Auto Accident Questions
CAPE CORAL, FORT MYERS, LEE COUNTY, FLORIDA
If you are involved in an auto accident in Florida, the state’s “no-fault” laws apply. The term “no-fault” means that your Personal Injury Protection (PIP) coverage automatically covers eighty percent of your medical bills and up to sixty percent of lost wages regardless of who caused the accident. The remaining twenty percent is covered only if you previously purchased medical payments coverage as part of your auto insurance coverage.
To recover damages for pain and suffering, mental anguish, and similar issues, the state of Florida has set a threshold. The injured party must prove:
- Significant and permanent loss of an important bodily function
- Permanent injury within a reasonable degree of medical probability, other than scarring or disfigurement
- Significant and permanent scarring or disfigurement
- Death
For Florida drivers, the purchase of additional Uninsured / Underinsured Motorist Insurance is highly recommended, since Florida law does not require drivers to purchase Bodily Liability insurance to pay for your additional medical bills, and lost wages in the event of an accident.
Florida 2007 Traffic Statistics
The Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles reports the total number of traffic crashes for 2007 at 256,206, which averages to about 702 crashes per day. Of those crashes, 3,221 people were killed and 212,149 were injured.
Alcohol and drug related fatalities reached 1,426, but alcohol and drug-related injuries skyrocketed to 17,160. 530 pedestrians were killed, and 7,529 pedestrians were injured. Many of those pedestrians were intoxicated, or harmed by an intoxicated driver. More than 9,000 motorcyclists were injured or killed, and even bicycle riders did not escape harm, with about 4,400 bicyclists injured or killed on Florida’s roadways.
According to the Fatality Analysis Reporting System, (FARS), 37,248 individuals were killed in auto accidents in 2007 across the nation. Another 41,059 were killed as pedestrians or bicyclist or bystanders. Of every 100,000 people, almost fourteen percent lost their lives due to auto accidents in 2007.
Do you have questions about auto accidents in Florida? Have you or a loved one been injured or killed in an auto accident? The experienced auto accident attorneys at Lusk, Drasites, Tolisano & Smith, P.A. in Cape Coral and Fort Myers, Florida can help you put the pieces back together and fight for the justice and compensation you and your family deserve. Please contact us today to schedule your free consultation.
