Injured Passengers

We often get into other people’s cars, trusting them to be safe drivers and make sure we arrive at our destination without harm. However, sometimes these drivers act carelessly or are unable to avoid other dangerous drivers on the road, leading to significant injuries for a passenger. The capable car accidentlawyers at the Law Offices of Robert Dixon can assist individuals in Miami and elsewhere in South Florida with asserting their rights against the responsible parties.

Drivers are typically the focal point of concern following a car accident when it comes to determining who was at fault. However, crashes also can cause severe harm for other people riding in a car, depending on the type of impact as well as the vehicle’s safety features. Side impact or T-bone collisions can be especially dangerous to a passenger if the car is struck on that side, often resulting in a multitude of serious injuries. Common examples include:

• Broken and fractured bones,
• Whiplash and other neck injuries,
• Back injuries,
• Burns and lacerations, or
• Head and brain injuries.

In addition to passengers being hurt as riders in a friend’s car, they can also be involved in accidents while riding in a taxicab, bus, or other mass transportation vehicle. These collisions can prove very costly for a victim, and thus receiving proper compensation from those responsible may be vital.

Often a driver’s error leads to a crash and resulting injuries. If a passenger sustains serious harm as a result of another person’s negligence, he or she may pursue a personal injury claim to recover damages. To succeed in this type of lawsuit, the victim or the victim’s family must show that a driver or another party acted negligently in causing the accident. Negligence requires establishing that the defendant owed the passenger a duty of care, that the duty was breached, that the breach was a proximate cause of the passenger’s injuries, and that actual damages were incurred.

All drivers operating vehicles owe a duty of reasonable care to people who could be affected by their conduct, who include other drivers, pedestrians, bicyclists, and passengers. They are required to act as a reasonable and prudent person would behave under the same or similar circumstances. For example, this means that a driver who runs a red light, fails to yield at an intersection, texts behind the wheel, or speeds during a thunderstorm may be found to have acted negligently. To meet the causation element, the crash must have been a foreseeable result of the defendant’s careless conduct, which would not have happened if the defendant had met the appropriate standard of care.

If there was more than one party at fault for an accident, injured individuals may be able to recover damages from all responsible parties in proportion to the degree of fault associated with each of them. Once negligence is established, plaintiffs potentially can receive compensation for past and future medical expenses, loss of income, lost earning capacity, and pain and suffering, among other forms of economic and non-economic damages.

Passengers involved in a car accident in the areas around Miami may face a long recovery process after an injury. The motor vehicle collision attorneys at the Law Offices of Robert Dixon are dedicated to making sure that victims pursue the compensation that they deserve from those responsible. If you have been injured in a car crash, call 877.499.4878 or contact us online to set up a free, no-obligation consultation and discuss your legal options. We represent accident victims throughout Miami-Dade, Broward, and Palm Beach Counties.