If you believe another motorist's negligence injured you or a loved one in a car accident in Hialeah, you may recover compensation with the help of a qualified attorney. Our experienced and dependable Hialeah car accident lawyers can help victims get the compensation they deserve.
The Hialeah car accident attorneys at Dolman Law Group Accident Injury Lawyers, PA, have the knowledge and resources to provide reliable representation for accident victims. In addition to negotiating with insurance companies, our lawyers have ample experience in litigation and can take cases to trial if needed.
Table of Contents
- Why Choose Dolman Law Group
- Compensation for Car Accident Damages
- Why Car Accidents Often Happen in Hialeah
- Different Types of Car Accidents
- Negotiating With Insurance Companies After Car Accidents
- What to Do After a Car Accident in Hialeah
- Contact a Hialeah Car Accident Attorney
- Frequently Asked Questions
Why Choose Dolman Law Group Accident Injury Lawyers, PA
Our legal team has helped many accident victims recover millions of dollars in damages from negligent parties. We know how difficult it can be to handle personal injury victims' challenges, which is why we work hard to provide our clients with the representation they need.
The Hialeah car accident attorneys at Dolman Law Group Accident Injury Lawyers, PA, are experienced, negotiators and litigators. Our level of experience makes us capable of handling some of the most complex cases, including those that go to trial.
Together, our lawyers have over 100 years of collective experience handling car accident cases and others:
- Matthew Dolman is a lifetime member of the Multi-Million Dollar Advocates Forum and the Million Dollar Advocates Forum due to his ability to reach settlements exceeding $1,000,000. His colleagues have repeatedly selected him as a Florida Super Lawyer and a Florida Legal Elite.
- Julia Dolman is another highly experienced lawyer whose colleagues have selected her five consecutive times as a Florida Super Lawyer Rising Star, which applies to top attorneys under the age of 40.
- Stanley Gipe is an attorney with years of experience as a Florida board-certified civil trial lawyer. This qualification makes him an expert in trial law.
Each of our attorneys gives our clients the attention their cases need. Meanwhile, our clients can spend their time recovering as we handle the legal aspects of the case.
Over the years, we've gotten great results for our clients following accidents, including the following settlements:
- $1.58 million for a client who sustained two herniated discs impinging on the spinal cord
- $1 million for damages sustained in a 2014 car accident
- $1 million for a wrongful death resulting from a rideshare vehicle accident
While these are only past results and no guarantee of success in all cases, you may qualify for a similar amount of compensation depending on the nature of your case. We understand that each unique case involves different details, so we offer a free consultation to learn more and discuss a potential claim or lawsuit. Our nearest office is conveniently located in Doral at 8400 NW 36th Street Suite 450. You can call us for a free consultation with our legal team at any time.
Compensation for Car Accident Damages
Compensation in car accident cases will vary from case to case based on the injuries and other damages involved. Cases could be worth hundreds of thousands of dollars or even millions if serious injuries and extensive damages result from negligence.
To determine how much a case is worth, we calculate all the damages resulting from the accident. There are two main types of damages, economic and non-economic damages.
Some examples of economic damages involved in Hialeah car accident cases include:
- Medical expenses
- Medical or assisted living devices
- Over-the-counter medical supplies and co-pays
- Lost income and bonuses
- Facility or in-home nursing care
- Occupational and physical rehabilitative therapy
- Vehicle damage
- Lost promotional opportunities and career limitations
- Medical transportation expenses
- Assistance with performing daily tasks, including cooking and cleaning
Economic damages are relatively easy to calculate with specific monetary losses attached to them.
In addition to economic damages, individuals may qualify for certain non-economic damages with the help of Dolman Law Group Accident Injury Lawyers, PA. Their value is more difficult to calculate, with these damages involving pain and suffering that victims experience.
Some types of non-economic damages may include:
- Mental anguish and suffering
- Physical pain
- Depression
- Anxiety
- Frustration
- Loss of enjoyment of life
- Limitations associated with daily living
- Loss of consortium (relationship) with a spouse
In some cases, punitive damages may also play a role in car accident cases. The judge may award these if a liable party exhibited unusually reckless behavior or intentionally caused harm. The intent is to punish the defendant and prevent similar instances in the future.
A Hialeah car accident lawyer can calculate all of the damages in your case as they collect evidence to support your claim.
Why Car Accidents Often Happen in Hialeah
Hialeah sees a lot of traffic every day. In the process, many hazards arise on the road that put people at risk of injury. Like many other cities in the Miami-Dade County area, Hialeah often has drivers who rush to reach their final destination and practice negligent driving habits.
The greater Miami-Dade County area is among the most dangerous for drivers in Florida, according to data from the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles. Specifically, their report found that more than one out of every six vehicle crashes that occur in Florida take place in the Miami area.
The following are some of the most dangerous streets and intersections in Miami-Dade County, including Hialeah:
- Hialeah Garden Boulevard and North Okeechobee Road in Hialeah Gardens
- NE Second Avenue and 36th Street
- NW 22nd Avenue and NW 62nd Street
- NE First Avenue and NE Sixth Street
- NW 20th Street and NW 22nd Avenue
- SW 117th Avenue and Kendall Drive
These and many other locations across the Miami-Dade County area often present dangers to drivers, making it important for motorists to practice caution when driving through Hialeah and other nearby cities.
Keep in mind that car accident injury victims have a limited time in which they can file a claim. This time limit is the statute of limitations. In Florida, injury victims have four years to file a lawsuit following the accident. Once this period passes, victims may be unable to seek compensation for their injuries. This makes it critical to consult with an attorney to discuss a potential case as soon as possible.
The Different Types of Car Accidents and Resulting Injuries
Many types of car accidents can
include:
- Rear-end collisions - These accidents involve one vehicle crashing into the rear of another, often when the driver in the back experiences certain distractions. They may also result when the driver in the back is driving too fast or doesn't leave enough space between vehicles to stop when the front vehicle slows or stops.
- Speeding - Many accidents involve speeding vehicles, which apply more force when colliding with other vehicles. As a result, speeding accidents often lead to serious injuries, fatalities, and extensive property damage.
- Rollover accidents - In rollover accidents, vehicles lose traction and flip, causing the vehicle to roll. These accidents may result in severe injuries due to the force experienced when the vehicle rolls.
- Head-on accidents - Accidents may also involve head-on collisions that result from two vehicles crashing directly into each other. The impact of these accidents frequently leads to serious injuries and fatalities.
- T-bone and broadside accidents - In some cases, one car may crash into the side of another, which is known as a T-bone or broadside accident. These accidents may cause injuries to drivers or passengers on the side of impact.
These car accidents in Hialeah could cause many types of injuries.
Some injuries that motorists, passengers, and pedestrians may sustain include:
- Whiplash - This involves damage to the soft tissue in the neck, such as muscles, ligaments, and tendons. They result from a sudden change in direction or a jolt experienced during a collision.
- Traumatic brain injuries (TBIs) - A person may develop a TBI when their head hits part of the vehicle such as the dashboard or door. Some TBIs may result in long-term damage to the brain and could leave victims in a vegetative state.
- Spinal cord injuries - A spinal cord injury involves disrupted communication between the brain and the nervous system. Symptoms could include pins and needles sensations, weakness, or numbness, but these injuries could also result in partial or total paralysis.
- Broken bones - The force involved in car accidents may cause broken bones, including bones in the legs, arms, ribs, head, neck, or face.
- Herniated discs - In accidents involving twisting or jarring of the back, the discs full of fluid in the vertebrae may rupture or become displaced. The result may be chronic pain that requires surgery to repair.
Negotiating With Insurance Companies After Car Accidents
Following any car accident, victims may want to file a claim with insurance companies.
In insurance negotiations, the adjuster isn't on the victim's side.
They may appear friendly and willing to agree, but they work for insurance companies that want to avoid paying high settlement amounts as much as possible. As a result, adjusters often make far lower offers than the claim's worth. Even if an initial offer sounds good, you shouldn't accept it without negotiating further.
When speaking with adjusters, you must also avoid admitting fault or otherwise making any statements that could hurt your claim. This could lead to significant reductions in settlement amounts, or the insurance company may choose to deny the claim. This makes it necessary to carefully communicate with insurance adjusters during negotiations.
To avoid potential issues when negotiating with insurance companies, consider having an attorney by your side. The Hialeah car accident lawyers at Dolman Law Group Accident Injury Lawyers, PA, have plenty of experience handling negotiations. We help our clients reach the highest possible settlement amount and can help avoid communication problems that might otherwise hinder a claim.
What to Do After a Car Accident in Hialeah
In a car accident in Hialeah or elsewhere, you must take the right steps to begin recovery if injured and maximize your chances of recovering compensation.
Here we'll review some of the key steps to take after an accident:
- Stay calm and collected - Following a collision, you may feel panic, but remain calm. Check to see if anyone, including yourself, has sustained injuries. If injuries or serious damage result from an accident, contact the authorities. If possible, begin exchanging information from the other driver, including names, contact details, and insurance information. You should also avoid admitting fault when communicating with others, even if you believe you were at fault, as this could hurt your case.
- Seek medical care - Regardless of the severity of your injuries, you should seek medical attention soon after the accident to create an official medical record. Some injuries may also appear minor at first but then worsen over time, requiring a proper diagnosis and early treatment to prevent symptoms from worsening. After seeking initial treatment, ensure you adhere to your doctor's treatment plan, keep receipts for all treatment, and keep a journal chronicling your recovery and discussing pain experienced, as this can all serve as evidence to support an injury claim or lawsuit.
- Obtain a police report - Once the authorities arrive and create a police report, get a copy of the report as soon as possible. This report could help support your claim. You should also record the names and badge numbers of the officers who arrive at the scene.
- Get witness information - If witnesses were present at the time of the accident, collect their names and contact information. Their testimony may further corroborate your claim.
- Gather physical evidence - If you can, take photos or record video footage of the accident scene. Ideally, you should record this evidence immediately after the accident. Footage to capture includes images of license plates, vehicle damage, injuries, and the accident scene.
- Contact an attorney - With the help of a Hialeah car accident attorney, you'll have the chance to protect your legal rights. Our attorneys can help recover and organize evidence to build a case, negotiate with insurance companies, and potentially take a case to trial as needed. Once you've collected all the necessary information to build a claim, our lawyers may be able to help use it to recover the highest possible amount of compensation.
Contact the Hialeah Car Accident Attorneys at Dolman Law Group Accident Injury Lawyers, PA
If you want to protect your legal rights and find out your options following a car accident in Hialeah, we can help you through a free consultation. We'll review your case and determine if you have a viable claim or lawsuit. If so, we can represent you.
If you would like a free consultation with our Hialeah car accident lawyers today, call Dolman Law Group Accident Injury Lawyers, PA, at 833-552-7274 (833-55-CRASH) or connect with us online today.