A Car Accident Lawyer May Be Able to Determine if Negligence Was a Factor in Your Tampa, FL Crash

Sometimes car accidents are really just that – accidents. The people involved may have been doing their best to follow the rules of the road, when road conditions, a momentary lapse in attention, or a sudden change in the flow of traffic caught them off guard and a crash occurred. Other times though, one of the drivers is willfully ignoring good driving practices and creates a dangerous situation for others on the road. If this is the sort of thing that caused your crash, a car accident lawyer may tell you that you have a case for negligence. Here’s the legal definition of negligence: the failure to use reasonable care.  In other words, it means doing something a reasonable person wouldn’t.  For instance, driving 100 miles per hour down Route 275 in Tampa, or speeding through a rainstorm while texting.

A car accident lawyer, like any of those who work for Clark and Martino in Tampa, FL, P.A., will tell you that proving negligence in your case could mean:

• Determining who is legally at fault for the accident. This driver’s insurance company will likely be the one that is financially responsible for costs associated with injuries, property damage, and other losses associated with the accident. It’s important to note that in Florida, even if someone is declared negligent in an accident they aren’t automatically considered to be 100% at fault for the accident.
• A larger payout for you, if “gross negligence” can be proven on the part of the other driver. Gross negligence is behavior that is so unreasonable, is shows substantial disregard for anyone who could be injured as a result. In gross negligence cases, the victim’s car accident lawyer may seek punitive damages, which is money the negligent driver has to pay out on top of the money awarded for injuries, property damage, lost wages, and other losses.

If you’ve been injured in an accident and you think you may have a negligence case, contact a car accident lawyer at Clark and Martino, P.A. We’ll review your case for free to determine whether or not we can take it.