Florida residents experience accidents every day which lead to a range of personal injuries. In 2017, there was an average of 1,098 traffic crashes every day in Florida.
Yet people in Florida get injured in many other accidents besides traffic incidents. Boating accidents, swimming pool incidents, and motorcycle accidents are just a few.
If you’re a Jacksonville resident and you’ve recently been in an accident, you may be ready to file a personal injury claim. To give you the best chances of receiving compensation for your claim, you may want to hire a Jacksonville personal injury attorney.
When To File A Personal Injury Claim
There is some stigma surrounding personal injury cases. You may be wondering if your injury is worthy of filing a claim, if you have a chance of being awarded damages, or if you are justified in pursuing your claim.
While no one can help you decide whether to file a claim, you may want to in order to recover any damages not covered by your insurance plan. You can also decide to file a claim to cover any future costs related to your accident, such as ongoing medical care.
Before you can file a claim, though, you’ll need to speak with a Jacksonville personal injury lawyer to determine if you may be entitled to receive compensation.
Determining If You Are Entitled To Compensation In Auto Accidents
First, filing a claim depends on both the type of injury you sustained as well as the type of accident you experienced. Motor vehicle crashes and personal injury claims related to them are affected by Florida’s no-fault rule.
That is, each driver in Florida is required to carry a personal injury protection plan (PIP). Essentially, you can only pursue a claim for any damages not covered by your PIP.
Understanding Negligence In Florida
For other accidents, how much you may recover and whether you are entitled to compensation at all may depend on proving negligence on behalf of the at-fault party.
Negligence in Florida is determined according to a term known as comparative negligence, which holds that if a person is even partially at fault in an accident, they can still recover damages but the amount will be reduced.
For your claim, your attorney must have a comprehensive understanding of the details of your accident in order to prove negligence in the other party.
List Of Common Personal Injuries In Jacksonville
Personal injuries include harm to your body caused by an accident, but also include harm to your mental and emotional wellbeing, in some instances.
This is because accidents can cause direct injuries, like head trauma, but the effects of accidents may extend far beyond short-term recovery. For example, you may sustain an injury that makes it impossible or very difficult to do your job, an effect which will plague you for the rest of your life. This could be known as a “pain and suffering” injury or “mental anguish”.
Whatever injury you experience, a personal injury attorney can help you determine the cost to your life and the amount of compensation you can pursue as a result.
Here is a list of common personal injury claims in Jacksonville:
- boating accidents
- car accidents
- commercial trucking accidents
- construction accidents
- dog bites
- libel suits
- motorcycle accidents
- slips and falls
- swimming pool accidents
Do I Need An Attorney?
In filing your claim, you may be wondering if you even need to hire a personal injury attorney or if your claim warrants legal help.
Hiring an attorney to defend and help with your claim is beneficial for several reasons, including:
1. Explaining the personal injury claim process — even if you have filed a personal injury claim before, each case is different and depends on different factors. Many details will contribute to the types of damages you can pursue, the amount of compensation you can receive, and when you can and should file.
2. Helping you pursue maximum compensation — Before any claim heads to court, a personal injury attorney works with insurance companies, attempting to negotiate a settlement. Insurance companies will try to offer a low amount and get you to settle out of court. If you have a strong claim, your personal injury attorney will stand firm in not settling for less than you deserve.
3. Defending your personal injury claim in court — Should your claim make it to court, a personal injury attorney in Jacksonville can help defend your claim, prove negligence on behalf of the opposing party, and fight to help you recover your losses.
Cost Of A Personal Injury In Jacksonville
What will a personal injury cost you? Calculating how much a personal injury will cost in the long run may get complex, but helps determine how much compensation you may be entitled to receive.
The cost of a personal injury is affected by a few factors, including:
- medical costs associated with the injury: doctor appointments, surgeries, ambulance costs, time spent in intensive care, and more.
- lost work: how much work did you miss while recovering from your injury and will your injury affect your future working ability?
- quality of life: did your injury affect your overall quality of life, such as your daily enjoyment, or impact a relationship?
- mental anguish: some people experience extreme anguish. For example, an injury may result in a person losing a limb, which causes them to lose the ability to do a job they enjoy or participate in hobbies.
The overall costs from a personal injury can become overwhelming. Whether it’s making up for lost wages, covering a lot of medical bills, or atoning for the mental and emotional scarring from an accident, filing a personal injury claim can help you account for these losses.
How Much Compensation Will I Win From A Personal Injury Claim?
How much compensation you may win from a personal injury claim also depends on several factors. First, the type of accident you were in affects the amount you can pursue. If you were in an auto accident and were partly at fault, you will receive less compensation in Florida.
Next, the type of injury or injuries you sustained and what they cost you financially and in other ways will affect your possible compensation. Medical bills are easy to recall for calculating damages, but how much a person should be awarded for mental anguish and pain and suffering differs in each case. There are methods for calculating this.
If the at-fault party was grossly negligent or caused an accident because they disregarded care for the safety of others, this can affect the amount of your compensation as well.
Finally, the way in which your case is settled will often affect the amount of compensation you receive. If your personal injury attorney settles your case out of court, you may receive less compensation. Settlements tend to happen more quickly and occur when both parties agree to a suitable arrangement.
If your case goes to court, you may spend more time and money due to court costs and legal fees in order to further pursue your claim. These costs can really pile up if your case goes to trial.
In the end, you may win anywhere from a few thousand dollars to tens or hundreds of thousands of dollars, but every single case is different from the next and there is no way to predict the final outcome.
Florin|Roebig personal injury attorneys have helped Florida clients secure up to millions of dollars in personal injury suits and they are prepared to help you secure the maximum amount possible for your individual case.
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Find Legal Counsel For A Personal Injury Claim In Jacksonville
After a personal injury, you may be unsure which steps to take to file a claim. For a legal consultation and answers to any questions you may have, contact Florin|Roebig personal injury attorneys today. We can help with your claim in Jacksonville, explain the legal process along the way, and fight to get you compensated for your losses.
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