Almost every household in Tampa owns at least one car, many own multiple. Americans have always loved the open road, and every single day thousands upon thousands of people drive their cars across Tampa FL. and its many roads and highways. Most of them, however, do not realize that Tampa and the state of Florida, in general, is one of the most dangerous places in the country to be both a driver and a pedestrian. In fact, in their latest data, the Florida Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles (FHSMV) shows that over 400,000 crashes happen every year in the state alone, many of them hit and runs (around 200,000) and tragically, around 3,500 people lose their lives as a result.
With this extremely high accident statistic, Tampa has begun to clamp down on speeding offenses. This has led to a slight decrease in the number of accidents happening every year, but the overall crash statistics are still some of the worst in the country. Speeding drivers cause a huge majority of these accidents. When drivers choose to ignore the posted speed limit, they are breaching their duty of care to you and other road users. This means that they are liable and negligent in the event of an accident. This is where a personal injury lawyer or a Tampa car accident lawyer can really help.
If you have been involved in an accident that wasn’t your fault where the other driver was breaking the speed limit, get in touch with The Law Place today. We have dealt with traffic cases across Florida for over 75 years collectively.
Our phone lines are open 24/7, contact us today on (813) 544-4444 for a free consultation or a free case evaluation.
Damages and Compensation
Being involved in an accident after someone has decided to ignore the posted speed limit can lead to long term injuries, even death, and you may be entitled to seek your damages back in compensation. Here are some of the common forms of damages you might be able to claim for:
- Medical bills – Accidents can lead to high medical bills at the hospital; you can claim these back if you were not at fault.
- Future medical bills- If you have lifelong injuries, you will be able to claim for projected medical bills. This will be calculated by a medical professional.
- Property damage- You will be able to claim for the cost of repairing your car, and any items you had inside that were broken as a result of the accident.
- Pain and suffering – If the accident has caused you stress or anxiety and has affected the way that you live your life, you could be entitled to compensation for your pain and suffering. This isn’t as tangible as other damages and will need to be worked out by a competent car accident lawyer.
- Transport and house improvements – If your injury requires you to adapt your house or car, these costs can be claimed.
These are just the civil damages you may be liable to pay. If you are found breaking the speed limit in Tampa, you may also have to face criminal charges too. Breaking the speed limit is illegal, and you might receive fines or criminal charges.
Common Injuries From a Speeding Accident
The faster a car is going at the point of impact, the worse the damage and the injuries. Here is some example of the types of severe injuries we see regularly.
- Whiplash – A soft tissue injury regularly caused by side impacts. When your neck and spine jerk one way, then another quickly it causes damage to the joints in between your spinal disks. This pain can be permanent and can hide for weeks before becoming painful.
- Traumatic brain injury (TBI) – Traumatic Brain Injuries (TBI) happen when you hit your hard against a hard object like a dashboard. This forces your brain to collide with the inside of your skull, bruising and damaging the soft tissue. This can lead to brain damage and may be permanent. It could lead to concussion, paralysis, and even death.
- Lower body – Often, in a crash, your legs and knees are pushed into the dashboard in front, causing damage to your leg muscles and bones.
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How Much Over the Speed Limit Can You Go on The Highway?
Every road in Tampa and Florida, in general, should have a clear, easy to read signposted speed limit. On rural highways, this can be as high as 70 MPH.
Do not listen to the rumor that you can travel up to 10% over the speed limit. Although you may not be caught doing so, it is not a real rule, and if you are caught going 75 on a 70 road, you can still be charged.
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What Is the Maximum Speed Limit in a Residential Area in Florida?
The law in Florida, when it comes to residential areas, is really clear; in all residential areas and business districts, the speed limit is strictly 30 MPH. For any areas that are not residential or business areas, the speed limit may be relaxed to 55 MPH.
In high-risk areas that have seen multiple accidents, the speed limit may be dropped to 20 or 25 in order to lower the incident rate.
From the initial call to updates on your case status, we are here to get you answers.
What Is the Speed Limit If There Are No Signs?
The best thing to do if you cannot see a speed limit sign is to assume the road is 30MPH. This will protect you from accidentally breaking the speed limit.
Types of Car Accident
We see a huge variety of different accidents, and they range from minor to severe and can be accompanied by a range of injuries. Some types of collision are:
- Rear-end crashes – Caused when someone suddenly brakes or slows down without warning. If the vehicle behind is moving too quickly to break behind them, they will collide. This can then lead to multiple car pileups if the accident happens at high speed.
- Side-impact collisions – These accidents happen when a car crashes into the side of another car. Regularly referred to as a T-Bone, this can lead to serious injuries due to the lower protection offered by the door panels of the car.
- Head-on collisions – A type of accident with a thigh injury and death rate that happens when two cars collide head-on.
- Sideswipe collisions – Usually, when two cars move into the same lane without seeing each other and their vehicles scrape together. These crashes usually result in hardly any damage and injury.
- Vehicle rollovers – When turning sharply and suddenly a car can flip, this can also happen if hit hard by another vehicle.
- Multi-vehicle pileups, or multiple vehicle collisions – Accidents involving multiple cars in a single accident.
How Many Car Accidents Are Caused Because Someone Was Speeding?
In data released in 2018, over 9000 people were killed as a result of speeding. This is over 25% of all car fatalities in the country. Speeding is extremely dangerous and can have the following consequences:
- Losing control of your car.
- Seatbelts and airbags become less effective at higher speeds.
- The distance takes to break is much higher at higher speeds.
- The injuries and damage caused by a high-speed crash are almost always worse than lower speed accidents.
- Much higher use of fuel.
Why Do People Speed?
We see lots of reasons for speeding used as excuses; unfortunately, there is no good reason to speed. Here are some common excuses.
- Running late – When people are late for work or to drop the kids at school, they may be tempted to put their foot down a little bit more.
- Racing– Some people enjoy racing their cars in dangerous ways across Florida’s highways. These people are purposefully breaking the law and can be punished by the law.
- Lack of attention- Everyone has zoned out a little bit while driving; distraction is never an excuse, though. If you are feeling tired and burnt out, stay away from the roads.
How to Deal With Speeding and Racing Drivers
Road rage leads to a huge number of incidents in Tampa and across Florida. When we see other drivers being dangerous, and for some reason, it can make us drive dangerously ourselves. The red mist comes on, and this is when mistakes happen. The next time you see a dangerous speeding driver, we advise you to:
- Move out of the fast lane and let speeding drivers past, even if you are angry at their speed.
- Speeding drivers can be unpredictable, try, and give them some space if you are worried, they are dangerous.
- If they are really dangerous and you worry about the safety of other drivers and pedestrians, it might be best to report the car to the police.
How Do You Prove a Speeding Accident Claim?
When it comes to making a successful accident claim, you will have to prove the negligence of the other driver. You will need to show that they have breached their duty of care. In Tampa, FL, the law states that you automatically assume this duty of care every time you get into a vehicle.
To prove this negligence, you will need to prove that the other driver was:
- Breaching the speed limit – The state of Florida sets the speed limits of all Tampa roads and highways. These speed laws state the maximum speed you can drive at. If you are found driving faster than the speed limit, you will be found guilty of negligence in an accident.
- Going too fast for the road conditions – If a driver is driving dangerously and too quickly in bad conditions like fog, rain, and ice, they can be found negligent for this too.
So, to prove that the fault lies with the other party, your personal injury car accident lawyer is going to need to prove that the other party was speeding and that this speeding has led to your injury or death of a loved one.
Some smart forms of evidence that you can collect and use to do this are:
- Witness statements – If you have the details to any witnesses to the crash, then collecting statements off them can make a massive difference to your case.
- EDR (black box) – Newer cars in Tampa are fitted with a similar black box to an airplane. These give crash data to experts.
- Crash scene evidence – Calling in expert crash scene investigators to look at the skid marks and assess the damage done to the cars and the road can allow them to deduce what actually happened. A car accident lawyer may contact a reconstruction expert for help.
What to Do If You Are in a Speed-Related Crash
Being involved in a car accident that wasn’t your fault in Tampa can be a scary and stressful ordeal. This can often lead to poor judgment or forgetting to do crucial things. The first thing you must-do if you are in an accident is to ensure the safety of yourself and anyone else that you can safely do so. Once everyone is as safe as you can make them, it’s time to collect evidence:
- Take as many pictures as you can. Take them of the crash scene and the cars.
- Take notes of all the details of the other car involved in the accident and get the driver’s details like their name and address as well as their insurance company details.
- Draw a sketch of the accident, label both cars on the road, and the directions they were traveling in.
- Inform the police. Even if the accident is minor, a police report is a great piece of evidence later on.
- Besides ensuring the other driver’s health and safety, do not discuss the accident, avoid saying anything that could be used against you later.
Contact The Law Place Today!
Here at the law place, we have dealt with cases just like yours in Tampa and all across Florida. We have a skilled team of attorneys who have worked on cases for over 75 years collectively. When you hire The Law Place, you get a lawyer who is ready to stand toe to toe with the insurance company to seek what you are rightfully owed.
Don’t let them get away with it; choose the right attorneys to fight your corner. Choose The Law Place. Contact us today to speak to one of our personal injury lawyers; we offer a free consultation service.
To get in touch for your free case evaluation, call us today on (813) 544-4444 to speak to one of our car accident lawyer specialists.
