Were you or a family member injured in a car accident in Cocoa, FL? You may be entitled to compensation if you were injured due to someone else’s negligence. An experienced Cocoa car accident lawyer at Norden Leacox Car Accident And Personal Injury Lawyers can help you fight to recover fair compensation for your medical bills, lost income, pain and suffering, and more. Contact our law office at (321)-517-2079 to schedule a free consultation.
With over 75 years of experience in personal injury law, you can rest assured that our attorneys will do everything possible to help you recover the maximum compensation you deserve. We’ve recovered tens of millions of dollars on behalf of injured clients like you. We’re ready to help you get the money you need and deserve. Quality legal representation is key to recovering every available dollar.
Why Should I Hire Norden Leacox Car Accident And Personal Injury Lawyers To Help Me Recover Compensation After a Car Crash in Cocoa, FL?
If you were injured in a crash, you could be entitled to substantial compensation. To get a fair compensation award, you’ll have to prove that you deserve it. You’ll have to present evidence to show that someone else was responsible. You’ll also have to convince the insurance company about the value of your damages.
Hiring a Cocoa personal injury attorney who knows how to handle these and other challenging legal issues is extremely important.
At Norden Leacox Car Accident And Personal Injury Lawyers, our team includes seasoned trial lawyers and skilled negotiators. For years, accident victims like you have trusted us to help them recover full compensation and get back on their feet again.
When you hire our personal injury team, you’ll benefit from a lawyer who will:
- Conduct our own investigation to determine why the accident happened
- Determine who is ultimately liable for paying your bills
- Work with experts in medicine, economics, accident reconstruction, and other relevant specialties
- Calculate the value of your personal injury claim
- File a claim with insurance and handle all of the paperwork
- Negotiate aggressively to win a fair settlement
- Fight for you at trial if necessary
Are you ready to learn more about how our Cocoa personal injury attorneys can help? Call for a free consultation today.
Why Should I Hire a Car Accident Lawyer?
Car accidents happen every day in the State of Florida. Still, most car accident victims have little–or no–experience navigating the insurance and legal issues that arise after a serious car wreck.
The insurance company, of course, handles car accident claims every single day. They understand the rules–and they know that you probably don’t. Unfortunately, many insurance companies will use your lack of experience to their advantage.
They might pressure you into accepting a lowball settlement amount. They might deny your claim or try to bury you in paperwork, hoping that you’ll give up and walk away. Insurance adjusters often even try to blame victims for their own injuries.
Hiring an experienced attorney is the best way to level the playing field and protect yourself from insurance scare tactics.
Having an experienced lawyer also gives you time to focus on your recovery. When you know the legal issues are being handled, you can concentrate on getting better without stressing over money.
How Much Compensation Can I Recover by Filing a Car Accident Claim?
The value of your personal injury claim really depends on the extent of your losses. All cases are different. There is no such thing as a standard insurance settlement or court verdict. Instead, calculating your case value involves weighing the unique facts of your situation.
Factors that will influence the value of your case include:
- The severity of your injuries
- The cost of your medical treatment and rehabilitation
- The costs of anticipated future medical care, therapies, and other expenses
- Any permanent or long-term damage to your quality of life
- How the injury impacts your earnings
- How the injury is expected to impact your future earning capacity
- The nature of the at-fault party’s actions or omissions
- Whether you share any blame for the crash
Our lawyers will put in the time and account for all of the physical, emotional, and financial losses you have experienced because of the accident. Often, we bring in experts who can help with the valuation process. We’ll also work closely with your doctors and others who can offer insight into your expected future costs.
How Long Do I Have To File a Personal Injury Lawsuit After a Car Accident in Florida?
In Florida, the statute of limitations for filing a personal injury lawsuit is two years. The two-year period starts to run on the date of your accident. After two years pass, you lose your right to sue the at-fault driver for damages.
That doesn’t mean you should wait two years to take legal action. In fact, the sooner you consult a lawyer, the better – there are exceptions to the two-year time limit for some cases. Your lawyer can begin investigating and documenting your losses today when the evidence is strongest.
Insurance companies also have their own time limits. If you don’t file a claim for compensation within a reasonable amount of time after an accident, it’s possible that the insurance company could deny your claim.
What Types of Damages Can I Recover in a Car Accident Lawsuit?
Car accident victims can suffer a wide range of damages. Severe injuries can create physical losses, emotional wounds, and high financial costs. Collectively, these types of losses are your “damages.”
Two primary types of compensatory damages are available under Florida personal injury laws: economic damages and non-economic damages.
What Types of Economic Damages Can I Recover in Florida?
Economic damages compensate you for any financial expenses that are related to the accident and injury.
Examples of these losses include:
- Past and future medical expenses, including ER visits, surgeries, follow-up doctor’s visits, medications, etc.
- Rehabilitation and physical therapy
- Nursing care and in-home assistance
- Lost wages
- Reduced future earning potential
- Out-of-pocket expenses, including childcare, transportation, and other miscellaneous costs
- Vehicle repairs and other property damage
Insurance companies will want to see proof to establish the value of your economic losses. That makes it important to save your receipts and keep strong records to document your expenses after an accident.
What Types of Non-Economic Damages Can I Recover in Florida?
Non-economic damages attempt to compensate seriously injured people for the non-financial costs associated with the injury.
Examples of non-financial losses include:
- Pain and suffering
- Emotional distress
- Diminished quality of life
- Lifestyle changes and loss of the ability to enjoy life or certain activities
- Anxiety, depression, and other mental health issues
- PTSD
- Physical disfigurement and scarring
- Loss of consortium, or loss of a loved one’s companionship and support
Establishing the financial value of these non-financial losses can be challenging. Often, the value of your non-economic damages award is tied to the level of your economic damages. That’s because the injuries that are most likely to dramatically alter your life are also the ones that tend to be the most expensive to treat.
Can I Recover Punitive Damages After a Car Crash in Florida?
Possibly, but punitive damages awards are rare. Courts only award punitive damages in cases involving intentional wrongdoing or especially shocking behavior.
That’s because punitive damages are meant to punish a defendant for their actions, not to compensate a victim for their losses. The goal of a personal injury case isn’t really punishment, but instead to provide fair compensation to the victim after an unintentional accident.
However, for example, if you were injured or lost a loved one because of a drunk driver, the courts may award punitive damages.
How Much Does It Cost To Hire a Car Accident Lawyer in Florida?
Our legal team at Norden Leacox Car Accident And Personal Injury Lawyers works on a contingency fee basis. You won’t pay any upfront costs to hire our law firm. Instead, our attorney’s fees are taken as a percentage of your financial recovery.
Thanks to contingency fee arrangements, accident victims can hire experienced lawyers without worrying about how much it will cost. The system also gives your lawyer a powerful incentive to work to win the highest compensation award possible.
What Happens to My Compensation Award if I’m Partly Responsible for Causing a Car Accident in Florida?
Each state has different laws that govern situations where a personal injury victim shares some blame for an accident. In Florida, it’s possible that you could lose your right to recover damages if you share too much responsibility for your accident.
Florida is a modified comparative negligence state. If your share of fault is less than 51%, your compensation will be reduced by your percentage of fault. Once your share of fault exceeds 50%, you’re barred from recovering any compensation at all.
Insurance companies understand this rule well. Fair or not, they’ll probably try to blame you for the accident. Instead of panicking, contact an experienced lawyer who can protect you from these and other unfair insurance tactics.
Will My Car Accident Case Go to Trial?
While most car accident cases don’t go to trial, it’s always possible that it will be necessary to argue your case before a judge and jury.
It’s more likely that your case will go to trial if:
- There is a dispute about who is liable for the crash or the victim’s damages
- There is a serious dispute over the value of the injury claim
- The at-fault party is unwilling to negotiate in good faith
- The victim is looking for a greater sense of justice and is willing to risk trial
There are, of course, some disadvantages to going to trial. Trials are unpredictable. Even with an experienced lawyer, you can never be completely sure what a jury will decide. Trials can also be expensive and much more time-consuming than the insurance claims process.
That said, it’s important to hire a lawyer who has significant trial experience. If the insurance company suspects that your lawyer is inexperienced or nervous about arguing your case in court, it’s possible that you could be forced to settle your case for less than it’s really worth.
When the insurance company knows that your lawyer has experience willing trials, they’re more likely to negotiate for a fair settlement.
What Should I Do After a Car Accident in Cocoa?
After a car crash, a few simple steps can keep you safe and put you in the best position to recover fair financial compensation from the at-fault parties. First and foremost, remain at the scene of the accident and try to remain calm.
If you are able to do so, you should:
- Move the vehicles to a nearby and safe location
- Call 911 to report the crash and have first responders dispatched to the scene with an ambulance if necessary
- Cooperate with the police officer who is sent to prepare the accident report, but refrain from apologizing or accepting fault for the accident
- Take photos and videos of the accident scene, damaged vehicles, and any visible injuries
- Exchange insurance details and contact information with the other drivers (the police officer can also take down this information and provide you with a copy of the police report)
- Exchange contact information with any witnesses to the accident
Seek medical attention quickly, even if you do not appear to be seriously injured. While it can be tempting to avoid the expense and assume that you’ll recover on your own, you never really know what will happen. Your injuries could become much worse in the days following the accident–and by then, it might be too late to avoid serious harm.
Having a doctor examine you quickly after an accident is also important to any potential legal action. If you wait days or weeks to see a doctor, the insurance company could claim that something happened in the interim to cause your injuries.
If you did suffer injuries, contact a lawyer soon after receiving medical treatment. Your lawyer can get to work immediately to preserve evidence and protect your right to fair financial compensation.
We Handle All Types of Car Accident Claims in Cocoa
Norden Leacox Car Accident And Personal Injury Lawyers is an award-winning personal injury law firm. Our lawyers have decades of experience handling complex personal injury law matters. As a result, we’ve developed the tools to handle any type of car accident claim.
Some examples of our practice areas include:
Rear-End Collisions
Rear-end crashes are extremely common. They often happen because drivers aren’t paying attention, tailgating or are driving too fast to stop and prevent an accident. If you were involved in a rear-end crash, don’t make the mistake of thinking that liability will be clear. Contact us today to learn more about how a lawyer can protect you.
Highway Accidents
Highway accidents can be devastating because they often involve high speeds. However, determining the cause of the crash can be a challenge. Our lawyers in Cocoa are here to help with every stage of the legal process.
Distracted Driving Accidents
Distracted drivers cause accidents every day. Failure to pay attention to road conditions when behind the wheel can cause a huge amount of damage. If you suspect the at-fault driver in your crash was distracted, contact our law firm and get help proving it.
Uninsured/Underinsured Motorist Claims
When the at-fault driver doesn’t have insurance or is underinsured, it can be tough to know where to turn for fair compensation. Our lawyers will help you identify all of your legal options for recovering fair compensation.
Hit-and-Run Accidents
It’s illegal to leave the scene of an accident in the State of Florida. That said, it happens every day. For one reason or another, some drivers are afraid to wait around for the police to arrive.
If you were a victim, our lawyers will invest our own resources and attempt to locate the hit-and-run driver. You can count on us to do everything possible to help you recover fair compensation after the crash.
Other Types of Car Accident Claims We Handle
Our legal team also handles car accident claims involving:
- Rollovers
- Sideswipe accidents
- Head-on collisions
- T-bone accidents
- Multiple vehicle crashes and pile-ups
- Single-vehicle accidents
- Trucking accidents
- Motorcycle accidents
- Drunk driving accidents
- Teen drivers
- Fatal car accidents
- Intersection accidents
- Rideshare accidents
- Taxi accidents
- Accidents involving pedestrians and bicyclists
- Accidents involving passenger negligence
If you or a loved one were involved in a car accident in Cocoa, contact us to learn more about this area of law today.
Who Can Be Held Liable for My Car Accident Injuries?
Florida is a no-fault insurance state. After a crash, the victim first files a claim against their own personal injury protection (PIP) insurance coverage. However, in many cases, the victim’s medical costs alone will exceed the policy coverage limits. At that point, it’s important to identify all parties who are legally responsible for your damages.
Examples of potentially responsible parties include:
- Negligent drivers
- Trucking companies and other employers of negligent drivers
- Government agencies
- Pedestrians
- Bicyclists
- Negligent passengers
- Manufacturers of defective safety equipment
- Maintenance companies
If your injuries were serious, you can pursue compensation from any party who either contributed to the cause of the accident or shared legal responsibility for the crash.
Common Types of Car Accident Injuries in Cocoa, FL
A serious car wreck can leave victims suffering from injuries that range from mild or moderate to severe and life-changing.
At Norden Leacox Car Accident And Personal Injury Lawyers, we handle all types of personal injury claims, including cases where the victim has suffered:
- Broken bones
- Facial injuries
- Whiplash injuries
- Soft tissue damage
- Traumatic brain injuries
- Spinal cord injuries
- Head and neck injuries
- Concussions
- Back injuries
- Nerve injuries
- Crushing injuries
- Organ damage
- Chest injuries
- Burns
- Amputations
- Paralysis
- Catastrophic injuries
- Wrongful death of a loved one
Under Florida law, your injuries must qualify as “significant” for you to sue the at-fault party for damages (note, however, that there are other circumstances where you may be eligible to file a lawsuit).
That said, the law doesn’t provide a clear line for which injuries qualify as significant. For example, a broken ankle may seem minor to many people. However, when multiple surgeries are required and the victim experiences chronic pain for years to come, the injury may qualify as significant.
In the end, it’s always best to have an experienced lawyer review the details and help you understand your legal options after a car wreck.
What Are the Most Common Causes of Car Accidents in Cocoa?
Many different factors can combine to cause a car accident. However, some things are more likely to result in a car wreck than others.
Some of the most common causes of car crashes in Cocoa include:
- Distracted driving
- Speeding
- Texting while driving
- Racing through intersections
- Failure to yield the right-of-way
- Inexperienced drivers
- Tailgating
- Aggressive driving
- Unsafe passing
- Illegal lane changes
- Illegal or unsafe turns
- Running a red light or stop sign
- Drunk driving
- Driving under the influence of drugs
- Road hazards
- Limited visibility
Our Cocoa auto accident lawyers have the tools to help you determine who and what caused your accident and injuries. Call our law firm in Cocoa today to schedule your free case review with a lawyer who can help.
Statistics on Car Accidents in Florida
Based on preliminary data, in 2023 alone, 383,599 traffic accidents were reported to the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles (FLHSMV). At least 245,055 car accident victims were injured in those crashes. Overall, 3,228 people were killed in fatal motor vehicle accidents.
In Brevard County, 6,578 people were injured in traffic accidents during 2023. At least 92 people were killed that year.
Those accidents included:
- 295 bicycle accidents
- 316 motorcycle crashes
- 248 pedestrian accidents
- 2,023 hit-and-run accidents
Considering all motor vehicle accidents, over 24 crashes were reported every single day in Brevard County during 2023.
Contact an Experienced Cocoa Car Accident Lawyer for a Free Initial Consultation Today
Do you have questions about your legal options after a car crash? Is the insurance company making the claims process more difficult than it needs to be? Let our team at Norden Leacox Car Accident And Personal Injury Lawyers handle the legal issues. Call today to schedule your free case evaluation with an experienced Cocoa car accident lawyer who can fight for you.
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