A train accident can put your life on hold for weeks or months. You might receive extensive medical treatments or have to take time off work. After dealing with these issues, you could face financial hardships. At Lulich & Attorneys, we don’t believe you should have to suffer because of someone else’s mistakes.
If you or a loved one suffered an injury from a train accident, a Vero Beach train accident lawyer from Lulich & Attorneys can walk you through filing a claim so you can seek compensation for your related losses. If your loved one passed away in a train accident, we could help surviving family members hold the liable party accountable and seek compensation. Call our firm today to begin your free consultation.
- What Our Train Accident Attorneys in Vero Beach Can Do for You
- Types of Compensation the Liable Party Could Owe You After a Train Accident
- Our Train Accident Lawyers in Vero Beach Donât Take Upfront Fees
- What Causes Train Accidents?
- Common Injuries Sustained in Vero Beach Train Accidents
- Hire a Vero Beach Train Accident Attorney at Our Firm Today
- Vero Beach Office
What Our Train Accident Attorneys in Vero Beach Can Do for You
You can rely on our train accident attorneys to manage every part of your case, such as:
Investigating the Train Accident
Our goals during the investigation include:
- Determining what caused the train accident
- Identifying the liable party
- Gathering evidence to prove our findings
Our investigation could involve reviewing the accident report and photos or video surveillance from the scene. We can also speak to witnesses of the crash and take their statements. Your lawyer may even be able to request black box data and train maintenance records from the train company.
This way, we can corroborate your story to prove you sustained your injuries in the train accident.
Identifying Your Losses
By determining how much you lost because of medical bills, lost income, pain and suffering, and emotional distress, we can know how much compensation to seek in your case. This way, we have more negotiating power by providing proof that you sustained these losses.
Demanding the Other Party Compensates You
Once we identify your losses, we can send a demand letter to the opposing party’s representatives. The demand letter will state the facts of your accident and how your losses have affected you financially, physically, and emotionally. We can clearly state how much compensation you seek in your case.
After we send the demand letter, the opposing party has the opportunity to accept or deny our terms. If they do not accept our terms, we can negotiate a fair agreement.
Negotiating for a Settlement
Once we have laid out all of the facts of the case, we can begin negotiations. Our team has handled many tense negotiations and won’t back down from a fight. We believe our clients deserve the compensation they seek.
We have strong negotiators who have helped many past clients reach successful outcomes. When we work on your case, you can rest assured we can do everything in our power to help you.
Filing a Lawsuit Within Florida’s Statute of Limitations
If the opposing counsel doesn’t agree to compensate you fairly, we can file a lawsuit against them. Florida law provides information about the state’s statute of limitations. It dictates you generally have four years from the train accident date to file a personal injury lawsuit against the liable party. If you want to obtain compensation through a wrongful death lawsuit, the state usually sets the filing deadline at two years.
How long you have to take action depends on the circumstances of what happened. For example, if a minor person was injured in the train crash, they may have more time to sue than an adult. Still, getting started as soon as possible is in your best interests. Two or four years can go by in a snap.
If you miss the deadline, the court might prohibit you from seeking damages from the other party. As a result, they no longer hold financial responsibility for the crash and your injuries, no matter how strong your case seems. However, if you involve Lulich & Attorneys today, we can help ensure you comply with the deadline.
Results for Past Clients
Our Vero Beach personal injury attorneys know how to go after results that matter, including these six-figure settlements:
- $250,000.00 settlement for a motorcycle victim who was injured through no fault to his own. The accident resulted in serious injuries which led the victim to experiencing debilitating shoulder and back pain and resulted in a surgical operation.
- $275,000.00 settlement for a child who was injured in a motor vehicle accident. The accident resulted in serious back pain, PTSD, and lifelong injuries as a result of the negligent driver.
- $150,000.00 settlement for an individual who slipped and fell after her roofing company failed to properly secure and repair her roof. She sustained permanent injuries to her neck, shoulder, and lower back.
- $250,000.00 settlement for a client who was negligently rear ended by a semi-truck which resulted in permanent back pain, shoulder pain, and ultimately resulted in a shoulder operation.
Types of Compensation the Liable Party Could Owe You After a Train Accident
When you sustain injuries in a train accident, you could suffer from different losses. To gain a better idea of how much compensation you could seek in your case, our attorneys can review your damages and collect evidence.
The types of compensation the liable party could owe you after a train accident depends on the damages you suffered.
Examples of damages a train accident victim may recover include:
- Past and anticipated medical care expenses: You might have incurred costs for rehabilitative services, surgeries, prescription medications, over-the-counter medications, and wound care items.
- Past and future lost income: If you couldn’t work for any period of time because of your injuries, you could seek compensation for lost income, as well as an estimated value of your future lost earnings if you cannot go back to work for the foreseeable future.
- Pain and suffering: Pain and suffering could include anguish, discomfort, or inconvenience you endured as a result of your accident injuries.
- Emotional distress: Train accidents and injuries can cause debilitating effects on your mental health, such as post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
A Vero Beach train accident attorney from our firm can fight for you to obtain compensation for these damages and others. Our team knows how to present evidence and negotiate with the opposing counsel. We can work to help you reach a successful outcome in your case. After a train accident, you deserve to have someone on your side who will fight for your rights.
If Your Loved One Passed Away From Their Injuries
According to the National Safety Council (NSC), many train accidents often result in death. When your loved one passes away in a train accident, your family could recover compensation on their behalf. Depending on your situation, you could deal with a huge financial loss if your loved one solely provided for your family. Our attorneys can help you determine the damages you could recover after the death of a loved one.
Examples of damages you or other surviving family members can recover after a train accident death include:
- Medical expenses: If your loved one received any medical care before they passed away, they could have accrued expenses for medical tools in an attempt to save their life or pain management or comfort measures for end-of-life care.
- Funeral or celebration of life expenses: If you choose to have a funeral or celebration of life service for your loved one, you could include those costs in your claim.
- Burial or cremation services: On top of having an end-of-life service to celebrate the life of your loved one, you could face the costs of burying or cremating your loved one.
- Loss of consortium: These damages could compensate surviving family members for the support or companionship the decedent provided.
After a loved one passes away in a train accident, you might not know who to turn to. Our attorneys can provide the support you need during this difficult time. In addition, we can help you navigate through the complicated legal issues that can occur in train accident cases.
Our Train Accident Lawyers in Vero Beach Don’t Take Upfront Fees
Many train accident victims refrain from hiring legal representation due to the costs. However, that shouldn’t be a concern when you have Lulich & Attorneys advocating for you.
Our train accident attorneys can work on your case on a contingency fee basis. Under this payment arrangement, you don’t have to pay unless we help you reach a successful outcome. We can explain our fee agreement in detail up front, so you know what to expect.
What Causes Train Accidents?
When you hire our firm, one of the first steps we can take includes figuring out what happened. For example, what actions caused the train accident in the first place? Without an attorney, you might have difficulty determining the exact cause. At Lulich & Attorneys, we have experience investigating these accidents and know how to get to the bottom of things.
The United States Department of Transportation Federal Railroad Administration states that train accidents occur because of human, equipment, signal, or track errors.
Common causes of these accidents include:
- Reckless driving: When train operators drive recklessly, such as excessively speeding, they could cause accidents. If a driver causes an accident because they couldn’t stop in time but could have had they not sped, they may hold fault for the crash.
- Improper signaling: Train signal failure, unfortunately, happens on occasion. These signals aim to alert motorists and other trains that a train is coming through the intersection. When the signals don’t alert others that a train will pass through, they might not know to move out of that way, causing an accident.
- Mechanical failure: For trains to run smoothly, many different systems must function correctly. When one system fails, a train accident could occur.
Train companies have continuously reported accidents across the state. Brightline, in particular, is a notable train line in South Florida involved in train accidents in recent years. According to WPTV, it will expand to Vero Beach, which has raised concern for residents in the area.
Whether the crash happened because of a reckless driver or a third-party vehicle, accident rates continue to climb. If you sustained injuries, regardless of the cause, you could seek compensation from the liable party. The attorneys from our firm can help you identify liability in your specific case.
Proving Negligence in a Train Accident Case
Determining the cause of the truck crash can help us establish the negligent party.
We must prove this aspect of your case by applying the four-part standard of negligence:
- Duty of care: The other party owed you a legal duty of care to keep your safety at the top of their priority list.
- Breach of duty: This party failed in their duty of care and acted negligently.
- Causation: This negligence led to a truck accident, which injured you.
- Damages: You have suffered financial, emotional, and physical effects from the accident and your injuries.
All of these elements must exist in your case for it to be valid. Otherwise, you will not be eligible to pursue the liable party or parties for your damages. However, with a personal injury attorney from our team on your side, we can help ensure you satisfy each of them so you recover the compensation you need to rebuild your life.
Common Injuries Sustained in Vero Beach Train Accidents
Injuries you could sustain in a train accident could have lasting consequences. You might deal with issues related to your injuries for the rest of your life. Because of this, it’s important to seek compensation to help you get back on your feet.
Common injuries sustained in train accidents include:
- Traumatic brain injuries (TBI)
- Spinal cord injuries
- Whiplash
- Neck injuries
- Broken bones and fractures
- Lacerations
- Loss of limbs
Hire a Vero Beach Train Accident Attorney at Our Firm Today
If you sustained injuries or lost a loved one from a train accident in Vero Beach, our attorneys can help. We understand the difficulties you could go through as a result of your injuries. While we can’t make your injuries go away or bring a loved one back, we can help to restore you financially. Our team doesn’t want to see you deal with financial ruin because of someone else’s negligent actions. Reach out to a Vero Beach personal injury lawyer.
Hold the liable party accountable by seeking the compensation you deserve for your losses. Get started by contacting our team for a free consultation at (772) 589-5500 to learn about your legal options.