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12800 University Drive, Suite 600Fort Myers, FL 33907
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Golf Cart Accident Lawyer in Fort Myers
Located in the southwest corner of the Sunshine State, Fort Myers, Florida is renowned for its miles of pristine beaches that attract visitors from all over the world. A diverse and robust economy makes the city ideal for both retirees and professionals. Since the last census taken in 2022, Fort Myers recorded a population growth of nearly six percent, which represents a typical population growth for many cities in Florida.
The combination of population growth and a greater influx of tourists has created traffic issues for the area. With roads and highways becoming increasingly congested, Fort Myers and many other cities located in the Sunshine State have turned to a creative strategy to alleviate the growing traffic issues. You see the mode of transportation on golf courses, but golf carts have emerged as a legally viable way for both tourists and residents to get around Fort Myers. The rapid rise in fuel prices also has spurred an increased interest in operating golf carts as a primary mode of transportation.
Although riding golf carts to run errands and commute to work represents an eco-friendly way to enhance the environment, golf car accidents often caused serious injuries to the occupants of the much smaller vehicles. If you sustained an injury produced by a golf cart collision, you should contact an experienced personal injury attorney who specializes in handling golf cart accident cases. A golf cart accident lawyer in Fort Myers has a detailed knowledge of every law that pertains to operating a golf cart, including addressing the legal issues that arise after a collision.
Since 1988, Morgan and Morgan has represented clients that sustained injuries as a result of a golf cart accident. At first, we represented clients that got involved in a golf cart accident on a golf course. Over the past 10 years, our practice has experienced a rapid rise in the number of golf cart accidents along Fort Myers roads and highways. When you meet with a golf car accident lawyer in Fort Myers from Morgan and Morgan, you can expect to learn about every Florida statute that applies to your case.
Schedule a free case evaluation today with a golf car accident lawyer from Morgan and Morgan to determine how to take legal action.
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What Are the Most Common Causes of Golf Cart Accidents?
When you meet with a car cart accident lawyer in Fort Myers for a free case evaluation, the attorney assigned to your case determines the cause of the collision that caused your harm. Determining the cause of a golf cart crash is a vital step to prove the four elements of negligence. Many golf cart accidents involve the same type of causes that lead to motor vehicle accidents.
Defective Golf Cart
If a defective golf cart caused an accident, Morgan and Morgan assigns your case to one of our product liability attorneys. Also considered a part of personal injury law, a product liability case requires your lawyer to prove the manufacturer of the golf cart in question failed to follow the duty of care doctrine by designing and manufacturing a faulty golf cart. Golf cart defects range from improper steering to inferior brakes.
Overloaded With Gear
For a prototype golf cart that seats two passengers, the maximum weight for both gear and passengers is around 600 pounds. This means two adults averaging 200 pounds in weight leave just 200 pounds of gear before a golf cart turns into a driving hazard. Exceeding the maximum weight capacity for a golf cart becomes a highly dangerous act when making sharp turns and operating a golf cart on a steep incline. An overloaded golf cart can flip over, with some of the possible injuries including broken ribs, internal organ bruising, and serious damage to the spinal cord.
Reckless Driving
Manufacturers design golf carts to minimize the speed of the vehicles. However, a driver can operate a golf cart at a dangerous speed, even if the speed is just 20 miles per hour. Although golf carts are now designed and manufactured to travel along the same roads used by motor vehicles, this does not mean golf carts achieve anywhere near the same speeds. Operators of golf carts should use the vehicles for convenience, not for a quick solution for traveling on Florida roads. Reckless driving also includes texting and operating a golf cart, as well as riding a golf cart while under the influence of drugs and/or alcohol.
What Florida Golf Cart Laws Should I Know?
Before you learn the important golf cart accident laws, you should first understand the definition of a golf cart according to the standards established in the Sunshine State. According to Florida law, a low-speed vehicle (LSV) represents a four-wheel electric vehicle that travels between 20 and 25 miles per hour. In Florida, manufacturers cannot design and construct golf carts that travel more than 20 miles per hour.
Can I Operate a Golf Car at Night?
The State of Florida prohibits the operation of a golf cart between sunset and sunrise. However, cities and counties throughout the state have established different standards when it comes to operating a golf cart at night. For example, the community called The Village permits the operation of golf carts at night if they are equipped with headlights, brake lights, turn signals, and reflective safety tape placed on the rear of the vehicle. Some counties require the installation of a windshield before allowing a golf cart on the road after sunset. A few counties require a rear-view mirror and reflective safety tape placed on the front of a golf cart before giving the green light for nighttime riding.
Do I Have the Right to Increase the Speed of My Golf Cart?
Increasing the speed of a golf cart to exceed 20 miles per hour turns a golf cart into a low-speed vehicle that requires a license, insurance, and registration tag to operate legally in the State of Florida. Just remember that increasing the speed of a golf cart also increases the risk of getting involved in a golf car accident, especially one that involves flipping over a golf cart. Golf cart manufacturers design and construct golf carts to handle speeds no higher than 20 miles per hour. If you sustained injuries as a result of a golf cart accident caused by the operation of your vehicle at more than 20 miles per hour, a golf cart accident lawyer in Fort Myers might have a difficult time proving the other party committed an act of negligence.
What Does Pure Comparative Negligence Mean in Florida?
Florida follows the pure comparative negligence principle when assigning fault for personal injury cases such as a golf car accident. Although your car accident lawyer in Fort Myers tries to prove the other party should assume 100 percent of the blame for causing the collision, the fact remains that most golf cart accident cases assign blame to more than one party. For example, let’s say you got involved in a golf car accident with a motor vehicle. The driver of the motor vehicle did not signal before making a turn. However, you operated the golf car outside of the path where golf carts have exclusive access.
The legal result is assigning a percentage of fault for causing the accident to you and the other party. You assume 30 percent of the fault for causing the accident, while the operator of the motor vehicle assumes the remaining 70 percent of negligence. If the judge hearing your case awards you $30,000 in monetary damages, you receive just $21,000 because the court subtracts 30 percent of the value of your financial award.
How Much Time Do I Have to File a Golf Cart Accident Lawsuit in Florida?
Each state has established a deadline for filing a personal injury lawsuit. Also called the statute of limitations, most states have set a deadline for filing a personal injury lawsuit between two and four years. A handful of states go as high as six years and as low as one year for giving plaintiffs time to file a civil lawsuit that seeks monetary damages. Florida Statutes Section 95.11 establishes the deadline for filing a personal injury lawsuit at four years. The clock starts ticking on a personal injury lawsuit on the date of the incident that caused you harm.
Although four years is more than enough time to file a persuasive personal injury lawsuit, you should act with a sense of urgency and take legal action as quickly as possible after a golf cart accident. You do not want to rush the filing of a civil lawsuit because it might compromise the strength of your case. Nonetheless, filing a civil lawsuit that seeks monetary damages in a timely manner helps you receive compensation faster than if you wait a couple of years. Your golf car accident lawyer in Fort Myers, Florida also wants to take quick legal action to receive the most accurate witness accounts of what transpired before, during, and after the golf cart collision.
If you fail to file a personal injury lawsuit before the expiration of the statute of limitations, you can expect a court clerk to dismiss your case.
Get the Legal Support That You Deserve?
What defines a successful car accident lawyer in Fort Myers? The first factor is the level of experience in getting favorable legal judgments awarded for a civil lawsuit. The number of years does not matter as much as the record a golf cart accident lawyer has in getting clients compensation for their injuries.
You should consider a golf cart accident attorney who specializes in handling golf cart accident cases. The lawyer that you hire should represent you during every step of the legal process. Because of the stress triggered by taking legal action, your car accident lawyer in Fort Myers must respond to your emails, phone calls, and text messages before the end of the business day or the first thing the following morning.
If you sustained one or more injuries as a result of a golf cart accident, you should hire a golf car accident lawyer in Fort Myers who gets clients the compensation they deserve. Morgan and Morgan has recovered more than $14 billion in monetary damages for clients that filed personal injury lawsuits.
Get the legal support of the highly-rated team of personal injury attorneys at Morgan and Morgan by scheduling a free case evaluation.
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