Articles Tagged with Florida personal injury attorney

The spine takes on numerous functions in the human body, as it provides support and structure while also enabling flexibility and mobility. It also has the important job of protecting the spinal cord from injury, but the solid bones of the vertebrae cannot withstand extremely powerful trauma. The Miami Project, an investigative research program targeting spinal cord injuries, reports that there are around 249,000 to 363,000 people in the US currently living with complications from spinal cord trauma. Plus, another 17,730 victims add to these figures every year. 

While the physical pain can be excruciating, you may experience losses you never even imagined if you or a loved one suffered a spinal cord injury. Therefore, you should discuss your legal options and remedies for recovering compensation with a Miami spinal cord injury lawyer. Some additional statistics and legal overview may also be helpful.

Top Causes and Statistics on Spinal Cord Injuries

Getting hurt in a car accident is an overwhelming, stressful experience and, unfortunately, it happens quite often around South Florida. According to the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles (FLHSMV) Crash Dashboard, there have already been 76,269 motor vehicle collisions so far in Broward, Miami-Dade, and Palm Beach Counties in 2020. More than 27,000 people were hurt in these auto accidents, most of whom required medical care for minor, serious, or catastrophic injuries. 

Getting treatment after an auto crash is definitely a priority for many reasons, but you support both your health and your legal rights when you ask your doctor the right questions about your care. A Miami car accidents lawyer can explain in more detail about the following questions and answers:

  1. What is the extent of my injuries? Your doctor is the expert on medical issues, but you should at least get an overview of the nature and severity of your injuries. If you broke a bone in your arm or leg, make sure you know exactly which one. For back injuries, ask about the vertebrae that sustained trauma.

If you were hurt in a car accident in Miami, you may experience lingering, chronic pain beyond the initial treatment you received for your injuries. Experts from the Mayo Clinic indicate that there are multiple medication options to alleviate the discomfort, such as acetaminophen, some NSAIDS, and other over-the-counter drugs. You may even receive a prescription for pain from your doctor, since narcotics, antidepressants, and steroids can be effective against pain. However, if you are looking for some alternative remedies for persistent soreness, some new advances in pain treatment may be of interest. 

You can read on for some information about the latest in care for chronic pain, though you might be concerned about the costs. Consult with a Miami car accident attorney about seeking compensation for your medical care, but here are a few options to discuss with your doctor.

Chronic Pain Treatment Focuses on the Nervous System

Recovering from a car accident can involve many unexpected twists and turns, even when you did the right thing by seeking immediate medical attention after the crash. One of the biggest concerns for victims is when injuries appear to heal, only to redevelop later – possibly bringing more extreme pain and physical limitations. While the effects on your physical health are immediately obvious, there may also be implications for the legal process. Your damages are based, in part, on what you may suffer in the future. With recurring injuries, there are many unknowns in this respect.

The correlation between compensation and chronic medical conditions is a complicated issue, but it is one that Miami car accident lawyers deal with every day. Some background information may help you understand the basics.

Soft-Tissue Injuries

Victims of vehicle crashes, slip and fall incidents, and other accidents are often surprised to learn that most of these cases are resolved before trial via out-of-court settlements. The US Bureau of Justice Statistics reports that just 4-5% of all personal injury claims are decided by a jury or judge, so the remaining cases never get to the verdict stage. This might sound like good news if you were hurt in an accident, since it means you do not need to go to court and can recover compensation as soon as you agree to the settlement amount. 

However, there are significant risks involved with settling too quickly. Even though a settlement offer might seem attractive, you could make a critical mistake by accepting before you understand the big picture. Some general information should convince you why you should trust a Miami personal injury attorney to represent you in connection with settlement negotiations.

The Role of the Insurance Company

marten-bjork-6dW3xyQvcYE-unsplash-copy-300x200Personal injury attorneys typically offer a no-cost initial consultation for accident victims, since they understand the financial implications and what you are going through after suffering injuries. Because your time is valuable, it is important to make this first meeting a productive one by being prepared. You do not want to create delays in pursuing your rights, especially when Florida has a four-year statute of limitations for cases involving negligence. 

The key to success with an accident claim is evidence, especially all relevant paperwork associated with the accident, your medical treatment, and related issues. This documentation aids your Miami personal injury lawyer in evaluating your rights and remedies, and will guide the process of obtaining compensation for your losses. Therefore, here is a list of a few things to bring to your appointment.

All Medical Records

Being injured in a Miami car accident is a horrific experience, but the aftermath can be even more overwhelming as you are trying to enforce your right to compensation. The process of filing an insurance claim is extremely complicated. To make the situation worse, you may be at a disadvantage if you are operating according to certain misconceptions about auto crashes. Though family members and friends mean well, they may not always provide accurate information if they do not have experience in the legal field. 

A skilled Miami car accident attorney can eliminate some of the confusion and will fight to protect your interests in the insurance claims process. However, it may be helpful to debunk common myths about motor vehicle collisions.

Myth #1: Lawyers Cost Too Much. Auto crash lawyers typically work on a contingency fee basis, which means you only pay if you recover compensation in your case. Instead of paying upfront or supplying a retainer, your attorney takes a percentage of the award you receive from an insurance claim or in court. According to the Florida Rules of Professional Conduct, a contingency fee arrangement must be reasonable and in writing.

joakim-honkasalo-587350-unsplash-copy-300x223If you are pursuing your legal remedies as the victim of a motor vehicle crash, it is likely that the responsible driver’s insurance company will request that you appear for a deposition. Under the Florida Rules of Civil Procedure, it is each party’s right to depose the other in connection with litigation. Plus, depositions are a common strategy for the narrowing legal issues involved when you are trying to work out a settlement. 

However, beyond the basics, there is not much information on the point of depositions and what to expect. Your Miami car accidents attorney will provide guidance and represent you during the proceedings, but a background on depositions in auto crash claims may also be helpful.

Overview of Deposition Proceedings

helloquence-51716-unsplash-copy-300x200Whether you were injured due to a car crash, slip and fall, defective product, or other accident that was caused by someone else’s negligence, it is wise to retain an attorney to assist with your case as soon as possible. For one, the Florida statute of limitations is four years. Plus, there are far too many legal complications to try to handle the claims process yourself, especially when you should be focusing on recovery. 

However, you should not expect an attorney to tackle your case without help from you. You need to be involved to provide essential support and perform tasks that are within your purview. Your Miami personal injury lawyer can tell you what you can do to ensure you get the top compensation available in an accident case, but here are a few ways you can be a model client.

Follow Doctor’s Orders

nathan-dumlao-1064615-unsplash-copy-200x300Take a stroll through Downtown Miami or other major US cities, and you are bound to see that more people are getting around on a new form of transportation — electric scooters, or e-scooters as they are called by service providers Bird and Lime. These vehicles have been on the streets of Miami since April 2019 under a six-month pilot program, but e-scooters have raised considerable controversy in other locations where they are operating on a more permanent basis. The latest from Consumer Reports reveals that eight people have died and another 1,500 riders have been injured across 47 cities since e-scooter services launched in late 2017. 

E-scooter accidents are a relatively new area of law, so it is important to trust a Miami personal injury lawyer to handle the legal details if you were hurt. Meanwhile, there are some important points to note about e-scooter liability.

Safety Measures are Not Enforced

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