Shiner Law Group » Orlando Car Accident Lawyer

Orlando Car Accident Lawyer

Were you recently injured in a car accident in Orlando, FL? Our experienced Orlando car accident lawyers at Shiner Law Group are ready to help you fight for your legal rights and get the compensation you deserve. Call us today at (407) 305-0566 to speak with an attorney for a 100% free consultation.

You may be entitled to seek compensation for medical bills, loss of income, pain and suffering, and more. Contact our Orlando, FL law offices to discuss the legal options that might be available to you following your car accident. The next steps are very important. Let Shiner Law Group help you with your car accident case today.

Were You Injured In A Car Accident In Orlando?

Orlando is one of Florida’s most sought-after destinations, both for those who want to settle down here as well as tourists, both domestic and international, who come to visit the many attractions that are located within its city limits and nearby, such as Walt Disney World and Universal Orlando.

In fact, Orlando has experienced the second-fastest growth rate amongst the country’s 30 largest cities, which has resulted in about 1,000 new residents settling down here every week. In addition, the city was named the country’s 2022 travel and tourism city destination.

However, all of those residents and visitors traversing Orlando’s roads result in vehicles being driven on them at an ever-increasing rate, which increases the chances of you experiencing a car accident, receiving injuries to yourself and others, and damage to your vehicle, likely resulting in you considering consulting the services of an Orlando car accident attorney, such as Shiner Law Group.

If you do find yourself in this situation, keep in mind that we possess a team of dedicated car accident lawyers who are experienced with these types of cases and know how to work with the laws in Orlando and in Florida as a whole as well as with insurance companies to get you fairly compensated.

What To Do After a Car Accident in Orlando

Some of the most important steps that you can take as it relates to getting compensated to the degree that you deserve for damages incurred from a car accident should be completed right after it occurred.

It is understandable to be in a state of shock in the immediate aftermath of a car accident as in many of these cases, you were simply driving or being driven on what was likely a normal trip to the store, work, school or elsewhere. For that reason, you should have the below steps in mind before this situation occurs so that they can be completed more instinctually. Conversely, if that is no longer possible, do any missing tasks from this list to the best of your ability as soon as you can.

See if you or anyone else, including those outside your vehicle, have been injured.
Request medical attention, if necessary.
Request the police so that, at a minimum, a police report may be filed.
Record all relevant details. This should include contact information, insurance information, and license plate numbers for others involved in the accident.
Take pictures of the accident scene, including any vehicles or other related structures or elements. Include pictures of any injuries as well as the road and weather conditions.
Speak with a lawyer. You may want to do this before talking to any insurance companies as what may seem to you like seemingly innocuous statements said to a representative could hurt your case later. If you talk with your insurance company first, only provide basic details, such as stating that you were in an accident, that you are injured, and that your vehicle has suffered damage. Do not provide details at this time. A copy of the relevant police report and any photos you took could also be provided.

How an Orlando Car Accident Lawyer Can Help

If you got injured in a car accident in Orlando, you are most likely going to need the funds necessary to help you recover from those injuries. Remember that you may not initially fully realize the ramifications of what you experienced. In many cases, an injury will prove to be much more significant than was initially believed to be the case.

For example, you might not even feel injured, possibly as a result of experiencing shock, but later you realize what happened, whether through symptoms that did not immediately present themselves or an examination revealing injuries that you did not realize had occurred. Common conditions often not immediately realized include back injuries, soft tissue injuries, whiplash, and concussions.

Other injuries that may be experienced during a car accident that are generally more immediately realized are ones related to spinal cords, broken bones, internal bleeding, organ damage, bruises, lacerations, and burns.

Psychological trauma, such as post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), can also result. Examples of psychological effects of an auto accident include experiencing panic attacks, flashbacks, disturbed sleep, a loss of interest in activities that used to be enjoyed, and personality alterations.

In some cases, one or more people die as a result of a car accident in Orlando, and you are a loved one looking to receive compensation for next of kin and other individuals.

Frequent Causes of Orlando Car Accidents

Unfortunately, numerous activities can cause car accidents on Orlando’s streets and highways. Examples include:

Drunk driving
Driving while under the influence of drugs
Driving while drowsy
Being distracted while driving; distractions may be physical or mental
Not adjusting to changing weather or road conditions
Driving recklessly, such as running through red lights, changing lanes in an unsafe manner, and speeding

Note that distractions can also involve drivers being unsure of where they are going, which is often the case for many tourists traveling on Orlando-area roads. One of the worst examples of something like this is when a driver is physically looking at a map or directions while driving.

Also take into account that although Florida did pass a law banning texting while driving in 2019, it has been rarely enforced. For example, during the time of the state’s initial census of texting violations, Orange County’s sheriff’s office wrote just 114 texting-while-driving tickets while the Orlando Police Department did so on only 12 occasions.

Also, drivers here are still legally allowed to have a hand on their phone while driving to navigate, check traffic alerts, view weather conditions, and make phone calls in all areas except construction and school zones.

Other possible contributing factors to Orlando auto accidents include:

Driving with defective vehicle parts
Road conditions that are poor through negligence or related factors
Medical conditions

Types of Orlando Car Accidents

Our law firm is experienced in handling Florida-based auto accidents of all types. Our lawyers understand the nuances that each of these possesses as they relate to the law and to insurance companies. With that said people do tend to experience the following common types of car accidents more so than others.

Multi-vehicle accidents involve more than two vehicles. One example would occur if a car is illegally turned into an intersection, causing another driver who had expected to have it to themself to slam on their breaks, and this results in a crash with the illegally turned car as well as with someone behind the initial person who had applied their breaks rear-ending them. In rare cases, multi-vehicle accidents can involve dozens of cars. Fog is a common cause of that latter type.

Rear-end collisions involve one car’s front colliding with another’s behind. In many cases, this has been caused by the one in the back not allowing enough distance to be created between the two vehicles, particularly if weather or road conditions require this to be longer than would have otherwise been the case.

Head-on collisions result when cars being driven toward each other collide. This can occur when a vehicle is driven down a one-way road in the wrong direction or is on the opposite side of the highway than it should be. The damage often caused by these types of accidents can be tremendous due to the combined forces of the vehicles coming together at the point of impact.

Side collisions can be particularly impactful for those who have been T-boned since there is relatively little protection for the driver and passengers when they are hit from the side as compared to being hit from the front or the back. These often involve a turn by one of the vehicles, but they can also occur when both cars are going straight, but their drivers believe that the intersection is freely available for them to traverse when it is not. For example, one of those drivers may have gone through a red light.

The following example is not a type of auto accident but involves a party deserting the scene. Hit-and-run accidents, by their nature, generally make it difficult to find out who may be at fault and who damages may be pursued from. In this case, our lawyers would research the situation as fully as possible. This process may include garnering access to and analyzing nearby security footage. Of course, if you or a witness can note the fleeing vehicle’s license plate number, that would be significant. If not, security footage may show it.

Most Dangerous Roads and Intersections in Orlando

According to a Time magazine article that analyzed available data from 2003-12, the intersection of Old Cheney Highway and North Semoran Boulevard is not only Orlando’s most dangerous but is also one of the nation’s most dangerous. Every intersection on that nationwide list had been where at least six fatal accidents had occurred in that 10-year span.

Meanwhile, a recent analysis discovered that East Colonial Drive to the east of Orlando is one of the Sunshine State’s deadliest roads, with 16 fatal accidents have occurred on a 5-mile stretch there, which is also named State Road 50, from 2017-19.

One more recent example of a pedestrian-vehicle fatal accident that took place there occurred in March of 2023 when a pedestrian was killed on this road after a driver struck him that evening near the intersection of it and Sandy Creek Lane.

Data provided by https://cdan.dot.gov/

Financial Consequences of an Orlando Auto Accident

The financial consequences of experiencing an auto accident on Orlando’s roads can be significant.

These may be direct, such as the cost of medical expenses related to those injured in the accident, as they recover as best as possible. Note that these medical costs are lifelong in some cases. Another type of direct financial consequence is related to property damage. This may involve your car, but it can also involve other types of property that were part of the accident. Examples could include buildings adjacent to that street or signs or fences that crashed through during the accident.

A notable example of an indirect financial consequence is lost wages due to being unable to work or working substantially fewer hours because of the repercussions of having suffered an auto accident. The quality of the work that the individual is doing may also be decreased, such as if they work with a machine, but the accident resulted in a broken arm, making that not as easily done for a time period. Accident-caused brain damage may affect work quality as well.

What Compensation Is Available for Orlando Auto Accident Victims?

Depending on who is at fault and to what degree, you may receive compensation for various damages and losses that resulted from the Orlando-area auto accident that you or a loved one were a part of. Examples include:

property damage
medical expenses
physical and emotional pain and suffering
loss of consortium, meaning a loss of or dramatic change in companionship
lost wages already incurred and expected in the future

You may also be eligible for punitive damages, which are damages that go beyond what would normally be awarded. Even though the intent of punitive damages is more so to punish the perpetrator who was engaging in an act that was deemed to be especially dangerous or harmful and, more to the point, deter others from doing the same in the future, it is to reward any victims, the latter group will in fact receive those additional funds.

What Does an Orlando Car Accident Lawyer Do?

An Orlando car accident lawyer engages in numerous activities while ensuring that you receive fair compensation for the experience you have endured. These range from investigating the accident to representing you in court if it comes to that. Here is a list of some examples of what a car accident attorney does:

Communicate relevant laws and rights to you
Compile evidence
Determine who was at fault and to what degree, as multiple parties are at fault in some cases
Develop a comprehensive plan for attaining for you what you deserve
Communicate and negotiate with insurance companies
Represent you in court

How Much Does an Orlando Car Accident Attorney Cost?

It costs you nothing to utilize Shiner Law Group’s services. This starts with the free consultation that we offer and continues through a court case, should there be one. How we get paid is through a percentage of what you are awarded. If we are not successful, you will never pay anything to us.

Who Is Legally Responsible For an Orlando Car Accident?

Determining who is legally responsible for an auto accident is oftentimes much more complicated of a process than it may seem at first glance. However, that is something that we at Shiner Law Group are well-versed in doing as we look at every aspect of it in determining who is negligent and to what degree.

For example, we can see how much of a factor distracted driving may have played a role and, if so, how the laws of Orlando or a nearby city, Orange County and Florida, relate to that. Possible road rage is another potential factor that we consider. Regardless of a person’s mental state at the time, if any driving-related laws were violated in connection with the accident, such as speeding or not stopping at a stop sign, that will also be looked at. So will any preexisting medical conditions that may have impacted the situation.

Or perhaps negligence was more so the fault of a government or company not on-site at the time of the accident. One or the other may be the case if road conditions or faulty car parts play roles. Or perhaps driver-assisted technology was not working as intended and partially or fully caused the accident.

In some cases, numerous entities may be found negligent. For example, if one person was driving while intoxicated while the other party was driving a car with a defective part, both the drunk driver and the company that created that defective part could be at fault to varying degrees.

With all that said, keep in mind that how much you can be awarded also depends on the available assets and funds that those at fault have and what type of insurance was held at the time. Unfortunately, according to the Insurance Information Institute, in 2019, Florida had the sixth-highest rate of uninsured motorists: 20%. For that reason, many Floridians possess personal injury protection (PIP), which is insurance that pays out regardless of who is at fault. In fact, having PIP coverage is required here, but, as that statistic showed, far from everyone has purchased it.

Note that PIP coverage is limited and that possessing it generally does not cover all car accident-related expenses. If you doubt whether it does or not in your case, reach out to us.

Time Frame to File a Car Accident Claim in Orlando, FL

If the car accident that injured you or injured or killed a loved one is not recent, you are going to want to keep the relevant statutes of limitations in mind. In most cases, Florida law states that you have up to two years from the date of the accident to file related to any damages that resulted from it. However, if the lawsuit is related to one or more deaths that were connected with it, the relevant statute of limitations is two years, and that clock starts when the individual dies, not when the accident occurred, relevant for those situations when someone hurt by the crash did not die during or immediately after it but did so later as a result of those injuries.

Car Accident Negotiations With Insurance Companies

It cannot be understated how important it is to have a law firm on your side that understands the tactics that insurance companies utilize to pay as little as possible and have you agree to that and how essential it is for you to be careful with what you say to representatives of insurance companies without legal representation. One common tactic to be wary of is a representative feigning concern while asking if you are okay and using your reply against you later when you may not have even known the full extent of your injuries.

Also, remember that they may closely monitor your social media outlets to see if you say anything there that they can use to minimize how much they will need to pay you.

What To Consider in an Orlando Car Accident Attorney

It is essential to select the best car accident attorney in Orlando after you or a loved one has suffered a car accident there. Here are some factors to consider when making this decision:

Lawyer’s experience with car accident cases in the Orlando area
Lawyer’s expertise with relevant laws
Lawyer’s ability to communicate effectively with insurance companies
Lawyer’s track record in these types of cases
Lawyer’s responsiveness
Lawyer’s proactiveness in keeping you updated on the status of your case
Lawyer’s cost

As you consider these things, consult references from previous clients.

Speak With A Shiner Law Group Orlando Car Accident Lawyer Today

Shiner Law Group has a long and impressive history of providing expert representation to those involved in auto accidents throughout Florida. More than 99% of past clients report being satisfied with our services, and the Better Business Bureau has also awarded us an A+ rating. Part of the reason for these accolades is that we offer our knowledge and experience with the law and provide proactive communication and compassionate service.

To receive a 100% free consultation, reach out to us at (407) 305-0566 or fill out our free online case evaluation request.