car accident lawyer

Palm Beach Car Accident Lawyers Explore Why Driving is Getting Deadlier

January 5, 2024 | by David J. Halberg, Esq.

Reckless drivers have caused damage and death on our roads as long as there have been motor vehicles. Although Palm Beach car accident lawyers can attest it had been getting safer in recent decades, we’re now in the midst of one of three historically huge spikes in U.S. traffic deaths.

As detailed in a recent analysis by The New York Times, the first uptick occurred early in the 20th century, when cities were first flooded with large numbers of new, unskilled drivers. The second occurred at the midcentury mark, with the unveiling of the freeway system and powerful vehicles that could go from 0 to 60 mph in mere seconds. Nearly 51,000 traffic deaths were reported in a single year in the 1960s, rivaling the number of U.S. soldiers killed in combat during the entirety of the Vietnam War.

From 1972 to 2011, traffic deaths started declining. Vehicles got safer. The government began requiring stronger roofs and doors. Seat belt laws were passed. Airbags became standard. Medical advances were made. Crashes that would have killed people in the 1960s now only result in a broken leg. Accountability for bad driving behavior, like DUIs and later cell phone use, got more stringent. Young drivers were required not only to pass driver’s education courses, but also to complete graduated driver’s license schedules before being granted a full license.

West Palm Beach Car Accident Attorney Fees When Insurers Reject Fair Settlements

November 7, 2023 | by David J. Halberg, Esq.

Dealing with insurance companies can be a pain, as anyone who’s ever been in a South Florida car accident knows. Lawmakers recognize it too. That’s why there are legal protections in place to ensure fair play. Insurers are legally bound to act in good faith when handling claims. When they don’t, courts can impose financial sanctions. hands of attorneys, seated at a table with hands on documents as they negotiate; a gavel and justice scales are on the table

One example of bad faith insurance is when an auto insurer rejects a fair settlement offer in a pending lawsuit. As our West Palm Beach car accident attorneys can explain, if the case proceeds and the plaintiff wins a judgment totaling 25 percent or more than the settlement offer, the court can order the insurer to pay the plaintiff’s attorney’s fees.

Few things to note: Plaintiffs don’t pay West Palm Beach car accident attorneys’ fees upfront. These services are provided on a contingency fee basis, meaning we aren’t paid unless or until you win. Our fee is derived as a percentage of the amount you win. But when a defendant is required to pay attorney’s fees, it means the plaintiff keeps the entire damage award and the defendant covers our fees. Insurers would obviously rather avoid that outcome.

In a recent case dealing with this issue, Florida’s 2nd District Court of Appeal held that an auto insurer’s long-delayed payment of UM policy limits – after rejecting an earlier lower settlement offer by the plaintiff – amounted to a “confession of judgment” that can be used as grounds to justify an order for the insurer to pay the plaintiff’s attorney fees. Continue reading

Florida Car Accident Defective Seat Belt Claim Against Manufacturer Fails Timeliness Test

April 10, 2023 | by David J. Halberg, Esq.

When it comes to defective or dangerous products – including cars and their parts – the State of Florida gives claimants 12 years from the delivery of the product to its first purchaser in which to file a claim for harm caused by that product. Palm Beach personal injury lawyer

That might sound like a lot of time, but consider that more than 1 in 5 cars and trucks driven in the U.S. are 16+ years-old. That means right now, if you’re driving a 2011 or older model car, it might be too late for any product liability claims – in Florida at least.

The one exception would be, as noted in 95.031(2)(b), if the manufacturer – through its officers, directors, partners, or managing agents had actual knowledge that the product was defective in the manner alleged by the claimant AND took affirmative steps to conceal this defect. Confidentiality of trade secrets don’t count. In those cases, the statute of limitations can be “tolled” – or paused – for the time period of the fraud/coverup.

As our Palm Beach personal injury lawyers can explain, this is an important exception particularly for those taking action against auto manufacturers because these companies have been collectively fined billions of dollars over the last decade for doing just that. General Motors was fined $900 million in 2015 for concealing dangerous car defects. Toyota was fined $1.3 billion for a deadly cover-up over two safety issues that led to unintended acceleration. Ten of the world’s biggest automakers were sued in 2015 for allegedly concealing the risks of carbon monoxide poisoning in some 5 million cars equipped with keyless ignitions, which ultimately led to 5 deaths. The list goes on – defective airbags, defective seat belts, defective doors, defective engines… And much of it covered up from the public and government regulators, sometimes for decades.

However, as a recent Florida car accident case over an allegedly defective seat belt showed, proving actual knowledge isn’t necessarily a cakewalk. It may come down to who exactly in the organization knew what – and when. Continue reading

Distracted Rideshare Drivers Can Cause Deadly Florida Car Accidents

October 20, 2022 | by David J. Halberg, Esq.

We all know distracted driving is deadly, claiming more than 3,100 lives a year, according to the NHTSA. And yet, rideshare drivers have something of a built-in distraction with the need to multitask on the road. They rely on a driver app that must be checked constantly for customers, directions, mileage, and payments. West Palm Beach car accident lawyer

A precedential South Florida product liability lawsuit slated for an upcoming trial alleges a ridesharing app creates an unreasonable danger that puts the public at risk of injuries. Although the case stemmed from a South Florida car accident, it’s filed as a product liability lawsuit on the basis of strict liability. In the legal world, a personal injury lawsuit alleging strict liability allows a defendant to be held legally responsible for the outcomes of their actions – regardless of whether the person was at-fault or negligent.

The upcoming Florida rideshare injury lawsuit, pending in the Palm Beach Circuit Court, accuses Lyft, a California company, and its Florida subsidiary, of creating/using an app is unreasonably dangerous and distracts drivers to the extent it causes crashes. In this particular case, the January 2019 crash on State Road A1A resulted in another driver suffering substantial and lasting brain injuries. The victim was leaving work at a local resort when the Lyft driver allegedly struck her at an intersection. She spent more than a month in the hospital after the crash, and for a time after that, required 24-aid and attendant care. She also underwent extensive occupational therapy, physical therapy, and other specialty care.

Hertz is also named in the injury lawsuit, as a partnership between Lyft and Hertz allows rideshare drivers to rent Hertz rental cars for their rides.

The original complaint notes that drivers are required to constantly monitor their apps for financial gain (obtaining rides that generate revenue). In addition to a claim of strict liability defective design, plaintiffs allege direct negligence in hiring an independent contractor.

Are Florida Rideshare Drivers Inherently More Distracted?

“Can I Be Sued if Someone Else Wrecks My Car in South Florida?”

August 20, 2022 | by David J. Halberg, Esq.

As Palm Beach personal injury lawyers, our clients are those who have been impacted by the negligence or wrongdoing of others. However, we have occasionally heard of incredulous third-party defendants who wonder how they could possibly be held liable for someone else’s misdeeds. But there are quite a few instances in Florida injury law wherein statute allows for vicarious and third-party liability. Car accident cases may be among these. West Palm Beach injury lawyer

In general, there are three ways third parties can be liable for Florida car accidents:

Drunk driving accidents. In drunk driving accidents, third parties, such as bars or social hosts, can be held legally responsible per F.S. 768.125, if they either served alcohol to the impaired driver prior to the crash – knowing they were either under the age of 21 or habitually addicted to alcohol. This is called “dram shop liability.”
Employers of negligent drivers. If a tow truck driver is on the job and runs a red light, crashing into another car and causing serious injuries, the tow truck driver’s employer may be held liable – even if the company technically did nothing wrong. Employers can be held vicariously liable for the negligence of their employees if the workers were acting in the course and scope of employment at the time of the incident. This is based on a legal doctrine called respondeat superior, which is Latin for “let the master answer.”
Vehicle owners. This is where we sometimes hear the question, “Can I be sued in South Florida if someone else wrecks my car?” And the answer is: Yes. Florida is a little unique in this because of its recognition of the dangerous instrumentality doctrine. Basically, it was established in the 1920s by the Florida Supreme Court that motor vehicles are recognized as inherently dangerous instruments. As such, if you own one and you allow someone to use it (with express or implied permission) and that person goes on to operate it in a way that is negligent and causes harm to others, YOU can be held legally responsible. This is another example of vicarious liability for someone else’s negligence. However, it only applies if you have given that driver permission. If someone steals your car and then wrecks it, you would not be vicariously liable in that instance.

Sometimes, vehicle owners can be found directly negligent too – even if they weren’t operating the vehicle. As our Palm Beach personal injury lawyers can explain, there may also be grounds for negligence as well. Continue reading

Types of Damages in a Palm Beach Car Accident Lawsuit

March 18, 2022 | by David J. Halberg, Esq.

Recently, a 29-year-old car accident victim was awarded $16 million+ following a protracted Florida legal battle against her own auto insurance company. Although multi-million dollar verdicts are not the norm for most Florida crash cases, our Palm Beach car accident attorneys are sometimes asked about what type of damages one can expect in a typical crash case. Palm Beach car accident lawyer

It’s important to note that every auto accident case is different. Still, factors that can play into the amount a person expects to receive can include:

The severity of injuries involved.
Who was at-fault (and to what extent – if at all – the plaintiff/injured person shares fault).
Whether the at-fault parties are adequately insured.
How many victims there were (the more victims, typically the less money available per victim).
Whether the injured parties are covered by uninsured/underinsured motorist coverage.

Now let’s look at the facts of the recent $16 million car accident verdict, as detailed by The Florida Times-Union. Continue reading

What if My Florida Car Accident Damages Exceed the Insurance Policy Limits?

July 28, 2021 | by David J. Halberg, Esq.

All vehicle owners in Florida are required to carry auto insurance. However, as our Palm Beach car accident lawyers can explain, those policy limits are sometimes hardly enough to cover your losses. Beyond that, insurance researchers report 1 in 5 drivers in Florida have no insurance at all. Palm Beach car accident attorney

In cases where a car accident victim’s damages (or amount of losses) are higher than the insurance policy limits, the defendant driver may be personally liable for the rest. We may also look to other potential avenues of liability, such as your own uninsured/underinsured motorist coverage carrier, the owner of the vehicle defendant was driving (if different from the at-fault driver) or other third parties (businesses, government agencies, etc.).

By working with an experienced South Florida injury lawyer, you are assured that someone is fighting for your full and fair compensation. Continue reading

Florida’s No-Fault Car Insurance Law May Be Steering Toward an Exit

May 27, 2021 | by David J. Halberg, Esq.

Florida lawmakers want to put the brakes on the state’s decades-old no-fault car insurance law. Both the state Senate and House passed a measure that would repeal the seventies-era statute requiring personal injury protection (PIP) coverage in favor of a system that would instead require all drivers to carry bodily injury liability coverage. West Palm Beach car accident lawyer

Our West Palm Beach car accident attorneys know the decision, which is now in Gov. Ron DeSantis’ court, could have a significant impact in the way we pursue damages in Florida car accident cases.

This state is one of only a handful remaining that uses the no-fault system of car insurance. As it stands, all vehicle owners are required per F.S. 627.736 to purchase PIP, which offers up to $10,000 in medical expense and wage loss reimbursements per crash and $5,000 for funeral expenses, regardless of fault. Those figures have stayed the same since 1979 (seven years after the law first went into effect), failing to keep a realistic pace with current medical expenses and other costs. Further, a more recent update to the law caps the recovery amount to $2,500 if the injuries don’t require emergency treatment. Continue reading

Dealing With Insurance Companies After a South Florida Car Accident

February 15, 2020 | by David J. Halberg, Esq.

Insurance companies play a key role in the aftermath of any South Florida car accident – no matter who is at-fault. Although you may be able to manage a very minor fender-bender claim on your own directly with an adjuster, anything involving injuries or substantial property damage warrants a consultation with an attorney. Florida car accident attorney

The reason is that regardless of the feel-good slogans of auto insurers, they are not “on your side.” This is true even if it’s your own insurer you’re dealing with. The fact that you’re the one paying the premiums every month generally doesn’t make insurers any more inclined to issue a payout.

Possible Insurance Claims in a Florida Car Accident

The types of claims you can file in a South Florida car accident will depend heavily on what exactly happened, how seriously you were hurt and the terms of the insurance policies involved. Continue reading

Florida Crash Victim’s Family Wins $13M Verdict, Will Pursue Bad Faith Insurance Claim

December 12, 2019 | by David J. Halberg, Esq.

The widower and surviving children of a 36-year-old woman killed in a Florida car accident three years ago have secured a $13 million verdict against the estate of the driver who caused the crash by making an illegal pass. The family’s wrongful death lawyer says the next step is to pursue a bad faith insurance claim against the auto insurance company that acted in bad faith in failing to settle this claim before trial. West Palm Beach wrongful death lawyers

As our West Palm Beach wrongful death lawyers can explain, bad faith insurance claims are those stemming from an insurance company’s failure to act in a reasonable manner when processing, investigating and paying a claim. This remedy exists because legislators and courts recognized that when it comes to settling claims, insurers are in the driver’s seat. They have more expertise, negotiating strength and financial resources than any claimant. That makes good faith and fair dealing of insurers essential. But that doesn’t mean they always do.

Working with an experienced wrongful death lawyer can help reduce the chances that an insurer will attempt to undercut you with a low-ball settlement or refuses to settle for a reasonable amount. If that doesn’t happen, a good lawyer can help you begin to gather evidence to build a solid case for bad faith insurance. Continue reading