Highland City Car Accident on US98 Near Smith Lane

 Car Accidents

Amanda N. Robinson died as a result of injuries sustained in a car accident on US98 going northbound near Smith Lane in Highland City, Florida.  The Ledger reports that the accident happened at approximately 4:10 p.m. on February 1, 2017 when Robinson went off the right shoulder of the highway, purportedly to pass other vehicles.  Thereafter, her Jeep went out of control and went across all northbound lanes of travel.

The Jeep struck two other vehicles in the accident.  Minor injuries were reported to Sommer N. Coy and her daughter and were taken to Bartow Regional Medical Center.  Robinson was from Wauchula, Florida and was only 33 years old.  It is a tragedy any time someone loses their life in this manner.

Liability Is Not An Issue In This Case

Robinson is clearly legally responsible for this collision due to her negligence in attempting a pass on the right shoulder of the road.  There are times when I can hardly believe the things that I read about happening on the roadway.  This is apparently an extreme example of an impatient driver acting negligently and causing injuries to others.  Any liability insurance that Robinson had on her automobile insurance policy should go to pay for the property damage to the other two vehicles and to pay for bodily injuries suffered by Coy and her daughter.  It is important to mention that property damage liability and bodily injury liability are separate coverages in Florida.  Only property damage liability is required to be purchased.

If a driver in an accident in Florida does not have bodily injury liability coverage on their automobile insurance policy, then you need to have uninsured motorist’s (UM) coverage on your own automobile insurance policy.  We always recommend that you purchase UM coverage when buying automobile insurance for this reason.  It would be nice if Florida would mandate that every insurance policy in the State of Florida to have bodily injury liability coverage but that is not presently the law.

A “Minor” Injury Does Not Necessarily Mean It Has A Minor Impact On Your Life

When someone suffers a so-called “minor” injury in a car accident, the news never reports the full impact of the injury on that person’s quality of life because it doesn’t make for exciting reading.  While it is great that someone “walked away” from this accident, I write about this subject because the majority of personal injury claims made in Florida after a car accident are for “minor” injuries.  What most people don’t realize about a “minor” injury claim is that many insurance companies and insurance adjusters don’t view these claims as legitimate and they fight tooth and nail to avoid paying on these claims.

When EMS takes someone to the ER after a car accident, it is because the EMS personnel have a genuine concern about the life and safety of the person who was just involved in the accident.  The judgment call to take someone to an ER is made well before they know whether there is liability insurance on the case and is not something you can make up.  Likewise, the symptoms reported in that person’s ER records are real as recorded by ER nurses and ER doctors.  These emergency treatment providers have no relationship whatsoever to the people injured and don’t know anything about how the accident happened.  Therefore, they cannot favor one side of an accident over another.

With that in mind, is there any reason then that these claims are viewed negatively by insurance companies?  The answer is profit.  Insurance companies profit tremendously from taking in expensive premiums for rare events.  Many of us, including myself, have never had an auto claim despite thousands of dollars in premiums that have been paid over the years.  So now, the person injured in a car accident that wasn’t their fault is now viewed as the enemy who is causing everyone else’s rates to go up.  Is that fair?  Is that right?  These are all things that no one ever thinks about until it happens to them.  I write about this issue because I see it in my everyday practice as a personal injury attorney.

Call A Lakeland Personal Injury Attorney For Help On Your Case

If you have been injured in a Lakeland car accident that was not your fault, you should contact a Lakeland personal injury attorney for help fighting the insurance company on your case.  While the accident is over, the fight of your life to get fair compensation for your injuries has just begun.  Call today for your free consultation with an attorney.

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February 02, 2017