After a personal injury, your focus should be on your recovery while your attorney handles the insurance company and your claim. Serving the injured in northern Florida for over 30 years, Fasig | Brooks, Tallahassee injury lawyers have some general advice that may help you get the maximum compensation for your injury. Most personal injury attorneys work on a contingency basis, which means that clients can start their personal injury claim with a free, confidential case review and not pay a dime unless their attorney wins damages for them.
What Are The Most Common Types of Injuries?
Some of the most common causes of injuries include:
- Slip and fall
- Defective products
- Motor vehicle accidents, including truck accidents and motorcycle accidents
- Wrongful death from medical malpractice, car accidents, or dangerous property conditions
How Long Do I Have to File a Personal Injury Claim In Florida?
The timeframe a person has to file a personal injury lawsuit is called a statute of limitations. The statute of limitations for personal injury claims in Florida is four years from the accident date.
How Do I Calculate My Personal Injury Claim?
Your personal injury attorney will add all of your economic damages to reach the sum total of your financial losses. Included in this calculation are your:
- Medical expenses: this includes your ambulance ride, hospitalization or surgeries, follow-up care, and rehabilitation
- Lost wages: this includes lost wages for the time you’ve already missed from work and your future lost earnings
- Property damage: if your accident resulted in damage to personal property such as a car, laptop, or cell phone, then those losses can be included in your damages
- Other expenses related to your accident, such as child care, public transportation costs, or modifications you made in your home to make it easier to live with your injuries
Your attorney uses your medical bills, employer’s wage/salary information, and other documentation to calculate your economic damages. If you have creditors harassing you for payment for your medical expenses, then call a personal injury attorney immediately so they can not only get those debt collectors off your back but get started on your claim. They take the responsibility off you so that you can focus on your recovery.
How Much Can I Recover from Pain and Suffering?
Unlike economic damages, which are straightforward to calculate, it’s much harder to quantify someone’s emotional distress. The most basic formula used to calculate how much a person will receive in pain and suffering damages is to multiply their total economic damages by a number between 1.5 and 5. The multiplier is based on the severity of the accident, so a small accident that resulted in minor injuries will have a lower multiplier than one that resulted in paralysis or death.
During your initial consultation with your personal injury attorney, they can evaluate your circumstances and tell you more about how much you could potentially receive in pain and suffering damages. Different factors are used to calculate this amount, all of which are based on the facts of each individual case. A personal injury attorney can provide you with a general overview of your rights and what you may be entitled to after your accident.
Is It Worth Filing a Personal Injury Claim?
Although filing a personal injury lawsuit can become a lengthy process, it is usually worth it if you have suffered injury-related losses and feel that you are entitled to compensation. Even if you think that you may be partially at fault for the accident, you may still be able to recover damages for your injuries. Call an attorney today to schedule your free case evaluation so that they can answer your questions and advise you of your rights.
