after a serious accident for a couple of reasons. First, you establish a record of damages caused by the accident. If you have an injury, then going to a hospital will be proof-positive that you suffered harm during the crash. Second, you may have one of the conditions listed above. Some of these conditions are fatal or debilitating if left untreated.

Most people are reluctant to seek emergency medical attention for one reason – it costs a lot of money. However, it can be a more costly mistake to not seek medical attention. Depending on your circumstances, it could make it more difficult to pursue a successful claim for your injury. You may be able to recover compensation for your present and future medical expenses through a settlement or jury verdict.

 

Contact a Car Accident Lawyer in Daytona Beach

Zimmet & Zimmet, P.L. accepts car accident cases in Volusia County and the surrounding areas.

If you have been injured in an accident, speak with one of our attorneys at Zimmet & Zimmet. Call our Daytona Beach office at (386) 210-7989 for a free consultation and case review.

 

daytona beach car accident lawyer
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Brain Injury Symptoms After a Car Accident

Call Our Car Accident Attorney in Daytona Beach to Learn More

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) statistics show that car accidents are a leading cause of brain injuries in the United States. Only falls are responsible for more brain injuries each year. Additionally, brain injuries are far more likely to affect adolescent car accident survivors.

Parents and teenage drivers should be aware of the following brain injury symptoms after a car accident.

Symptoms of a Brain Bleed After a Car Accident

Internal bleeding is a serious health issue, but especially if it affects the brain. Intracranial bleeding can lead to a permanent disability or death if it is not promptly treated. Even worse, the symptoms of an intracranial bleed may not be apparent immediately after a car accident. Watch for symptoms that include:

  • Headaches
  • Drowsiness
  • Dizziness
  • Unequal pupil size
  • Slurred speech
  • Seizures
  • Vomiting

Symptoms of a Concussion After a Car Accident

Concussions are a common type of brain injury after a car accident. Symptoms of a concussion can even persist for weeks after the initial injury. Concussion symptoms after a car accident include:

  • Ringing in the ears
  • Dizziness
  • Blurry vision
  • Nausea
  • Vomiting
  • Loss of consciousness
  • Confusion

Symptoms that persist after the accident include trouble concentrating, depression, insomnia and anxiety. Depending on the severity of the injury and other factors, these symptoms could persist for weeks or even months.

Frequent concussions can put you at risk for developing chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), a type of neurodegenerative brain disease.

Complications Caused by a Brain Injury After a Car Accident

Severe brain injuries can lead to permanent disabilities. Aphasia is a great example. This is a condition that affects a person’s ability to read, talk and understand language. Additional long-term complications include impaired executive function (decision-making) as well as problems with coordination and movement.

Memory problems are also a common long-term complication experienced by accident survivors with severe brain injuries.

Short and long-term brain injury complications can keep accidents survivors from working and may limit or eliminate career opportunities. Complications could lead to a loss of income and future earning capacity.

Many accident survivors with serious complications also experience a decline in their quality of life. Family members also experience severe emotional hardship when a loved one suffers from serious complications.

Do I Need a Car Accident Lawyer for a Brain Injury?

Serious brain injuries are a type of “catastrophic injury”, meaning that it significantly affects your quality of life and keeps you from ever being able to obtain employment. It is not uncommon for a serious brain injury to lead to millions of dollars in lifetime expenses. This is why you need an attorney.

Compensation from a settlement or verdict can help pay for expenses caused by a brain injury. Specifically, a settlement or verdict can help you pay for medical bills, rehabilitation expenses, costs related to pain and suffering, lost income and loss of future earnings.

Insurance companies may try to limit the amount of compensation you can receive by claiming you were at fault for the accident. An attorney can help you avoid this outcome by using expert medical testimony, an accident reconstruction specialist and by taking witness depositions.

Call Our Car Accident Attorney in Daytona Beach

Our personal injury law firm has extensive experience with car accident claims, including those that involve serious injuries. You can learn more about our experience with car accident cases on our website.

The attorneys at Zimmet & Zimmet P.L. offer free consultations. If you have questions about brain injury compensation, then give us a call at (386) 210-9658. You can also reach us by using the contact form on our website.

can a car accident aggrivate arthritis_zimmet_blog
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Can a Car Accident Aggravate Arthritis or Other Medical Condition?

Can a Car Accident Aggravate Arthritis or Other Medical Condition

The short answer is, yes, car accidents very often make arthritis and other pre-existing conditions worse. Car accidents can even cause arthritis in people who did not suffer from the condition before. This is called post-traumatic arthritis and can sometimes take months or even years to manifest.

Say you have recently been involved in an accident, and now you just can’t get the pain to stop. Your medical care provider requests that you have an MRI to see if there is more to your injury than what the initial exam indicated. Your doctor finds on the MRI that you have arthritis in that area and it is being aggravated by the soft tissue injury you received. The arthritis is going to make it harder to heal, and so the course of treatment is changed.

Does this mean that you cannot seek compensation for your injuries since they were made worse by a preexisting condition? The answer is no. Regardless of what the insurance companies may want you to believe, just because there is a preexisting condition does not mean they are “off the hook” for your injuries.

Insurance Companies Are Not Looking Out for Your Best Interest

The first thing that an insurance company will likely do if they see in the medical records that there is a preexisting condition is to deny the case. From their point of view, if there was a medical condition in the injured area before the injury, that was the cause of the injury. They will state that the damage may not have happened at all had the condition not been present.

As your attorney, we will show the insurance company exactly why it is their responsibility for the injury and that the injury itself is what has aggravated the condition. If you were not diagnosed or receiving treatment for the issue before the accident, then a preexisting condition may not exist. Without the treatment or diagnosis for that condition, the insurance company could admit that you were living life symptom-free and without pain and suffering. The pain and suffering you are enduring now is, therefore, a direct result of the accident.

If you were receiving treatment before, and now you have to undergo extensive treatment or new therapies, the insurance company may have to acknowledge that the condition was manageable before the accident and now has been aggravated by the new injury.

As your attorney, we will work to prove with medical records and other evidence that the injury did cause you more harm and that your life has been undeniably affected.

Working with Your Attorney

To prove the impact that this injury has had on your life, you are encouraged to do the following to help your attorney build the case:

  • Keep a diary of how you physically feel since the accident. Be very honest and document the good days and the bad. Make notes on things you may have had to change as a result of the accident. Be sure to note lifestyle changes such as having to hire help around the house or not being able to go to social events due to the pain.
  • Gather evidence of how active you were prior to the accident. Show pictures of the gardening that you did. Show pictures or other memorabilia from events you attended. Make a list of clubs you participated in actively. All of this information can be used to build a case for compensation.
  • Do not speak about your accident and injuries to anyone other than your attorney.

Do not let the insurance companies fool you. Even if you have a pre-existing condition such as arthritis, you may still be entitled to receive compensation for your injuries, medical expenses and other damages.

If you have been injured in an accident, speak with one of our attorneys at Zimmet & Zimmet. Call our Daytona Beach office at (386) 210-7989 for a free consultation and case review.

florida's aging drivers may pose a threat
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Florida’s Aging Drivers May Pose a Threat

florida's aging drivers may pose a threatFlorida has long been known as a retirement paradise for aging seniors across the country. According to the Aging and Disability Resource Center of Broward County, nearly 5 million seniors call Florida their home and seniors over the age of 60 make up 23% of the state’s population. By 2020, they are expected to make up of 28% of the overall population, which is only growing larger in the Sunshine state. These seniors bring much value and prosperity to the state in their retirement years, but they also bring with them an increased risk.

As healthcare improves and technology advances, adults are living longer and healthier lives. As a result, drivers over the age of 70 are traveling more. From 1996 to 2008, yearly mileage for aging drivers increased by 42%. However, this can come with an increased risk. The CDC reported that fatal crashes-per-miles driven increased for seniors and multiple vehicle crashes accounted for 40% of all fatal accidents in drivers over the age of 80. Seniors over the age of 80 are involved in 5.5 times as many fatal crashes per mile driven compared to middle-age drivers.

These risks should be considered when determining when it is time to hang up the keys for good.

Determining if Your Aging Loved One is Safe to Continue Driving

Many seniors are outliving their ability to safely drive a car. This can put themselves and everyone on the road at risk. Caregivers and family members should continually evaluate whether or not their aging loved one is safe behind the wheel. This means taking a number of age-related health conditions into account, including:

  • Decreased flexibility
  • Arthritis
  • Poor eyesight
  • Hearing problems
  • Diminished reflexes
  • Mental fogginess
  • Forgetfulness
  • Difficulty interpreting surroundings
  • Aggression behind the wheel
  • Fatigue or mental drowsiness

In addition to evaluating their mental and physical condition, family members should be on the lookout for other indicators that their aging loved one is no longer safe behind the wheel. If you begin to notice these red flags, it may be time for them to stop driving.

  • Near misses or fender benders
  • Traffic infractions
  • Getting lost
  • Confusion behind the wheel
  • Driving the wrong way
  • Getting confused behind the wheel
  • Forgetting the basics of driving

The topic of unsafe driving is a difficult one to bring up with your aging loved one. It may be their last form of independence and many seniors are reluctant to stop driving. If you believe that your loved one is unsafe, however, it is absolutely a conversation you must have with them. If needed, contact their doctor and ask for an evaluation. They may handle this new change better if it is recommended by their trusted family physician.

Have You Been Injured in a Car Crash in Florida?

If you’ve been injured in a car accident in Daytona Beach, Florida and you believe that someone else’s negligence was to blame, we can help. At Zimmet & Zimmet, our experienced Daytona Beach car accident lawyers have extensive experience assisting injured accident victims collect the compensation they need to recover from their injuries and put their lives back together again. Contact us today for a free initial consultation and review of your case. Call 386-255-6400 or fill out our confidential contact form.

Additional Reading

What to Do If You Are Injured by a Drunk Driver

Understanding Negligence in a Personal Injury Case