Personal injuries happen every day in Homestead, Florida. Some are minor occurrences that don’t warrant filing a claim, while others are so severe that they can lead to life-altering changes for the victim involved.
If you’ve experienced bodily or psychological harm at the hands of a negligent or malicious party, you may be able to file a claim against that party to seek compensation for your injuries. Because every incidence of personal injury has its own special set of circumstances, your case may be handled very differently from someone else’s.
This is why a personal injury attorney in Homestead can make it easier to understand how your case should move forward (or if it should move forward at all). Florin|Roebig lawyers have vast experience in personal injury claims in Florida, and we want to help you understand the claim-filing process, how much your claim may be worth, and if you have a strong case.
Car Accidents And Other Incidents That Lead To Personal Injury
The number of ways in which a personal injury can manifest is staggering because there are many individual factors that can lead up to an event.
Homestead doesn’t keep detailed statistics on all personal injuries filed in the city, but its larger county of Miami-Dade keeps track of one of the most common ways you can be injured: car accidents. In 2017, there nearly 33,000 reported injuries from car accidents. That’s around 90 injuries per day, every day.
Other common causes of personal injury include:
- product defects: Toxic paint, malfunctioning parts, hazardous design flaws: products are not always quality-checked before they’re distributed.
- food poisoning: Improperly cooked food can result in serious bodily harm, especially if you had a pre-existing condition.
- fire: Maybe something went wrong when your waiter served bananas foster or maybe a bonfire at a friend’s house got out of control. Fires of any kind can lead to injury when proper care is not exercised.
- harassment: While the most common association with this term is sexual harassment, this can refer to any prolonged interactions that result in psychiatric injury.
- negligent pet owners: Sharp teeth, errant claws, and a nasty or nervous temper can all result in personal injury.
- slips and falls: Many different causes can lead to a slip and fall, but when the fall is caused because a business owner failed to clean up a spill or post appropriate warning signs of a dangerous area, this can lead to a claim.
- medical malpractice: Doctors, nurses, orderlies, and first responders are not expected to be perfect, but some negligent actions can lead to serious harm or wrongful death.
Most personal injury cases are caused by accidents, but this is not always the case. For example, some drivers have extreme road rage, which can cause them to intentionally attempt to harm you. When you talk to a lawyer, you can get a better sense of how your claim will be tried under the eyes of the law and what kinds of damages you can file for.
Listed below are four types of accidents that cause personal injuries in Homestead:
- Agricultural Equipment Accidents:
- Homestead is renowned for its agricultural prominence, boasting vast farmlands and nurseries. Unfortunately, this also means accidents involving tractors, harvesters, and other farm machinery. These mishaps can result from equipment malfunctions or operator errors and often lead to severe injuries due to the heavy machinery involved.
- Hurricane-Related Accidents:
- Given its location, Homestead is susceptible to the ferocity of Atlantic hurricanes. These storms can cause accidents ranging from wind-blown debris hitting individuals to vehicular accidents due to wet and slippery conditions. The aftermath often includes downed power lines and structural damages leading to further injury risks.
- Everglades Wildlife Incidents:
- Proximity to the Everglades means that residents and visitors to Homestead occasionally face risks from local wildlife. Accidents can involve collisions with animals crossing roads, like deer or alligators, or injuries sustained from close encounters during recreational activities in natural habitats.
- Boating and Waterway Accidents:
- Homestead’s closeness to Biscayne National Park and its surrounding waterways makes boating a popular activity. However, this also brings risks of boating collisions, capsizes due to unpredictable weather changes, or mishaps involving water sports.
What You Need To Know About Personal Injury Claims
There are a lot of misconceptions about how and when to file a personal injury claim in Homestead. Some people may think that the standard protocol is to go through an insurance company first and then consider a lawyer if that doesn’t work out. But this could be a time-wasting and avoidable mistake.
After seeing a doctor to thoroughly assess your injury, the most important person you can talk to is an attorney. A personal injury case can become very complicated for the victim. An attorney can advise you of the laws that apply to your case and help you understand when to file, what damages to claim, and the possible value of your claim.
For instance, Florida enforces comparative negligence, or the division of fault in any personal injury case. In some cases, the victim shares none of the blame and the other party is deemed to be 100 percent at fault. In other cases, the victim may be held 10 percent liable for what happened, which can affect the settlement of their claim.
Types Of Damages Awarded For Personal Injury Claims In Homestead
Because personal injury is such a broad category, it includes any number of potential damages, such as:
- medical: Refers to any official visits to a healthcare worker, including physical therapists, psychiatrists, surgeons, etc.
- pain and suffering: Refers to financial compensation for mental and emotional suffering.
- lost income: Refers to both current wages and future wages (should your injury prevent you from continuing on the course of your career).
- aftercare: Refers to professional services, such as a babysitter, maid, or at-home aide that can help you survive your recovery.
- loss of spousal support: Also known as loss of consortium, these charges can be filed by your partner for disruptions to your home life after the accident.
- punitive: Refers to a punishment for the at-fault party if the personal injury was not an accident. They’re forced to pay the damages to account for their intent.
Some of these damages may not apply to you, while others may be confusing. For example, how can a spouse file for damages when the injury didn’t occur to them?
But when you consider how a personal injury can have a ripple effect on an entire family, it becomes clear why these damages exist. Your spouse may have had to hire a full-time caregiver for your children or miss substantial time from work to visit you in the hospital.
A lawyer can help you decide how much to file for based on how the injury affected your lifestyle.
Knowing What Your Claim Is Worth
The worth of a claim is important to every person who files. You may choose to file because you want to hold the at-fault party accountable. You may have no other choice but to file because the weight of your medical bills is threatening to bury you.
How your claim is decided will be based on how your life was affected by the injury and how the events occurred. If your college career came to an abrupt halt due to a severe brain injury, this may be treated differently than a retiree with a slipped disc after a slip-and-fall.
Because the variables of an accident are so complex, personal injury attorneys in Homestead will only be able to estimate the outcome of your case. Still, a professional projection from a lawyer is much better than trying to guess based on a few examples you read or heard about.
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Do I Need To Hire A Personal Injury Attorney?
It is not legally required to hire a personal injury attorney in Homestead if you want to defend yourself in court. However, you may greatly benefit from hiring a personal injury attorney due to their experience.
Because they understand the court system and have worked with personal injury cases before, they won’t make the kinds of common mistakes that can cause a judge to dismiss your case before they even hear it.
In addition, most people who have experienced a personal injury need to concentrate on their recovery. Extra stress during this time will only exacerbate a personal injury. A lawyer can file the important paperwork, ensure you make all your deadlines, and deal with the stressors that come along with filing a claim, such as dealing with insurance companies and lawyers for the other party.
List Of Personal Injury Lawyers Serving Homestead
Once you’re ready to file a personal injury claim, it’s important to choose the best legal team to give yourself the best chance at recovering compensation. Adequate representation in court can make all the difference in the outcome of your claim.
Florin|Roebig attorneys have been handling personal injury claims in Florida for more than three decades with an impressive record of settlements won for clients.
Some of our experienced lawyers serving the Homestead area include:
- Wil H. Florin, B.C.S.
- Tommy D. Roebig, B.C.S.
- Luca G Esposito
- Chad K. Florin, M.B.A., LL.M.
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Reach Out For Help With Your Personal Injury Claim
No matter how turbulent your life is right now, we can help you make sense of a personal injury claim in Homestead. Contacting a lawyer isn’t commitment to filing a court case, it’s an important step to better understand what your legal options are following a serious injury.
Don’t wait for answers; contact Florin|Roebig today to learn more about filing a claim, to get an estimate for the value of your case, and for a no-cost consultation.
