Miami-Dade County, where Miami is located, topped the list for most car accidents in Florida in 2017. High rates of accidents contribute to the many personal injuries that occur every year in Miami.
Injuries occur for a number of other reasons, too. In addition to car accidents, Miami residents get hurt in boating accidents, trucking accidents, and more.
If you’ve recently been injured in Miami, you may want to file a claim to recover your losses. Missed work, health costs due to the accident, and pain and suffering are just a few ways your life can be affected by the accident.
Filing a claim can be a complex process, though, which means you may need legal help along the way. The Florin|Roebig legal team has defended personal injury claims throughout Florida since 1986.
List Of Common Personal Injury Claims In Miami
You may be wondering if the injury you sustained qualifies for a personal injury claim. Some injuries are physical, which means damages related to them seem straightforward. If you broke a bone in a car accident, for example, you may want to file a claim for your trip to the hospital, physical therapy, and doctor appointments following the accident.
Yet accidents can cause other types of personal injuries as well, which may be harder to define. Nonetheless, you may be feeling the loss from such an injury that can entitle you to compensation, especially if the accident was caused by someone else’s negligence.
The following is a list of common personal injury claims which may be filed in Miami:
- car accidents
- boating accidents
- trucking accidents
- motorcycle accidents
- slips and falls
- assault and battery
- dog bites
- swimming pool accidents
- construction accidents
- libel
Filing A Personal Injury Claim In Miami
When you get into an accident, the first thing on your mind may not be seeking legal counsel. But after getting medical care, the best thing to do is find a personal injury attorney right away.
Before filing a claim or speaking to your insurance provider, a Miami personal injury attorney can help you know who to list as a defendant, what type of damages you can pursue, and give you an idea of the strength of your claim.
After you file, your personal injury attorney will be able to begin communicating with your insurance provider to try to secure the maximum amount for your claim.
While insurance companies are bound to pay out, they will always attempt to secure their own interests by paying out the minimum amount possible, and your attorney can help hold the insurance provider accountable.
If your case goes to court, your attorney may have to prove negligence, which means that the accident was caused by someone else due to their misconduct (gross negligence). An excellent personal injury attorney, like our team at Florin|Roebig, will be prepared to go to trial if necessary, defend your claim, and help you get awarded damages.
Negligence Laws In Florida
Proving negligence can be tricky. To start, for motorized accidents, Florida is considered a no-fault state and all drivers are required to have insurance. Even if negligence is proven, damages can only be awarded if a person’s losses exceed that of their Personal Injury Protection coverage.
However, costs associated with injuries caused from accidents often exceed this amount, which means personal injury claims can lead to compensation. How much a person will receive depends on the type of accident they were in, the type of injury or injuries they sustained, and the ways it affected their life (damages).
Types Of Damages Awarded In Florida
Florida personal injury claims typically fall into two categories: compensatory and general. Punitive damages, meant to punish the negligent party, are not always awarded in Florida.
Personal injury claims in Miami are usually compensatory, which means a person is directly compensated in order to atone for their losses.
Compensatory damages are those you would consider more direct, such as:
- ambulance ride costs
- medical care costs
- rehabilitative care expenses
- physical therapy costs
- lost wages
- cost of prescription medications
- pain and suffering
General damages are awarded to atone for more abstract injuries. How much will this accident cost you over the course of your life? While this can be hard to determine, there are ways to consider the effects to your life caused by another person’s negligence, such as the multiplier method.
A personal injury lawyer can help you determine the direct and indirect costs to your life caused by the accident and pursue damages for that claim.
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Reasons To File A Claim
You may be hesitant to file a claim and wonder if it’s ethical or if your claim is strong enough to pursue. Perhaps you feel that if your personal injury protection plan covers most of the costs from your injury, then you should forget about the rest.
The first reason to file a personal injury claim in Miami is that costs from an accident quickly pile up. If your insurance covers 60 to 80 percent of medical costs, then you will still be responsible for covering the remaining balance. All told, this can amount to thousands of dollars.
Even if short-term costs caused by a personal injury are minimal, future costs from an accident may span years of your life. If you broke or displaced a bone, for instance, that injury could lead to years of physical therapy for an incident over which you had no control and increased medical expenses in the long run.
Accidents can also impact your life in ways you can’t predict. Some people experience effects to relationships. Stress due to lost work, physical changes, or the overall impact from an injury can impact a person’s enjoyment of life.
For these reasons, and many others, filing a personal injury claim may be warranted. Before walking away from any possible compensation, talk to a personal injury attorney in Miami to see if you have a possible claim.
Do I Need A Personal Injury Attorney?
The best way to ensure that you receive compensation for your claim is by hiring a personal injury attorney. You may not know if you need one right away, but calling an attorney as soon as possible following your accident can ease the process of filing a claim.
You may be unsure where to file or who to include on the claim, and an attorney can help you figure out all the details. They can also explore your claim and gather every detail related to your accident to strengthen your claim.
When it’s time to begin negotiations, your personal injury attorney can communicate with insurance companies to find an agreement that’s in your best interest. If an agreement is not reached, an attorney will be there to defend your claim in court and prove negligence during a trial if necessary.
Having a personal injury attorney will ensure that you have the greatest chance at recovering maximum compensation for your claim while being kept informed and up-to-date along the way.
Find A Personal Injury Attorney In Miami Today
For help with a personal injury claim in Miami, contact the legal team at Florin|Roebig today. We can set up a consultation, discuss the details of your accident, and help you file a claim as soon as possible.
With more than three decades of experience in representing clients for personal injury in Florida, we will fight to get you the compensation you deserve in a timely manner.
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