Speeding

When people think about speeding, they may think about the costly ticket they may get. However, there is sometimes a much more severe consequence for driving above the speed limit: serious injury. The car crashs at the Law Offices of Robert Dixon represent victims of high-speed collisions near Miami and neighboring cities. Serving clients in Broward, Miami-Dade, and Palm Beach Counties, we are dedicated to making sure you are compensated for any harm that you have endured due to someone else’s negligence.

Speeding, defined as exceeding the posted speed limit or driving too fast for conditions, accounts for many of the most severe motor vehicle accidents in Florida. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), this behavior is involved in approximately one-third of fatal car accidents nationwide. In Florida, speeding was a factor in over 260 lethal crashes in the state in 2011. Teenage drivers in particular have admitted to speeding more often than any other age group, and the combination of inexperience on the road and driving too fast can be tragically deadly.

Speeding is often a sign of a driver’s negligence. People engaging in careless operation of their vehicles can potentially be held liable for injuries that result from a crash. To recover damages after an accident, a victim usually attempts to prove that the speeding driver was negligent, or that he or she failed to act as a reasonable and prudent person would have behaved under similar circumstances. This type of legal claim requires a demonstration that:

• The defendant driver had a duty of care;
• That obligation was breached, such as by exceeding the speed limit;
• The breach caused the victim’s injuries; and
• The victim sustained actual damages.

Everyone on Florida roads has a duty to behave with reasonable care, which includes obeying traffic rules like posted speed limits. A victim who was hurt by a speeding motorist must draw a causal link from the excessive speed to the accident, showing that his or her injuries were a foreseeable result of the defendant’s behavior and would not have happened if the defendant had used reasonable care.

If you’ve been injured by a driver who was engaging in such dangerous actions, you may be able to recover damages ranging from past and future medical costs and property damage to lost wages, loss of earning capacity, and pain and suffering. In the devastating event that a loved one has lost his or her life in a crash, close family members may pursue a wrongful death claim against those responsible to get reimbursement for medical bills as well as funeral and burial costs and other compensation.

Even if your own negligence contributed to the car accident, you still may be able to recover damages from the other parties responsible. Florida follows a pure comparative fault theory of negligence, meaning that a victim is able to receive compensation proportionate to any defendant’s degree of responsibility for the harm.

A collision involving a speeding driver can not only lead to the loss of your car but also result in devastating injuries that require a long recovery time. The auto accident attorneys at the Law Offices of Robert Dixon can help you pursue the compensation you deserve for harm caused by a careless motorist in the Miami area. If you’ve been injured in a car crash, call 877.499.4878 or contact us online for a free, no-obligation consultation about your case.