Do You Have A Personal Injury Claim In Florida?

Critical Information to Know Moving Forward

What exactly is personal injury law? How do you know whether you have a valid claim? And what does it take to actually pursue one?

These are great questions, but they don’t always come with straightforward answers. All too often, people who deserve compensation for a personal injury never get it, simply because they feel overwhelmed by the process of filing a claim, and don’t have the energy to deal with it.

This is just one reason it’s so important for people to have easy access to information about personal injury law in Florida. And it’s also why calling a personal injury lawyer should always be the first step.

How Do You Define “Personal Injury”?

A personal injury occurs anytime someone sustains a physical injury to their body. While a personal injury claim can involve property damage, a valid personal injury claim must involve physical injury to the body.

When a personal injury case is pursued, the goal is to hold the at-fault party (the person whose actions or negligence caused the injury) responsible for the damages sustained by the victim.

Personal injuries can be sustained in numerous ways, many of which few people even consider. Some of these include:

• Automobile accidents
• Biking accidents
• Slip-and-fall accidents
• Medical malpractice
• Dog bites
• Construction site accidents
• Nursing home neglect or abuse
• Defective products
• Poor building or road maintenance

The Importance of Evidence

There are two types of damages you may be eligible to receive in a personal injury lawsuit, but proving both will be absolutely essential.

Economic damages include things like medical bills and lost wages, which are generally easy to prove, because they are tangible and verifiable by third parties (doctors, employers, etc.).

Non-economic damages include pain and suffering, and are much more difficult to prove. After all, no one else can truly attest to your personal experience in recovering from your injuries, nor objectively measure the loss of joy you’ve suffered as a result.

However, this does not mean you won’t be awarded compensation for your pain and suffering; it just means that extra steps will need to be taken in demonstrating why you deserve it.

This is where eyewitness testimony becomes critical. There are four main sources of testimony that can almost guarantee your claim for pain and suffering will be paid:

• Treating providers—Members from your treating team can testify in court as to the impact of your injuries, and how they are likely to affect you in the future.
• A psychologist—An event that has left you physically injured will almost always leave you emotionally injured. For instance, you might begin feeling depressed because your injuries prevent you from working, playing with your children, or taking a vacation you’d be planning for months. Or, you might be unable to relax due to the anxiety of not knowing when or if you will ever live life the way you’d planned. No matter the details, talking to a mental health professional can help, and their documentation of your experience can also help demonstrate the extent to which you are suffering mentally or emotionally.
• Your loved ones—Those who are close to you can provide some of the best testimony regarding how the accident has affected you, because they are in the best position to compare how you were before the accident to how you have been after the accident.
• Yourself—You can testify on your own behalf by explaining what no one else truly can: the difficulties you experience on a day-to-day basis because of your injuries, and the emotional toll it has taken.

The Value of an Experienced Personal Injury Attorney

In addition to evidence, having an experienced personal injury attorney by your side is essential to successfully pursuing a personal injury claim in Florida.

Your attorney can help you collect critical evidence to help build your case, argue on your behalf as to your economic and non-economic damages, and perhaps most importantly, communicate with the at-fault party’s insurance company.

Fenstersheib Law Group, P.A.: Compassionate, Diligent Personal Injury Lawyers in Florida

Our seasoned personal injury attorneys at Fenstersheib Law Group, P.A. are eager to hear your story, and get to work on your case. They’ve handled countless personal injury cases for others who have been where you are.

Don’t waste time sitting around with uncertainty and unanswered questions: Contact us today at 800-TELL-ROBERT.