West Palm Beach Reckless Driving in Residential Areas

West Palm Beach neighborhoods are places where families gather, children play, and residents generally get to relax. When a motorist engages in reckless driving through a residential area, this peace is disrupted and serious injuries can result. The West Palm Beach car accident lawyers at Donaldson & Weston are dedicated to making sure that reckless drivers are brought to justice and their victims are properly compensated for the harm caused to them. Our firm has extensive trial experience in personal injury claims, as well as wrongful death cases, working tirelessly to ensure that victims and their families receive the support that they need to help them move forward. If you have been hurt as a result of someone else’s reckless driving in a residential area, or any other type of motor vehicle collision, contact our office today to discuss your legal rights and options.

West Palm Beach has a population of over 100,000 residents, living throughout 34 neighborhoods. Quiet streets among West Palm Beach’s residential areas, such as Flamingo Park, Palm Beach Lakes, Pinewood, and River Walk, can become dangerous to residents who are faced with a reckless driver. Under Florida law, reckless driving occurs when a person drives in a way that displays a willful or wanton disregard for the safety of people or property. It also refers to drivers who use their vehicles to flee from law enforcement. Reckless driving in residential areas can lead to significant injuries to other motorists, pedestrians, and bicyclists. These injuries often include broken bones, lacerations, head injuries, and sometimes serious spinal cord damage, such as paralysis. In the most extreme circumstances, victims of a reckless driving accident can lose their lives. Reckless drivers can be held criminally liable for the harm that they cause, and they can be held responsible in a civil personal injury claim as well, which is how victims receive financial compensation to aid in their recovery.

Reckless driving in a residential area is usually a strong indication of negligence in a personal injury claim. A victim injured by another driver must show that the defendant breached an owed duty of care to act as a reasonable and prudent person would act under the same or similar circumstances. Drivers owe all other road users a duty of reasonable care. When a driver speeds through a neighborhood or otherwise acts in a reckless manner, that duty is breached. The victim must also show that their injuries were caused by the defendant’s actions and that damages resulted. If a reckless driver causes the death of another person, the victim’s family may pursue a wrongful death case on their behalf.

Damages available to victims or families may include medical expenses, loss of support, diminished earning capacity, and pain and suffering. Timing is also important when pursuing a legal action. In Florida, personal injury claims must be filed within four years from the date of the injury, and wrongful death cases must be pursued within two years of a victim’s death.