West Palm Beach Speeding Accidents

Speeding is one of the most common factors involved in West Palm Beach car accidents. Drivers often ignore posted speed limits, or they may simply not know the correct speed to travel on a given road, especially if they are from out of town. Regardless of the reasons why drivers choose to speed, accidents that result from these situations lead to some of the most serious injuries. The West Palm Beach car accident lawyers at Donaldson & Weston assist victims and families who have been harmed as a result of a careless driver with pursuing proper legal action. Our lawyers can handle all of the aspects of speeding accident cases, working tirelessly to make sure that victims receive the compensation that they are legally entitled to obtain from a defendant or an insurer. If you have sustained injuries or lost a loved one in a speeding accident, contact our office today to find out more about our legal services.

Speeding is a prevalent issue throughout the West Palm Beach area. Just recently, in February 2017, the speed limit on part of Okeechobee Boulevard running through Loxahatchee Groves was lowered from 45 miles per hour to 30 in an effort to keep the rural community safe. Other prior changes to speed limits affected parts of Flagler Drive, Poinsettia Avenue, and Westminster Place. These reductions in speed were meant to discourage motorists from moving too fast through some of the more residential areas in West Palm Beach. Unfortunately, despite speed limits and other attempts to prevent drivers from speeding, it is still a common practice among motorists, especially on main roads and highways like Interstate 95. Many drivers believe that they can maintain control at any speed that they choose, or they simply are in a rush to get to their destination. However, when vehicles are traveling at high speeds, the time that a driver has to react decreases, while the potential for accidents causing serious, life-altering injuries increases.

When a motorist’s high rate of speed contributes to causing an accident, they can be held legally accountable via a personal injury lawsuit based on negligence. Victims of speeding accidents, known as plaintiffs, must show that the defendant driver breached their duty to act as a reasonable and prudent person would act, given the circumstances. For instance, it probably would be found unreasonable for a driver to travel 30 miles over the posted speed limit. A plaintiff must also establish that their injuries were caused by the defendant’s actions and that damages resulted.

Determining how fast vehicles involved in an accident were going may require compiling witness accounts, testimony of accident reconstructionists, and other evidence to make a convincing showing of how a collision occurred. If negligence is shown, a plaintiff may receive damages in the forms of past and future medical expenses, lost income, diminished earning capacity, property damage, and compensation for pain and suffering. In Florida, personal injury lawsuits must be pursued within four years from the date of a victim’s injury, or the claim will be disallowed by the statute of limitations.