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Florida is one of thirteen states in the country that goes by a comparative negligence standard when it comes to evaluating fault and compensation for car accidents and other personal injury cases. Translation—you can still recover money from an accident even if you played a role in causing it. If this is your scenario and want to learn more, please get in touch with the talented team of Pensacola car accident lawyers at Stevenson Klotz today.
Florida Comparative Negligence Standard
Car accidents happen quickly and liability is not always clear. Often, both parties to an accident played some role in causing it. For instance, a driver may have been talking on the phone when another driver hit them. Or both were speeding. Whatever the scenario, what a comparative negligence standard does is it looks at the percentage fault each party played in the accident and assign liability and reduce financial recovery accordingly.
Here’s what you need to know about comparative negligence and your car accident:
- Your financial recovery is lessened by the percentage fault you are assigned. So if your case is worth $100,000 but you were found 50% responsible for your Florida car accident, you would get $50,000. As you can see, you can still get a lot of money for some cases.
- You will not be able to recover financially if your responsibility was more than 51%. This is what ultimately makes Florida a “modified” comparative negligence state.
- Having a skilled lawyer can make or break your case! The liability percentage for these cases is a hotly contested point with each side trying to argue down their role and up the other sides’ which is why you want a lawyer that knows what they are doing on your side.
Florida Car Accident Lawyer
Do not miss your opportunity to get much-needed compensation following your car accident because you did something to cause it. During your initial free consultation with the legal team at Stevenson Klotz, we will explain how this type of case works and what we will do to make sure you get the most for your car accident recovery. Time is of the essence so call us today to learn more.