How Much Money Can A Passenger In A Clearwater Car Accident Receive?
June 22, 2024 | Winters & Yonker Personal Injury Lawyers | Car Accident
Drivers are not the only ones who can be seriously injured in a car accident. Passengers face the same risks drivers do when they get into a vehicle. Because they can suffer the same types of injuries that motorists can, passengers have a similar legal right to pursue compensation.
When passengers are injured in a head-on crash or any other type of motor vehicle accident, it is crucial to understand how much compensation may be available.
Who Pays Compensation for Injured Passengers?
Florida is a no-fault car insurance state. As a result, each driver must have a personal injury protection (PIP) insurance policy when they get behind the wheel. In most crash scenarios, if you are driving and are involved in a crash, your PIP policy would pay for your damages and losses regardless of who caused the crash.
If you are an injured passenger in another person’s car, you submit your claim to the PIP policy of the driver whose car you were injured in.
What Compensation Is Available for Passengers?
In cases of serious or catastrophic injuries, the benefits provided through a PIP policy may not be enough to cover all of your losses and damage. In this situation, bringing a lawsuit against the driver responsible for causing the wreck can open up other sources of compensation for you. You are generally entitled to pursue both economic and non-economic damages.
Economic Damages
Your economic damages include hospital bills, ongoing therapy, and medical needs, lost income due to missed work, and reduced earning potential if your injuries are permanently disabling.
According to the National Safety Council, the following costs, on average, are associated with motor vehicle injuries:
- $155,000 for disabling injuries
- $40,000 in cases where injuries are apparent
- $24,000 in situations where the passenger likely sustained some injuries
- $6,700 following crashes in which the passenger had no observable injuries
Your actual costs could be higher or lower than these averages. So long as there are records like bills, invoices, and statements to support the loss, you can pursue the full amount of economic damages you sustained.
Non-Economic Damages
Sustaining injuries in a car accident causes more than just physical and financial harm. You can suffer mentally and emotionally after a crash as you struggle with PTSD, anxiety, depression, and a loss of quality of life. This harm is more difficult to value but is nonetheless compensable through non-economic damages.
Unlike other states, there is no limit to the amount of non-economic damages you can pursue for harm you suffered in a car accident. Generally speaking, the more severe your physical injuries, the larger your pain and suffering damages award. Conversely, if you have no long-term effects from your car accident, your non-economic damages award will be much smaller.
How Much Can a Passenger Realistically Expect?
Limits for PIP policies in Florida may be as low as $10,000. In cases where you do not have any observable injuries or only minor injuries, this may be enough to compensate you fully.
In more serious cases resulting in disabling injuries, your medical bills and other economic losses alone may be over $100,000. This amount, coupled with non-economic damages that increase with the more serious your injuries are, may yield a total award that is hundreds of thousands of dollars.
A Clearwater Car Accident Attorney Can Help With Financial Recovery
It can be challenging to navigate the complexities of Florida personal injury laws while attempting to heal from your car accident injuries. A knowledgeable Clearwater car accident attorney can assess the full extent of your damages and pursue all available compensation.
Contact the Clearwater Car Accident Law Firm of Winters & Yonker Personal Injury Lawyers for Help Today
For more information, please contact Winters & Yonker Personal Injury Lawyers to schedule a free consultation with a car accident lawyer in Clearwater today. We have five convenient locations in Florida, including Tampa, Clearwater, St. Petersburg, New Port Richey, and Lakeland.
We proudly serve Hillsborough County, Pinellas County, Pasco County, Polk County, and its surrounding areas:
Winters & Yonker Personal Injury Lawyers – Tampa Office
601 W Swann Ave, Tampa, FL 33606
(813) 223-6200
Winters & Yonker Personal Injury Lawyers – Clearwater Office
600 Bypass Dr Suite 224-D, Clearwater, FL 33764
(727) 493-4418
Winters & Yonker Personal Injury Lawyers – St. Petersburg Office
111 2nd Ave NE Suite 350, St. Petersburg, FL 33701
(727) 314-5988
Winters & Yonker Personal Injury Lawyers – New Port Richey Office
5006 Trouble Creek Rd Unit #200, Port Richey, FL 34652
(727) 910-5060
Winters & Yonker Personal Injury Lawyers – Lakeland Office
1543 Lakeland Hills Blvd Suite 18, Lakeland, FL 33805
(863) 251-6196