Personal Injury Lawyer in Florida
You’ve been involved in an auto accident – now what? Being wrongfully injured in any kind of accident is stressful and overwhelming. The physical pain and mental strain combined with unforeseen medical expenses, insurance hassles, and lost wages from time off of work can be a huge burden for anyone to bear. A personal injury case can demand an immense amount of time, research, expenses, and stress for those involved.
In this blog post, we’ll discuss how to determine if you need a personal injury lawyer in Florida if you’ve been involved in an auto accident. However, if you’ve been involved in an auto accident and you take the proper steps after the accident, your rights can be protected and you can receive both the support and justice you deserve.
What is a personal injury case?
You may be wondering what exactly a “personal injury” case involves. Personal injury cases allow for a person who has been wrongfully injured in an accident – due to someone else’s negligence or an intentional act – to be compensated. There are many categories of personal injury cases: from automobile, truck or boating accidents to medical malpractice, slip and fall accidents, and more.
With more than 6 million car accidents happening in the United States every year, it’s an unfortunate fact that many drivers have experienced or will experience a car accident sometime in their driving careers, which makes it no surprise that auto accidents spur the most personal injury cases in the United States. Personal injury attorneys are trained to help clients navigate the complexities of personal injury claims, with auto accidents making up the most personal injury cases in the United States.
How do I know if I need a personal injury attorney?
If you’ve been involved in an auto accident, remember that the first step is to seek any necessary medical care. Next, you should determine whether you will need a personal injury lawyer. If you or a loved one has been injured in an automobile accident, you understand the importance of acting quickly to limit the damages involved in the accident. But how do you know if you should try to handle the details alone or if you will need a personal injury attorney?
Ask yourself these questions to determine whether you need a personal injury lawyer:
- Has the automobile accident resulted in death, injuries, or permanent disabilities?
- Has there been a loss in wages due to hospitalization or injuries?
- Are there expensive and/or mounting medical bills involved?
- Are there multiple parties involved?
- Is there a question of liability (i.e. it is unclear who is responsible for the accident)?
If you’ve answered “yes” to any of the above questions, it is time to consider hiring an accident attorney – sooner than later. If you’re still unsure if you truly have a case, try a fast and free case evaluation.
What a personal injury attorney can do
Car accident attorneys handle more than just a case for you. Experienced Florida car accident lawyers will, most importantly, protect your legal interests – but can also help you speed up your claim, hold insurance companies and hospitals accountable, help make sense of medical bills, and even collect evidence on your behalf. The right car accident lawyer can and should help relieve some of the stresses associated with the trauma of an accident.
According to the National Safety Council, over 40,000 people die from motor vehicle fatalities each year. Unfortunately, though the injured car accident victim and/or family may be entitled to receive financial compensation, many accident victims don’t receive the full compensation of damages they may be entitled to.
Personal injury cases can be complicated, and many victims are unaware of the maximum value of their claim, so they simply accept the first offer from the insurance company. This is a mistake that can be prevented by hiring an experienced personal injury attorney who not only knows your rights but will help you properly exercise those rights. By hiring your own representation, you are removing the possibility of being taken advantage of by the other party’s lawyers and/or insurance company.
When should I hire a personal injury lawyer?
The short answer is: as soon as your immediate medical needs are taken care of. The very next step is to seek out an experienced personal injury attorney as soon as possible because in these types of cases, time is of the essence. Not only do you have to keep your state’s statutes of limitations (i.e., the timelines in which you must file a lawsuit) in mind, you need proper compensation to cover the costs associated with your incident, including medical treatment, lost wages, property damages, etc.
How do I find the best personal injury attorney?
When looking for the best car accident attorney near you, it’s important to do your research and interview potential car accident attorneys near you. While you need to act quickly, you can avoid hiring an inexperienced attorney by asking the right questions, such as:
- What is your experience with my specific legal problem?
- How long have you been practicing?
- What is your track record of success?
- Do you have any certifications or legal memberships?
- How much do you charge, and how are your fees structured?
- Do you work with experts (e.g., accident reconstructionists, investigators, etc.)?
- Can you provide me with references from other clients?
- How will you communicate with me about my case?
I hired a personal injury attorney for my case; how long until it is settled?
Once you have done the heavy lifting of obtaining necessary medical treatment and researching and hiring a personal injury lawyer to handle your claim, you may be wondering how long you’ll be waiting for your case to be settled. Your personal injury case is unique to you. Likewise, the personal injury timeline – from accident to settlement – is different from case to case. There may be factors that cause the legal process to be more complex or to take longer – or there may be factors that streamline or accelerate the legal process. It really depends upon the specifics of your personal injury case.
You can get a better idea of what to expect from the personal injury legal process – from the typical personal injury timeline from accident to settlement.
If you or a loved one has been wrongfully injured in an auto accident, finding an experienced personal injury attorney to help protect your rights and relieve the stress and burden of injury is crucial to giving you the peace of mind you deserve. Your attorney will work to ensure you receive fair compensation while you focus on healing, and choosing the right attorney with a successful track record can make all the difference.
Our free personal injury settlement calculator can help you quickly and easily determine how much your case may be worth. It’s worth a few minutes of your time to find out!
