It is important when a car, truck, motorcycle or other type of accident occurs, to determine who is responsible for the accident because the party at fault may be liable to victims for the damages they suffered as a result of the careless, or negligent, behavior of the party responsible for the accident. It is important to understand how to develop evidence of fault to demonstrate liability when legal claims are made and insurance companies may be involved.
One way of establishing that a driver was negligent is through a police report. If a police officer does not respond to your accident, you can also file an accident report at the police station. Police officers record their observations concerning the accident in a police report and may also provide information related to any tickets or citations that were issued as a result of the accident, which can help provide evidence of negligence. In certain circumstances, a police report may be amended, so it is important to be familiar with when that may be possible, if needed, in the Florida county or city where the accident occurred.
In addition, state traffic laws may provide a basis to establish that a driver behaved negligently when causing a car accident. A violation of the rules of the road can point to a driver’s conduct being careless and negligent. Rear-end collisions and left-turn collisions are nearly always the fault of the driver turning left or the driver that rear-ended the other driver. Commonly, speeding or running red lights will be also be considered evidence of negligence.
A negligent driver in Florida may be required to compensate car accident victims for the harm they have suffered including physical, financial and emotional harm. As a result, it is important for car accident victims to be familiar with how the personal injury legal process works and may be able to help them when they have been unexpectedly injured in a car accident due to the negligence of another party.
Source: Injury.findlaw.com, “Car Accident Liability: Proving Fault in a Car Crash,” Accessed, Oct. 10, 2016