Have you or a loved one gotten severely injured due to another’s negligence? Check out these 5 things to know after an injury, then call us.
1) Choosing a Personal Injury Attorney
What you want is an attorney who is experienced in personal injury not just on the plaintiff’s side, but also on the defense side. You want someone who has trial experience, which is critically important. Insurance companies know which attorneys are willing to try your case.
2) Personal Injury Case Settlement
In Orlando, Florida, many cases settle before going to court. Sometimes clients fear the imposition on their life of having to do depositions, go to court, the potential of going to a trial before a judge and jury. A vast majority of cases settle before that happens, but it’s important that you hire an attorney who from the very beginning prepares your case as if you will ultimately have to go to trial. By doing that, the insurance companies know that it’s going to be an uphill battle and that it is in their favor to settle the case before having to incur the expense of battling this out in court.
You should certainly never worry about not moving forward with a case because you worry about being taken to court and the time and expense it takes to do that. A vast majority of cases settle before suit.
3) Pre-Existing Injuries
Pre-existing conditions are one of the ways that insurance companies love to attack your case, and try to devalue your case, and tell you your case is worth less than what it is, and it takes a very skilled and experienced personal injury attorney to navigate those waters.
We make sure that the insurance company understands the difference between preexisting conditions and the injuries that you have suffered subsequent to the accident. Insurance companies will try and tie everything to something that has happened before. It is very important that we have a very open relationship with your doctors and are very clear as to what is new and what is not.
Insurance companies will oftentimes hire experts, and it’s important that your attorney be able to hire experts to counter those experts’ testimonies to what might be a preexisting condition. Insurance companies, even if you do have a preexisting condition, have to take you the way you are. They’re not allowed to say, “Well, this all has to do with a prior incident.” If you have a bad back and this accident worsened it, they have to pay for that. They have to take you for what you are not what you could be or should be. It’s a doctrine in Florida called the eggshell plaintiff.
There are many tricks that insurance companies try to do to reduce the value of your case, which is why it’s critically important to talk to an attorney who is skilled and experienced in these matters to handle your case. Do not fear moving forward with the claim because you had a prior claim before, had prior surgeries before, had prior injuries before. It’s not something that’s going to stop you from moving forward with a very successful claim.
4) Accepting the First Personal Injury Settlement Offer
Here in Orlando, Florida, you will find that insurance companies will attempt to settle cases with clients who are unrepresented by attorneys, and they attempt to do this very quickly, sometimes the same day as the accident. You should never accept a first offer from an insurance company without first speaking with an attorney. Insurance companies know that once an attorney is involved, especially a skilled attorney, that they will have to pay full value of that claim.
Clients oftentimes don’t understand or underestimate the full value of their potential claim. There may be avenues of compensation that they never considered. This is why it is so important to hire an experienced personal injury attorney here in Florida to help you navigate these waters as soon as an accident happens. Do not hesitate. Do not accept any first offer from an insurance company without first speaking with an attorney.
5) Personal Injury Damages
Every case is different, but certainly you can be compensated for the physical injuries you sustained in the way of medical bills getting paid back. Also, there is a possibility of getting compensated for pain and suffering. This can be a massive recovery depending on how your life has been affected; if you receive a permanent injury, for example, things that you’re going to need to do for the rest of your life to compensate for that injury. There’s also claim for lost wages if you lost time from work, the salary that you’re not able to accrue. Also, the potential to make money in the future, loss of future earning capacity. There are claims that can be made for emotional distress caused by this accident. Sometimes family members might be able to make claims based on your injuries as well.
The specifics of every case are different, and the details are very important. It’s very important that you hire an attorney who is going to turn over every stone and attack every potential claim for you.
Have you or your loved one been seriously hurt in an accident caused by someone else in Florida and have questions? After reading these 5 things to know after an injury, contact our experienced Orlando personal injury lawyers today for a free consultation and case evaluation.
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