Orlando Slip and Fall Lawyers

Let’s also say that you suffered broken bones and needed surgery to fix this injury. Also, when you slipped and fell, you broke your phone that you used for work. Those are two very important damages that we will look into to see how much they’ve impacted your life economically (as well as non-economically which we will discuss later.) Your Orlando slip and fall lawyers will want to meet with you right away for your free consultation to learn about this event and help you discover what your rights are.

Once we can find out that, for instance, this grocery store was liable for the damages and injuries that you suffered because they saw that there was a spill but didn’t do anything to prevent someone from getting hurt, then we can file a claim against them.

We will then fight tirelessly against them to try to get a settlement award from them that we believe to be full and fair. If they cannot come back to us with a reasonable award then we may very well take them all the way to trial.

Value of Your Slip and Fall Accident Case

When you receive justice for your case it will be in the form of financial compensation. Mainly the two categories of this compensation will be your economic as well as non-economic damages.

If you went to the emergency room after your slip and fall accident, then the costs for that visit, as well as any ambulance ride or follow up treatment, physical therapy or surgeries, are all going to be considered in your compensation award. We need to know what the maximum medical recovery is for you so that we know how much money you are going to be spending on your physical recovery as well as how long that will take. If you’ve missed a lot of work and lost out on wages because of this accident, that is also very important to your case value.

Non-economic damages have more to do with how you personally suffered in your quality of life following your accident and what it did to you emotionally, mentally and physically. If you were in immense pain for a long time, that is going to be factored into your award. If you didn’t get to enjoy your hobbies like you used to because you were too hurt to do so then that should also be a strong factor in your compensation award. You need to make sure that your Orlando slip and fall lawyers are going to fight for every little bit of non-economic damage that you’ve had to suffer through because they are very important.

Be Sure to Follow Your Doctor’s Aftercare Instructions

Have you ever left a doctor’s office with a handful of paperwork you didn’t pay much attention to? After all, your prescription was called in to the pharmacy before you even left the building, so what do you need more paper for? Maybe you left it on the floor of your car or tossed it into your bill basket for shredding with your junk mail.

Go back and get those papers. Chances are, it contains your aftercare instructions.

It doesn’t matter whether or not you think the compresses or at-home exercises prescribed will make a difference. Following doctor’s orders until the treatment plan is completed is going to make a huge difference in your case.

The insurance company will be watching out for any signs that your injuries are unrelated to the accident, exaggerated, or phony.

If you skip your physical therapy appointments for example, you can bet the insurance company will pounce on it. You may think that lack of progress recovering is only more proof of your injuries. If the insurance company finds out you are not getting the therapy the doctor ordered; however, they will use it against you.

Insurance adjusters do their own investigations and, while it’s rare, this could involve checking up on you. If they find you in your yard raking leaves, for example, they may hold it against your claim, even if you know you were in pain while doing it.

If your aftercare instructs you to rest, then rest. Additionally, make sure to attend all of your prescribed follow-up appointments, whether for physical therapy or anything else.

Don’t Give the Insurance Provider a Recorded Statement

Not long after your slip and fall, you can expect an insurance adjuster to call you. They may sound very sympathetic and tell you they are just checking on you to see how you’re doing.

You are likely feeling vulnerable in the early days of recovery and may think this a nice thing for them to do. Don’t let your guard down.

It’s important to remember this person is not calling you on their lunch break. You are an assignment. They will inevitably get around to asking for a recorded statement.

It’s not a lie when they tell you this is routine. But you need to know that part of that routine is looking for any information that can devalue your claim.

It may feel uncomfortable, especially if you consider yourself a “people-pleaser,” but it’s best to decline politely and hang up the phone.

You are not obligated to talk to the insurance company. We recommend letting your experienced slip and fall lawyer communicate with them for you.

Don’t Wait too Long Before Calling a Lawyer

Waiting too long to speak to an attorney is a mistake, even with the four-year limit on filing a personal injury claim in Florida. There are two reasons for this.

First, even if you feel like you have plenty of time, you can’t count on evidence lasting that long. The longer you wait, the harder it will be to find evidence for your case.

Witnesses may move or change phone numbers. Even if you have the contact information of a witness, the more time that passes, the less clear their memory will be.

The second reason to get started as soon as you are able is to have the time necessary to build a strong case. Gathering evidence, conducting an investigation, planning a strategy for your case, filing paperwork… all of this takes time.

The longer your lawyer has to get your case ready, the better your chances are of recovering full and fair compensation.

Choose Your Lawyer Wisely

Many people make the mistake of believing all lawyers are interchangeable. This is not true. The law has a multitude of practice areas, each with its own required knowledge base.

Your sister-in-law’s divorce attorney is not the right person to handle your slip and fall case. Neither is your best friend’s dad’s corporate lawyer.

Even a personal injury lawyer who only has experience in car accident cases is not going to help you as much as a personal injury lawyer with experience with slip and fall cases.

Lastly, when you choose a slip and fall lawyer, you’ll want to make sure to hire one who has had success in the courtroom.

Most slip and fall cases can be settled out of court. If necessary, however, we may need to take your case before a jury. A good trial lawyer is a must.

Our Orlando slip and fall lawyers are not only extremely competent in negotiating with insurance providers, we also have a proven track record in the courtroom. We’ve helped many people like you get justice for their injuries, and we want to help you.

Orlando Slip and Fall Client Story

Be sure to read this story to the end to get the most benefit from it. Names and details have been changed to protect our clients’ privacy, but the value of the story remains.

One chilly January morning in Orlando, Anita Perez’s best friend Susie picked her up for a trip to the mall. Susie insisted on driving, fussing over her friend like a mother hen.

“Is the seatbelt comfortable?” asked Suzie, “I put that fleecy thing over it so it wouldn’t chafe or anything.”

Anita rolled her eyes and smiled as her best friend momentarily placed a warm hand on her very pregnant belly.

Anita suddenly flashed back to fifth grade, when they’d first met. Anita had just moved to Orlando. New to the school and shy, she was a little startled when Suzie bounded up to her and said, “Wanna be besties?”

The rest is history. Anita and Suzie quickly became inseparable, even through college, until two years ago when Anita married Joe.

Anita and Suzie remained  close friends and looked forward to their weekly Saturday morning shopping trips. They didn’t always buy anything, but they always laughed, and always stopped for coffee and a muffin. The muffin was definitely a requirement.

Now the two friends chatted happily, on their way to pick out cute outfits for Anita’s upcoming baby shower.

They went to one of their favorite chain stores famous for its great deals and fabulous clothes. They split up as they entered, Anita to maternity, and Suzie to women’s dresses. They agreed to look for each other in half an hour.

Anita had been concerned about finding something flattering, given her very pregnant belly. She was happy to find not one, but three adorable outfits. Noticing the time, she turned and headed straight for the changing room… and tumbled forward, belly first.

Not being able to completely free her hands, she took a good deal of the fall on her stomach. Stunned, she began trying to get up.

Suzie, heading for the same changing room, saw Anita fall. She rushed toward her friend, feeling like she was moving in slow motion, and helped her sit up.

Anita was shaken but seemed otherwise okay. She was, however, terribly worried about the baby.

Sobbing, Anita looked around for what could possibly have caused the fall. And then, she saw it.

A dozen feet from the changing room door was a four-by-four-foot display base. It was about five inches high and completely bare, with a one-inch-deep overhang around the top. There was no display on it to alert Anita to its presence in front of Anita’s feet (which she could also not see, because of her belly). It was also the exact same color as the floor.

The women alerted the staff to the situation and called an ambulance. Suzie sat by Anita’s side, holding her hand all the way across town.

Once Anita arrived, she was immediately taken for a sonogram. The baby appeared to be okay, but the doctor told her to go home and rest and return the next day for a follow-up appointment with her obstetrician.

Anita’s husband, who had met her in the ER, drove her home. She was still extremely worried and tearful.

The next morning, Joe made Anita her daily cup of chamomile tea and they made a list of questions for their nine o’clock with the obstetrician. Five minutes before they left the house, Anita’s phone rang.

It was the store’s insurance provider, sounding very concerned. Anita was surprised by another sudden rush of tears. Joe took the phone just as he heard the adjuster ask for a recorded statement about the accident.

“No thanks,” he answered, and hung up. He then gave Anita a hug, wiped away her tears, and said, “Honey, after your appointment, we have a date with a law firm.”

We met Anita and Joe in the early afternoon that day. They were clearly a very close couple, and Joe kept his arm protectively around his wife’s shoulders as we introduced ourselves.

At her doctor’s appointment, Anita had once again gotten the “Looks okay, so far” speech — this time from the obstetrician. The doctor cautioned however that they couldn’t be absolutely sure until much later. As a precaution, Anita was given doctor’s orders to spend the rest of her pregnancy at home on bed rest.

Anita has warm brown eyes and a glowing olive complexion. Even though this was our first meeting, we could see she was far too pale with worry as she entered the room.

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How much does a slip and fall lawyer cost?

Anita got right to the point, asking us, “How much do you charge?”

We reassured her, “Our firm doesn’t charge you anything up front.”

“Then, how does this work?” she asked, still skeptical. “I’d planned to keep working until the day before my due date, but now I won’t be able to work until after maternity leave.”

Our lawyer answered, “We work on a contingency fee basis. We will fund your entire case, covering all costs. When it’s done, we will only get paid if we’ve successfully resolved your case.”

This put Anita and Joe at ease.

How much is my case worth?

Joe spoke up, asking, “How much is a case like this worth?”

We told the couple that this is hard to predict at the outset of a case. First, we need to investigate the accident. Then we need to have a clear understanding of her damages.

We also assured them that we could begin investigating immediately once hired.

We elaborated, “An investigation includes evidence and witness testimony. We will also begin preparing all elements of your case as if it were going to trial.”

 We told Anita her only assignment right now was to rest and recover. We would need to wait until after the birth of their daughter to ensure that both mother and child had reached maximum medical improvement.

“This term means that you have either gotten back to your normal good health, or reached the best point you can hope for,” our lawyer explained, adding, “This case is not as straightforward as most, because the baby hasn’t been born yet. We will need to make sure that both of you are in your best health before we will know your economic and non-economic damages.”

Anita nodded her understanding, but her eyes once again filled with tears. Joe put his arm around her shoulders once more.

“We know this is scary, but it’s a necessary precaution,” we told them. “Your baby looks like she’s strong and everything will be okay, but it would be irresponsible of us to plan on concluding your case before her birth.”

They both understood this.

How long will my slip and fall case take?

“How long will my case take?” Anita asked now, putting her hands on her belly.

“That depends,” was our answer. “We know that’s not the answer you probably want to hear, but first we need to get a clear picture of your damages and then we need to find out if the insurance company is going to be cooperative.”

“Oh, I think they will be,” Anita said, “They already called this morning.”

“That wasn’t cooperation,” said Joe, “that was them attempting an end run before we hired a lawyer.”

We explained to Anita that Joe was right. The insurance company would be hoping to record a statement from Anita, looking for any information that could get her case thrown out.

“It’s a good thing you hung up the phone, Joe,” our lawyer confirmed, adding, “Don’t worry, though. Even if the insurance company doesn’t want to come to the bargaining table, we are prepared to take your case to court.”

We also let the couple know that we have tried many slip and fall cases successfully in the past, including another one in which the injured person was pregnant.

“We know what to expect, and we’ll be ready.”

Anita and Joe were very relieved. They hired us before leaving the office.

We are happy to say we got Anita and Joe six times the amount the insurance company initially offered.

Today, both Anita and Ava, her beautiful baby girl, are thriving and well.

Call Our Orlando Slip and Fall Lawyers Today

We hope this story has given you a better understanding of slip and fall claims. Every case is different and you can expect yours to be unique too. Reach out to our experienced Orlando slip and fall lawyers today for a free consultation . You don’t have to figure this out on your own. Call today.