Hobe Sound, Florida, is a relatively nice area that is home to a wealthy community. In fact, past residents have included Tiger Woods, Celine Dion, and Burt Reynolds, among many others. Hobe Sound is located between Jupiter and Stuart along the Atlantic coast of Florida. It’s chock full of picturesque nature and beaches.

While we wish we could tuck away this small paradise and keep danger from happening there, unfortunately, that just isn’t possible. The population sits under 14,000 people as of 2020, but many people visit to check out the area’s natural beauty.

With an influx of tourists, the risk of car accidents raises substantially. Tourists also tend to drive more erratically since they don’t know the area. They’re more likely to need to change lanes at the last minute or speed when they don’t know the speed limit.

If you’ve been involved in a car accident in Hobe Sound, please contact our talented team of attorneys online or at (561) 295-5825.

TYPES OF INJURIES CAUSED BY CAR ACCIDENTS

Car accidents can result in a huge range of different types of injuries, from head wounds to back injuries and even fatalities. Not only do the types of injuries range greatly, but so does the severity of those injuries. Some people may walk away with scrapes and bruises, while others may experience more devastating, life-changing injuries.

The type of injury you have and how severe it is plays a huge role in how much compensation you’ll receive. Severe injuries often result in higher medical debt because of required surgeries, physical therapy, and more. These patients may also miss more work and experience more pain and suffering.

Common types of injuries that occur as a result of car accidents include:

Traumatic brain injury
Spinal cord injury
Back and neck injuries
Cuts and bruises
Fractures and broken bones
Amputation
Soft tissue injuries
Internal injuries
Crushing injuries
Burns
Death

DIFFERENT TYPES OF CAR ACCIDENTS

The type of car accident you get into also has a huge impact on the type of resulting injuries. We can also tell a lot about fault and liabilty just by knowing the type of accident. For example, with rear-end accidents, the following car is almost always at fault. Based on the layout of the accident and the location (such as an intersection), we can determine all kinds of things.

The different types of car accidents include

Rear-end accidents: When one car hits the back of a vehicle in front of them, often because they weren’t paying attention or they were speeding.
T-bone accidents: When the front of one vehicle strikes the side of another vehicle, forming a T-shape. Either driver could be at fault.
Head-on accidents: When one vehicle crashes into the front of another head-on. These accidents usually occur because someone is driving in the wrong direction.
Sideswipe accidents: When one vehicle swipes the side of another vehicle. These often occur when one person changes lanes carelessly or is driving too close to a parked vehicle.

COMMON CAUSES OF CAR ACCIDENTS

Car accidents are caused because of driver negligence. When a driver gets behind the wheel of their vehicle, they owe a certain duty of care to the other drivers on the road. This means that they’re agreeing to drive safely and without engaging in any activities that could endanger other drivers. Negligent behaviors include:

Distracted driving
Driving while under the influence
Road rage
Speeding
Running red lights or stop signs
Not checking blind spots before changing lanes
Not properly maintaining one’s vehicle
Driving without proper experience
Car accidents can also involve something called “gross negligence”. Gross negligence means that the party was acting purposefully negligent. This is common in accidents involving drugs or alcohol, or road rage. Sometimes, additional compensation may be awarded to the victim as a way to further punish the at-fault party.

HOW IS FAULT DETERMINED?

To determine fault for a car accident, we’ll take our time and look at all the information we’ve been given. This includes evidence that you’ve provided, police reports, medical statements, and any other evidence we can get our hands on. Because we work closely with local law enforcement, we may be able to get security footage or dashcam footage to build your case.

We also have strong relationships with expert witnesses in the area. An expert witness can help strengthen your case by explaining the why behind certain things. For example, a medical expert would explain how a car accident caused your injuries. An accident reconstruction specialist would be able to explain why the other driver was at fault. An economist would be able to explain why you should receive the compensation we’re asking for.

In the simplest of terms, we’ll collect evidence from different sources to build your case. With that evidence, we’ll have to prove that:

The driver owed a certain duty of care to you
They breached this duty by acting with negligence
Because of that breach, you were injured
Because of the injuries, you have resulting damages

WHAT DAMAGES CAN I RECOVER?

We understand that the most important aspect of your lawsuit is compensation. During our evaluation of your case, we can give you an idea of the compensation that you’ll receive for your damages. Without looking at your case, we simply cannot give you an accurate estimation. However, if you want to estimate for yourself, you can take a look at your damages.

There are two different types of damages, economic and non-economic. Economic damages include:

Hospital visits
Ambulance rides
Surgery
Specialists
Physical therapy
Medical equipment
In-home care
Home renovations necessary to accommodate a wheelchair or other equipment
Future medical bills
Past and future lost wages
Non-economic damages cover the more abstract losses, like:

Pain and suffering
Loss of earning capacity
Loss of consortium
Emotional anguish
Disfigurement and scarring
To get a good estimation of your economic damages, you can add up all of your medical bills and lost wages. Estimating your non-economic damages can be more difficult. There’s no set formula to do so. Instead, we’ll take a look at how much your life has changed from a quality standpoint after your accident and think about how much money you should be awarded based on that change.

HIRE KELLER SWAN FOR YOUR HOBE SOUND CAR ACCIDENT CASE

Keller Swan have years of experience working on car accident cases along the Atlantic coast of Florida and in Hobe Sound. If you’ve been involved in a Hobe Sound car accident, it’s time to schedule a free case evaluation. To learn more about our firm and the settlements we’ve secured for past cases and to ask any questions you may have, contact us online or at (561) 295-5825.