Florida Car Accident Laws the Basics
If you’ve been involved in a car accident in Stuart or Port St. Lucie, the following information may benefit you. Remember, You can always find the legal advice you need from personal injury lawyer Gloria Seidule in Stuart, FL.
Florida Deadline for filing car accident lawsuits
Here’s a look at the deadline in Florida for filing a lawsuit against a car wreck, the rules for sharing fault in a crash, and the legal obligations of drivers to report an accident in Florida.
The four-year deadline to file most car accident lawsuits within Florida’s civil courts’ system is and Florida’s claimant-friendly pure comparative blame rule allows financial recovery if the claimant is partially (or mostly) at fault for the car accident. This is the Florida big picture. Let’s now look at the details.
Florida no-fault insurance details
A note about no-fault: Florida has no-fault insurance. This means that you will need to file a claim under the personal accident protection coverage if you are injured in a car crash to receive compensation for your medical bills and other financial losses. You can only bring a claim against the at-fault driver if your injury claim meets specific requirements. These two sections assume that you can do so.
Florida’s Car Accident Statute of Limitations
A statute of limitations is a law that limits your ability to file a lawsuit. The Florida court system will dismiss your case if you fail to meet the deadline and file your car crash lawsuit after it has expired.
You have four years from the date you were involved in the accident to file a car accident claim with the Florida courts. Learn more about the statute of limitations for car accidents in Florida.
Florida Car Accident Cases: Comparative Negligence
The outcome is predictable if the other driver was entirely at fault for your accident. The other driver’s insurance carrier will pay for any medical bills, lost wages, or other damages you sustained. What happens if you are partially responsible for the accident?
Reporting a Florida Car Accident
Suppose you are a Florida driver involved in a car crash that resulted in death, severe injury, or property damage. In that case, you must notify the local police if the accident occurred within a municipality. If the accident happened outside of a city, the incident must be reported to the local sheriff or the nearest station of the Florida Highway Patrol. These rules are found in Florida Statutes Section 316.065.
Florida’s No-Fault Car Insurance Laws
Florida is one of the dozen states with a no-fault car insurance program. That means injured drivers and passengers typically turn first to their personal-injury-protection car insurance coverage to get compensation for medical bills, lost income, and other out-of-pocket losses after a crash, regardless of who might have been at fault. Only certain situations allow for a claim against the at-fault driver. Find out more about the Florida no-fault car insurance rules.
If you’ve been injured in a car accident in Martin or Port St Lucie county, Contact the Law Office of Gloria Seidule in Stuart, FL, at 772-287-1220. We offer a free consultation and case evaluation; you will only pay a fee if we win your case.
