If I Get a Ticket in a Tampa,
Florida Area Accident, Can Tampa Car Accident Attorneys
still Help Me with My Personal Injury Claim?
You've just been in a Tampa auto accident
with injuries. You know that it's not your fault. But
unfortunately, you receive a ticket. The injustice of
it all may only make the pain of your injuries worse,
but don't lose hope. You can take some comfort knowing
that, just because a ticket was issued against you, the
ticket would not generally be admissible in any type of
civil suit that may arise as a result of the auto accident
as long as you don't plead guilty to the traffic ticket
charge.
Therefore, if you do suffer injuries
in a Tampa, Florida area car accident and have received
a ticket, do not be afraid to pursue your rights and contact
Tampa car accident attorneys
for an opinion on your case. The determination of who
is at fault in the accident is the duty of a jury at a
civil trial. The determination of whether or not you are
charged with violating the law (and receiving a ticket
for that violation) is not a civil matter, but a traffic
criminal one. As a result, you may receive a ticket and
may even be found guilty for violating a traffic ordinance
in an auto accident, and yet still be successful in pursuing
a claim for injuries in civil court. But there are ways
you should help yourself at the accident scene.
Generally, the only time that there
are clearly no issues with regard to liability is in rear-end
collisions. Even in rear end collisions, the at-fault
party may claim that you stopped suddenly so that they
couldn't avoid the accident or even that you rolled backward.
If you are in an accident, what are some other things
you can do?
One thing you can do is to make sure
you document everything at the accident scene. If your
injuries require you to seek medical attention, don't
delay your treatment in order to document the accident
scene. You might send somebody else to the scene after
you leave, or if absolutely necessary, go back the next
day. But assuming you can safely investigate and document
the scene, the following are some things to consider:
- Take pictures of all the vehicles
involved in the accident. Use a digital camera if it's
available and take many pictures from many various angles.
Take pictures of any skid marks; take pictures of any
car parts that can be found on the ground; take pictures
of the roadway and the intersection. Again, it can't
hurt to take a number of these pictures. You also might
consider taking measurements if possible, and if there
isn't a ruler handy, you can use your hand in the picture
as a frame of reference.
- Be sure to look for and note any
witnesses who might have seen anything relevant to the
accident. Witness memory fades quickly so you might
document what each of these witnesses saw, and if possible,
get as much information from these witnesses as far
as their phone numbers, addresses, and other personal
contact information. Witnesses may leave the area and
they can be very difficult to track down when you need
them at some future point in the event there's a trial.
- Although this won't necessarily
go to the issue of who is at fault it the accident,
it is always a good idea to document your injuries by
speaking to medical personnel, and if appropriate, through
pictures. If you would like, you can get an auto accident
form from our website which will guide you through the
important information you should gather at the accident
scene.
Or always feel free to give our Tampa
auto accident attorneys a call—even if you're at an accident
scene in Tampa, Riverview, Dade City, Carrollwood, Brandon,
Clearwater, St Petersburg, or anywhere else in Tampa Bay—and
we will be happy to guide you through the process.
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