A trial is supposed to be where jurors find the truth. Right? Well, believe it or not, they don’t get to hear all relevant evidence. Let’s just look at three examples.
Florida law provides that whatever automobile drivers tell the investigating police officer at the accident scene is not admissible in any civil or criminal lawsuit arising from the accident. For example, if a driver runs a stop sign and hurts you, they can admit to the police officer that they ran the stop sign, but they can later testify in your civil case against them that they did not run the stop sign. Your attorney can’t have the police officer testify the other driver admitted he ran the stop sign. There are some very rare exceptions, but every day in courtrooms across Florida, this law (“Accident Report Privilege”) prevents jurors from hearing the whole truth about how accidents happen. Florida law also prevents jurors from being told that a driver has insurance (this is to protect insurance companies), how much insurance they have, and in most cases, what a person’s driving history has been.
Who does that hurt? Most often, the person who has the burden of proof in the case. If you are the injured person who was not at fault for the accident, that means you.
If you have been injured in an automobile accident, contact us for a free legal consultation now at 813.755.9500.
