Royal Palm Beach Car Accident Lawyers

Getting hurt in a motor-vehicle collision can make every aspect of life exponentially more stressful. Mounting medical bills can threaten your financial security, missed work will derail a promising career trajectory, and the emotional impact of the trauma might cause you to alienate loved ones when you need them most.

Although no amount of compensation will restore your health and vitality, a sizable settlement can relieve much of the stress you are facing so you can focus on your wellbeing. If you were hurt in a wreck and want to hold the liable party financially accountable, turn to Donaldson & Weston.

Our Royal Palm Beach car accident attorneys have assisted hundreds of clients in personal injury and wrongful death cases. Call 561-299-3999 to schedule a free case evaluation with one of our strategic injury lawyers.

There is always a lot to do in the aftermath of a crash. Fortunately, you do not have to handle any of those steps alone.

If you hire a lawyer as soon your condition stabilizes, you can focus on your health while the case proceeds through the claims process. Your attorney can:

• Review the circumstances of the wreck to determine liability;


• Locate and interview eyewitnesses;


• Obtain any available video footage of the collision;


• Gather photographic evidence of the scene;


• Consult with accident reconstruction experts;


• Obtain the official police report;


• Track all applicable damages;


• Calculate a fair settlement amount;


• Negotiate with the opposing party on your behalf; and


• Protect your best interests by handling talks with the insurance adjuster.

You may be able to strengthen your case by calling a lawyer as soon as possible. A seasoned attorney can gather time-sensitive evidence and make sure you do not miss critical deadlines along the way. Your lawyer can also prevent you from making mistakes early in the proceedings that might affect the outcome of your case.

Because every car accident is different, the process of calculating damages is specific to each claim. At the end of the day, there is no universal formula for determining damages. The potential value of your claim will depend on dozens of factors including:

• The severity of your injuries and whether they are permanently disabling;


• The extent of any emotional trauma;


• The extent of any property damage;


• Your total lost wages;


• Your potential earning capacity;


• The way the injuries are affecting your loved ones;


• The strength of any evidence against the liable party; and


• Your own percentage of fault.

There are three essential elements that must be proven to obtain a financial recovery in any third-party car accident claim: liability, causation, and damages. If your injuries don’t meet the “serious injury threshold” and you only intend to file a claim against your Personal Injury Protection policy, you won’t have to prove liability.

Assuming your injuries are serious enough to warrant a claim against the at-fault party, you’ll need strong evidence of fault. The specific types of evidence your Royal Palm Beach car accident lawyer will use depends primarily on how the accident occurred. After identifying the proximate cause of your crash—which, in most cases, is driver negligence—your lawyer will need to gather evidence to prove liability. Such evidence may include:

• Surveillance recordings of the accident;


• Dashcam footage;


• Cell phone records;


• Photos of the accident scene, injuries, and property damage;


• The police report;


• Eyewitness testimony; and


• Testimony from an accident reconstruction expert.

Depending on the facts surrounding your collision, there may be other evidence that could help your attorney prove liability. For instance, commercial trucks usually have an event data recorder (EDR) that tracks speed, brake usage, and other metrics. If such a vehicle was involved in your crash, your attorney might use EDR data to prove fault. If, on the other hand, the wreck happened due to a tire defect, your attorney might use recall data, blueprints and schematics, the actual tire, and other evidence to prove the existence of the defect and tie it to the crash.

If your claim is successful, the amount of compensation you may be able to recover will depend largely on the strength of the evidence used to prove damages. Without sufficient evidence of your economic and non-economic losses, the insurance company will likely dispute your claim, which could prolong the proceedings and may reduce your financial recovery.

Of course, the most valuable evidence of damages will depend on the types of damages you’ve incurred. Below is a brief breakdown of evidence that might be used to prove various kinds of damages:

• Past and Future Medical Costs: To prove your healthcare expenses, your Royal Palm Beach car accident attorney may use medical bills, medical expert witness testimony, medication prescriptions, diagnostic imaging, and other medical records.


• Lost Wages and Lost Earning Capacity: Your lawyer will need to prove your pre-injury income and provide evidence to demonstrate the number of days you were put out of work due to the accident. Valuable evidence may include bank statements, income tax returns, and paystubs. Proving lost earning capacity can be a bit more complicated and might require testimony from economic and vocational experts and data regarding the expected incomes of people in your same career trajectory.


• Property Damage: Photos of property damage, receipts for repairs, and estimates from contractors may be used to prove the value of property damage.


• Pain and Suffering: If you sustained a permanent injury, significant scarring, or disfigurement, pain and suffering damages might be recoverable. Evidence of such damages might include photos of your injuries, medical expert witness testimony, medical records, and your personal injury journal.