Miami-Dade County was the site of 65,986 car collisions in 2017. If you spend any time in the car, there's a good chance you could become a victim of an accident. Even the safest of drivers could find themselves injured in an accident.

Finding out who is liable for your accident is extremely important. Find out why liability matters and what happens if you're not responsible for the accident.

What Should You Do?

Immediately after your accident, you need to seek medical treatment. Even if you feel okay and uninjured, it's still best to get yourself checked by a competent doctor. This way, you'll discover whether you have injuries requiring immediate medical attention to avoid further complications.  

You also should notify the police of the accident and wait for them to come to the scene. Having a police officer at the accident scene is essential. They'll investigate what happened and put all their findings in a police report. If you're not at fault, you can use the police report to prove that the other driver's negligence caused the accident.

After that, you might not know what to expect. If the accident is your fault, the process is pretty straightforward. You'll go through your own insurance company and file a claim. Then, you'll pay the deductible and have some of your expenses covered.

However, the process is different for accidents if you have no-fault. Despite Florida's no-fault laws, you can go through the other party's insurance. Doing so isn't always easy. For one, you need to prove that you did not cause the accident. You must have evidence that the other driver was at least partially to blame for the collision. Also, you must show with the help of medical records that your injuries directly resulted from the car accident.  

After that, you need to fight for compensation. You're entitled to money for your vehicle damage, medical bills, and lost wages. If you want the money you deserve, you may need to work with a personal injury lawyer. The insurance company can put up quite the fight. 

Why Do You Need an Attorney?

There's a common misconception that drivers who aren't liable for an accident don't need legal representation. But you could argue that drivers who are not at-fault have a greater need for an attorney.

There are a few reasons for this. First, there's the fact that the odds are against you. As mentioned earlier, the insurance company doesn't want to give you the money you deserve. So, they will try to place the blame in your court. By twisting your words, they can argue that you caused the accident.

Moreover, they'll also use some other tricks to diminish or reject your claim for unjustifiable reasons. Some of these tricks include pushing for delays, asking for a recorded statement, and minimizing your medical expenses by claiming that there are gaps in your medical treatment and that your treatment isn't related to the injury.  

Hence, ensure you have an experienced legal professional while negotiating with the insurance company to safeguard your interests and secure a just settlement. A lawyer knows what to expect. They will do what it takes to convince the insurance company that you were innocent. By collecting evidence, your lawyer can make a strong case for you. Then, the insurance company will have to payout.

Secondly, there's the issue of fair compensation. Even if the insurance company agrees that you're not liable for the accident, they could give you a low settlement offer. If you don't know any better, you could accept the settlement. But this would leave you on the hook for some of the accident expenses.

An attorney knows how much money you deserve. Once they calculate your damages, they'll work towards getting you enough money to cover all of your accident expenses and more. 

Generally, there are different types of damages in a car accident claim. You can recover compensation for economic damages or those that are readily quantifiable, such as payment of medical bills and lost wages and earning capacity. You can also be compensated for non-economic damages or those that aren't quantifiable, such as pain, suffering, and emotional distress.  

Getting a Helping Hand

After your accident, you have a lot to handle. With the right team of lawyers, you can get the help you need. They do all of the leg work while you worry about recovering. All you need to do is listen to their advice and get the medical care you need.

In some cases, you may need to file a personal injury claim against the other driver. In most collisions, at least one driver commits an act of negligence that causes the accident. As a result, you may be able to file a personal injury claim against the driver. Your attorney can take on your case and seek compensation.