As the fourth-largest city in Pinellas County, Palm Harbor is filled with amazing restaurants and bars. The area is a fantastic spot to get away for a fun night out or meet up with friends and kick back with a cold alcoholic beverage. Unfortunately, individuals too often decide to get behind the wheel after a night of drinking with catastrophic results.
If you suffered harm because of a Palm Harbor drunk driving accident or lost a loved one from this horrifying accident, you should not deal with these life-changing repercussions on your own. Instead, reach out to a Palm Harbor drunk driving accident attorney at the Dolman Law Group Accident Injury Lawyers, PA, as soon as possible and go after the financial damages you deserve.
- Palm Harbor's Drunk Driving Accident Law Firm
- Common Types of Accidents Resulting From Drunk Driving in Palm Harbor
- Common Injuries Resulting From a Palm Harbor Drunk Driving Accident
- Local Issues in Palm Harbor You Should Know About When It Comes to Drunk Driving
- Compensation Following Your Palm Harbor Drunk Driving Accident
- What to Do Following a Palm Harbor Drunk Driving Accident
- You Want to Call Our Palm Harbor Drunk Driving Accident Lawyers
- How Our Palm Harbor Drunk Driving Accident Lawyers Can Help You
Palm Harbor's Drunk Driving Accident Law Firm
At the Dolman Law Group Accident Injury Lawyers, PA Accident Injury Lawyers, PA., our award-winning Palm Harbor personal injury attorneys have successfully argued complex personal injury cases across Florida's courtrooms, earning us a reputation for vigorously fighting for our clients from start to finish.
Due to this personalized attention to our clients and our goal of obtaining the results they both want and need, we have helped countless injured individuals over the years and secured millions of dollars for them through settlement negotiations and jury trial verdicts.
That is why if you or a loved one suffered harm in a Palm Harbor drunk driving accident, reach out to the Dolman Law Group Accident Injury Lawyers, PA Accident Injury Lawyers, PA, for a free case consultation. While we guarantee no results, reach out to us today to see what we can do for you. Our legal team can meet with you virtually for added convenience or in person at one of our Florida offices.
Common Types of Accidents Resulting From Drunk Driving in Palm Harbor
Every year Florida experiences over 800 deaths because of drunk driving, and almost 26 percent of all motorist deaths in the state result from alcohol-impaired crashes. Worse yet, while most people know that alcohol can impact their driving ability, they still risk getting behind the wheel after having too many drinks. As a result, it is unlikely that these numbers will go down anytime soon.
Alcohol is a substance that can impair thinking, reduce the brain's function, and impact muscle coordination and reasoning—all abilities that are imperative to operating a vehicle safely.
Consequently, some of the more common types of auto accidents that tend to result because of an intoxicated driver include:
- Head-on crashes
- Rear-end collisions
- Pedestrian collisions
- Wrong-way accidents, which usually occur when a motorist under the influence turns onto a one-way street or the wrong way on a highway entrance ramp and crashes into oncoming traffic
However, regardless of how your accident occurred, if you suffered harm because another driver was operating their vehicle while intoxicated, you should reach out to an experienced Palm Harbor drunk driving accident attorney as soon as possible. At the Dolman Law Group Accident Injury Lawyers, PA, our legal professionals can investigate your accident, determine if you have a valid legal claim, and help you fight for the justice you deserve and the money you need.
Common Injuries Resulting From a Palm Harbor Drunk Driving Accident
Unfortunately, the injuries can be catastrophic when it comes to drunk driving accidents.
Yet, while the severity of this trauma will often depend on the facts of the accident, in general, the more common types of injuries that result from these incidents include:
- Traumatic brain injuries
- Back and neck injuries
- Deep lacerations
- Soft tissue injuries
- Spinal cord damage
- Fractured bones
- Burns
- Internal injuries
- Internal bleeding
- Scarring and disfigurement
- Bruising
In addition, sadly, several of these injuries can also lead to life-long medical treatments that can result in astronomical medical bills causing financial troubles for the whole family. That is why it is often in your best interest to reach out to an experienced Palm Harbor drunk driving accident attorney as soon as possible after your accident. Our legal professionals can help you figure out the extent of your trauma and help ensure that they go after all the money you need to cover your current and future medical bills and expenses.
Local Issues in Palm Harbor You Should Know About When It Comes to Drunk Driving
While drunk driving can happen anywhere, in Palm Harbor, certain intersections and roadways can make these debilitating accidents even more prevalent.
For instance, consider the intersections that see the most collisions, injuries, and deaths in the area:
- U.S. 19 at 297th Avenue North
- U.S. 19 at Tampa Road
- U.S. 19 at Curlew Road
Another local issue that plays a critical role in these legal claims is the statute of limitations. This regulation dictates how long a person has to pursue legal action against the wrongful party following an alleged offense, such as an accident.
As a result, if an individual suffered harm in a Palm Harbor drunk driving accident, they will only have four years from the date of the crash to file their legal case. If they do not, they may not be able to pursue a legal claim to go after the compensation they are entitled to.
Exceptions to this rule can change this filing period. For these reasons, following a Palm Harbor drunk driving accident, you should quickly reach out to a drunk driving accident lawyer, like those at the Dolman Law Group Accident Injury Lawyers, PA Accident Injury Lawyers, PA.
Not only does our team have years of experience handling these tragic claims in this area and can provide you with the personalized attention you need, but we can also promptly review what happened, determine how much time you have to file your legal case, and prepare and submit your files, motions, and documents before this time expires.
Compensation Following Your Palm Harbor Drunk Driving Accident
Depending on the circumstances of your Palm Harbor drunk driving accident, you may be able to recover financial damages for your injuries and losses. These damages typically include:
Economic Damages
These economic damages refer to payment for the easily quantifiable losses that result from an accident.
They include:
- Medical bills related to doctor visits, hospitalization, medications, medical devices, surgeries, and other medical treatments
- Future medical care
- Personal property damages
- Lost wages
- Reduced earning capacity
- Replacement domestic services
- Other out-of-pocket bills
Non-Economic Damages
These damages refer to the hard-to-prove losses that result from an accident.
They include losses related to:
- Pain
- Suffering
- Emotional anguish
- Loss of companionship
- Loss of enjoyment of life
- Humiliation
- Disfigurement
- Limb loss
To understand the financial damages you may be entitled to, speak with an experienced Palm Harbor drunk driving accident attorney at Dolman Law Group Accident Injury Lawyers, PA Accident Injury Lawyers, PA. We always aim to pursue maximum compensation on behalf of our clients.
What to Do Following a Palm Harbor Drunk Driving Accident
Drunk driving accidents are tragic collisions that often result in tense and chaotic moments. However, even though the last thing you may want to do is gather evidence from the accident scene or talk to others about what happened, doing so can not only protect your health and safety but your legal rights. For these reasons, after a Palm Harbor drunk driving accident, you think about taking the following action:
Contact 911
After a drunk driving crash, you should call 911 right away. This is the quickest way to get the authorities to the accident and notify medical personnel that you or someone else at the scene needs medical help. Once the police get to the crash scene, they can perform their investigation and jot down their findings in their police report.
If you decide to pursue a legal claim after this collision, this police report can provide your lawyer with helpful details regarding what happened and who caused the crash.
Get to a Doctor
If you do not go to the hospital following a drunk driving collision, get to a doctor immediately. Sometimes severe medical conditions can take some time to manifest, such as head injuries or spinal cord damage, and the longer you wait to get these conditions checked out, the more debilitating they can become.
In addition, this medical care can also help your legal case. For instance, by not getting treatment after your accident, the insurance company will argue that your injuries are not that serious or a result of a separate event. Thankfully, when you get examined by a doctor, they can provide you with a medical report that can detail the extent of your injuries and provide your attorney with evidence of a direct connection between the harm and losses you endured and the drunk driving crash.
Look for Evidence
If possible, you should try to gather as much evidence from the collision as possible.
This should include pictures and videos of:
- The vehicles involved in the crash and their placement on the street
- The damage to your car
- Your visible injuries
- The weather conditions at the time of the accident
- Skid marks on the street
- Traffic signs and signals near the area
- Evidence that the other driver was intoxicated, such as alcohol bottles falling out of the car or their conduct
Check With the Other Drivers
Try to exchange information with the other drivers following the accident, including names, personal details (phone number, email address), driver's license numbers, and insurance information. However, if the other motorist appears to be under the influence of alcohol, and becomes unruly, do not put yourself at risk of getting hurt. Instead, leave this information gathering to the police. Your attorney can obtain this information from the police report later on.
Check for Witnesses
If people at the scene saw what happened, try to get their names and phone numbers. These individuals can not only provide your attorney with further details regarding what happened, but they can also offer testimony that can help substantiate your claim.
Yet, when you speak to these individuals and others following the accident, watch what you say. This means you want to avoid making any definitive comments about the incident, taking the blame for what occurred, or apologizing. These comments can come back and hurt your case, impacting the finical recovery you can obtain.
Keep All Your Records and Present Them to Your Attorney
Another thing you should consider doing is holding onto all your bills and records related to your drunk driving accident. Your attorney can use these documents and the medical and police report to help them prepare strong legal arguments on your behalf and go after the maximum compensation you deserve.
You Want to Call Our Palm Harbor Drunk Driving Accident Lawyers
After a devastating Palm Harbor drunk driving accident, you and your family will likely have many questions about the legal remedies you can pursue and how you can hold the wrongful party liable for the damages they caused. However, until you can get these questions answered by a drunk driving accident attorney, we have prepared responses to the following frequently asked questions that our clients and their loved ones often have after a drunk driving accident.
With the below answers, we hope you have a better idea of what you should do next following this tragic ordeal, the legal options you can pursue, and how a Palm Harbor drunk driving accident attorney can help you fight for the outcome you want.
How Much Compensation Can You Recover Following a Palm Harbor Drunk Driving Accident?
While an attorney can figure out what types of financial damages you can pursue after an accident, such as a drunk driving collision in Palm Harbor, these lawyers cannot guarantee you compensation following your accident. Too many factors that can affect the value of your claim.
Take, for instance:
- The type of injuries you endured and the extent of this trauma
- The medical treatments you will require following the accident
- The medical treatments you will need in the future
- The wrongdoer's culpability
- The credibility of the evidence and witnesses presented
- The ability to work following the drunk driving accident
- Your lost income
- The extent of your pain and suffering
- The ability to do activities you once did without help
While an attorney cannot promise that you will obtain a specific amount of money following your accident, when you work with an experienced attorney at the Dolman Law Group Accident Injury Lawyers, PA, our legal professionals can prepare strong legal arguments in response to these factors and fight for the compensation you deserve.
What Legal Options Do You Have if a Drunk Driver Killed a Loved One in Palm Harbor?
Under Florida's laws, a wrongful death occurs when a party causes another person's death by a wrongful act, default, breach of warranty or contract, or negligence. However, because of this death, the state allows a personal representative of the deceased individual's estate to file a wrongful death claim on behalf of the decedent's estate and their surviving family members.
Consequently, wrongful death damages typically include: damages awarded to the deceased individual's family and damages awarded to the deceased individual's estate.
Damages Paid to the Family
Typically the compensation paid to the deceased individual's family includes money for:
- Funeral and medical bills paid by the surviving family members
- The loss of support and services of the decedent
- The loss of companionship and protection provided by the decedent
- Pain and suffering
- The loss of parental instruction and guidance
Damages Paid to the Estate
The damages paid to the estate often include compensation for:
- Funeral, burial, and medical bills paid for by the estate
- The decedent's earnings and benefits they could have provided to retain as savings and leave as part of the estate had they survived the accident
- Lost wages, and other earnings from the date of the individual's injuries to the date of their death
When you work with our experienced Palm Harbor drunk driving accident lawyers, we can figure out not only if you can pursue legal action after your loved one's death and what damages you can pursue, but they can also help you go after the maximum financial recovery you and your family deserve.
How Long Does It Take for a Palm Harbor Drunk Driving Accident Claim to Resolve?
Unfortunately, no guidelines or regulations dictate how long a drunk driving case will take to resolve.
In truth, most attorneys can only give you a general idea of how long these claims may take to conclude, primarily because of the numerous factors that can impact this timeline, such as:
- The complexity of the case
- The extent and severity of the injuries involved
- The willingness of the insurer to negotiate fairly following the accident
- The investigation process
- The amount of time it will take you to reach maximum medical improvement
As a result, it can take these cases anywhere from weeks to years to resolve, especially if your attorney decides to take your case to trial. Fortunately, when you work with a Palm Harbor drunk driving accident lawyer at Dolman Law Group Accident Injury Lawyers, PA, we can fight for your rights every step of the way, no matter how long the process takes.
If the Insurance Company Wants to Talk Following the Palm Harbor Drunk Driving Collision, Should You Make a Statement?
Even in situations where an accident was clearly the fault of another driver because they were operating their vehicle under the influence, the insurance company may still try to take advantage of the situation to pay you less than you are entitled to.
Insurance companies are a business that wants to make money. By providing you with less money than you deserve, they make more money. That is why these insurance companies and their adjusters will often try to get you on the phone shortly after the incident in hopes of getting you to say something that can hinder your case and the amount of money you can get.
For these reasons, before you speak with the company or their adjusters, you should discuss your case with an experienced Palm Harbor drunk driving accident attorney at the Dolman Law Group Accident Injury Lawyers, PA.
Our attorneys can help you not only understand the deceptive tactics the insurance company may try on you, but we can also take on these conversations for you so you do not say something that can hurt your case and reduce the money you can receive.
If the Drunk Driver Was Convicted of a DUI in Palm Harbor, Can This Help Prove the Civil Suit You Are Pursuing?
Depending on the circumstances of your drunk driving accident, you may be able to pursue legal action against the wrongful party. However, one thing you need to show to pursue these actions is that the alleged drunk driver was responsible for your injuries, or more specifically, that the drunk driver's actions were the direct cause of your harm.
Typically, if an individual committed a crime where a civil action can commence, the civil case will take place after the criminal trial's conclusion. In addition, because the criminal case has a much higher burden of proof than the civil court's case, the evidence admissible in a criminal trial will generally be permitted in the civil court.
This means that any evidence used to help find the drunk driver guilty in criminal court will usually be admissible to help prove they were negligent in the civil case, and their actions resulted in the victim's injuries and losses.
Plus, the doctrine of negligence per se can be used to find that someone guilty of breaking the law is civilly liable. Or in other words, when an individual is found guilty of violating the drunk driving laws in the state, this charge can establish negligence in the civil case with very little other evidence required.
Can You Sue a Palm Harbor Restaurant or Bar That Served Too Much Alcohol to the At-Fault Drunk Driver?
Dram shop laws usually govern the legal responsibilities of a person or establishment that serves alcohol to an individual who caused an injury or death due to their intoxication. However, in Florida, these laws are limited. In fact, in the state, people or establishments that sell alcohol are usually not held liable for accidents caused by the people they serve unless the at-fault party was a minor or the person was known to be habitually addicted to alcohol.
As a result, it is advisable to speak with an experienced Palm Harbor drunk driving accident attorney as soon as possible following a drunk driving accident. These lawyers can help you figure out who was at fault for your injuries and make sure to hold all these parties accountable for your damages.
Will Your Case Have to Go to Trial to Receive Compensation For Your Harm and Injuries?
Because Florida is a no-fault auto insurance state, the injured parties will first have to rely on their own insurer to cover damages. The only way to pursue compensation from the other party is if you suffered serious injuries or the liability limits of your personal injury coverage can't cover all your medical expenses, lost income, and ongoing care needs.
However, due to the severity of drunk driving accidents, many drunk driving victims get to pursue a claim with the at-fault driver's insurance company. Yet, when dealing with these insurance companies, it is common for these carriers to issue lowball offers, pressuring claimants to accept far less compensation than what they deserve.
Consequently, depending on the insurance company's circumstances and willingness to work with you on your case, your attorney may decide to take your claim to court and fight for a fair financial recovery.
Yet, insurance companies know that juries usually tend to award extensive damages when cases involve drunk drivers and the victim proves their injuries resulted from these accidents. That is why in many instances, the insurance company will want to settle the case following this type of accident to avoid the courtroom.
For these reasons, if you want to understand your legal options and your chance of heading to trial, you should speak with a Palm Harbor drunk driving accident attorney, like those at the Dolman Law Group Accident Injury Lawyers, PA as soon as you can. These attorneys can figure out what legal action you can take and help you go after maximum compensation.
How Our Palm Harbor Drunk Driving Accident Lawyers Can Help You
Even though no compensation will ever help you truly get over a drunk driving accident and its repercussions, obtaining just compensation for your harm and losses can help you rebuild your life and get the compensation needed for needed medical treatments.
That is why following this devastating accident, work with an experienced Palm Harbor drunk driving accident attorney at Dolman Law Group Accident Injury Lawyers, PA.
Once hired, we can:
- Review the facts of your drunk driving collision, determine if you have a valid legal case, and determine what legal options you can pursue.
If a drunk driving accident in Palm Harbor disrupted your life or the life of a loved one, do not wait to get the legal help you need. Instead, contact the Dolman Law Group Accident Injury Lawyers, PA, at (727) 677-5558 for your free case consultation and find out how our legal team can help you fight for the money and justice you deserve.
Palm Harbor Office Location
2385 Tampa Road Suite 4
Palm Harbor, FL 34684
(727) 677-5558
Client Testimonial
“AMAZING and understanding attorneys! Did great on my case and I highly recommend Dolman Law Group Accident Injury Lawyers, PA for anyone that has been injured in an accident!"
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Koralis R.
Jan 2020
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