You never thought it would happen to you. You are sitting at a traffic light, minding your own business, waiting for the light to turn green. All of a sudden, with no warning, your car is rear-ended by another vehicle. You immediately feel pain to your neck and your back. You get out of your car and see there is damage to your rear bumper. What do you do next?
Unfortunately, this scenario occurs often to motorists in Florida. Most people don’t expect that they will be the victim of someone else’s negligence, but when that happens, it is important to know what to do and what rights you have. That is where a personal attorney comes in.
Personal injury attorneys are lawyers who are trained in the legal areas of negligence and evidence. Personal injury attorneys also have background training in anatomy and medicine to understand injuries, and many times in physics in order to understand the dynamics of vehicular crashes.
If you are in an accident and you are hurt, the expertise of a personal injury attorney will assist you in a time of need. Here are the top five reasons why you need a personal injury attorney if you are the victim of negligence.
- If you are in a car accident, there are various laws that apply to damages that you can recover. Specifically, Florida law requires that even if you are not at fault, your own insurance company pays your medical bills; however, your medical bills are only paid at 80% and up to a limit of $10,000. A personal injury attorney makes sure that your insurance pays your medical bills, and that the remainder over 80% and above $10,000 are compensated by the person whose negligence caused your injury.
- If you are injured in Florida, you have the right to obtain damages for pain and suffering for any disability, or disfigurement. A personal injury attorney makes sure the party at fault is held responsible for compensating you for these damages.
- If you need significant medical care, a personal injury attorney can guide you through the steps necessary to obtain that care and to make sure that the care you are getting is proper and that it is paid for. The medical system is confusing and a Personal Injury Attorney can help a victim of negligence navigate that maze.
- Insurance companies are not your friends. Even though they may advertise “you are in good hands,” insurance companies are a business like any other, and their primary objective is to make money. The way that insurance companies make money is to deny claims. A personal injury attorney fights the insurance company every day to obtain just and reasonable compensation for those that are entitled to it. Even though you may have been paying premiums to your insurance company for many years, that will not matter in the eyes of the insurance company when it comes time to pay your claim.
- If a physician determines that you may need medical treatment in the future, a personal injury can assist you. The attorney can address that issue with your physician and then inform the insurance company about the care you may need. A personal injury attorney can make sure that an insurance company pays for that future medical care as part of any settlement. In addition, if you will be out of work in the future, a personal injury attorney can raise that claim with the insurance company as well.
Personal injury attorneys have the expertise to make sure the insurance companies understand these future loss claims and to compensate you accordingly.
No one wants to be hurt in an accident. For some people, being injured in an accident is one of the most distressing things they will experience in their life, However, hiring a personal injury attorney can take some of that stress and anxiety away. A personal injury attorney uses their skill and expertise to aid victims of negligence when they need it the most.
This blog was written by Partner Jeff Gordon.