Attorney Joe Zarzaur talks about the six most common misperceptions or myths related to car accident cases in their claims
MYTH #1 – YOU DON’T NEED A LAWYER UNLESS YOU HAVE A LOT OF DAMAGE TO YOUR CAR.
That’s a myth and a misperception because significant injuries can be caused. There might not be a lot of damage many times because vehicles are different materials and they’re made for different purposes and you could be in a vehicle that is more well-built than the car than hits you or the impact can be such that both bumpers hit and there’s a large amount of force applied to your body, but not a lot of large amount of damage to either car. Your only source of information is going to be how you feel physically about the injury.
You should always get checked out within the same day and go to an ER or at least an urgent care center that day and get checked out.
There are two reasons for that:
1. It helps you medically, which is the most important reason.
2. It helps if you end up with a serious injury from this case or from that impact, it helps your legal case that you’ve gone to the ER that same day number five is you don’t need to seek treatment for minor injuries.
MYTH #2 – YOU DON’T NEED MEDICAL TREATMENT FOR MINOR INJURIES
What you’re thinking is minor may not be minor because you don’t really anticipate well in these situations. Symptoms are usually going to get worse on day three or four. So, if you have a, what you would call a minor injury one the first day, is likely going to feel worse on day two, three, and four, and it may not get better right away.
So, it’s always better to go get checked out to make a record for purposes of your medical condition moving forward, and to make a record legally, because certainly the other side is going to suggest that if you didn’t go to the doctor, then you must not have been injured at all.
MYTH #3 – THE INSURANCE COMPANY IS ALWAYS ON YOUR SIDE.
You have seen the cutesy commercials that are out and about how they’re going to take care of you when this happens. Nothing could be further from the truth.
Their mission in this world is to make money. The more they pay you, the less money they make. You should never be under the misunderstanding that their mission is to protect you or to take care of you or to coddle you or to make sure you get made whole.
MYTH #4 – ALL DRIVERS CARRY ENOUGH OR ANY INSURANCE.
In Florida, you can legally drive a vehicle and not have any coverage for the other person’s injuries. So, if somebody’s at fault for a wreck and causes you to be hurt and you find out they don’t have any injury coverage for you, that’s perfectly legal in Florida. That’s why it’s always important to buy as much uninsured or under-insured motorist coverage as, as you can.
MYTH #5 – REAR END COLLISIONS ARE ALWAYS THE FAULT OF THE REAR DRIVER.
Sometimes rear end collisions happen because there’s a sudden emergency for the driver in front of you and you have to slam on your brakes. Well, technically that wreck was caused by the sudden emergency which could be a car pulling out of a parking lot without warning. The at fault driver could very well be the car that was pulling out of the parking lot.
Now many times the officers that investigate the crash will give fault to the rear end driver. And if there’s a third party involved that sticks around, they will find fault with both drivers.
You shouldn’t just assume that the rear driver’s always at fault, that’s not the case.
MYTH #6 – MY INSURANCE WILL PAY FOR EVERYTHING
Your insurance company is going to pay only what they’re required to pay by law and the facts of the case.
In Florida, your insurance company is on the hook for the first $10,000 of your medical bills and lost wages. Outside of that, your insurance company is not obligated to pay anything for your wreck, unless you’ve purchased under-insured or uninsured motorist coverage. If that’s the case, then your insurance company will also be responsible for any damages caused by the other driver that are in excess of the $10,000 or PIP benefits, and that are in excess of the other driver’s injury coverage (If they have that).
Read the full article on our blog page HERE:
Joe Zarzaur, founder of Zarzaur Law, P.A., a Pensacola Personal Injury law firm, has created this video blog in an effort to educate the many citizens and visitors of Pensacola, Florida about their legal rights. Joe Zarzaur knows the ins and outs of Florida law, and offers quality legal help whether you have experienced an auto accident/car wreck, have been a victim of medical malpractice or are in need of a personal injury attorney.
For more information, visit: https://www.zarzaurlaw.com
100 Palafox Place Pensacola, FL 32502
Telephone: 850-444-9299 or (855)hirejoe
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