Car Accident Attorney in Wesley Chapel

For someone who only has minor injuries from an accident, you may not need to file a personal injury claim. Instead, your benefits may be covered by your personal injury protection coverage. In that situation, even if someone else is responsible for your injuries, you may not need to worry about proving negligence in the court system. That's because you would simply inform your insurance company that you were hurt in an accident, attend any and all medical appointments, and submit information about your treatments to the insurance carrier so they can pay it.

For plenty of people with multiple injuries or severe injuries from the scene of an accident, such as spinal cord damage or a traumatic brain injury, the medical costs associated with these conditions can be very high. That's when it makes sense for a personal injury victim to retain a qualified car accident lawyer in Wesley Chapel for a lawsuit.

Most personal injury cases in Florida and Wesley Chapel are based on the concept of negligence. Negligence happens when someone's behavior falls below the standard of a reasonably prudent individual and causes the victim harm. You must satisfy certain elements to be successful with a negligence case. You have the burden of proof to show that all the elements of a personal injury claim were present. Doing this is important because you will need to gather this information shortly after you're hurt in any incident. It will become harder to remember these details and to keep a clear record of the timeline of events as you get additional treatment. So it's good to start by being organized from the beginning. Your personal injury lawyer will be able to help you gather certain pieces of evidence, but you can help them by collecting things such as eyewitness contact information and police reports in advance.

The specifics of your case will determine what damages are available to you in a personal injury claim. You may be entitled to receive compensation for these damages if you sustained a serious injury because of another person. This can include things such as your past, current and future medical expenses, lost wages from time off from the accident, and lost earning capacity if you are no longer able to do the same job. Other damages include property damage, loss of consortium, emotional distress, pain and suffering, or the cost of hiring someone to do household services for you because you're no longer able to do so.

Punitive damages may apply if you can show that the person's behavior was especially egregious. But it is important to note that Florida courts limit punitive damages to either $500,000 or three times your awarded amount of other damages, whichever is higher.

If a defendant claims that the victim contributed to the accident or made their injuries worse, this can influence the amount of damage compensation available to that victim. There are different types of comparative negligence rules, but Florida uses a pure comparative negligence rule. Meaning that your ability to recover compensation is reduced based on the degree of fault you had in the accident. If it was shown that you were speeding, texting and driving, or otherwise engaged in any activity that may have influenced your likelihood of damages and injuries, it can be expected that the other party will bring this up in court.

Hiring the right Wesley Chapel car accident lawyer can help you navigate this legal process of compensation recovery. Far too many victims don't realize everything that's at stake and struggle to gather the evidence and present a comprehensive case. Our Wesley Chapel car accident lawyers at Morgan & Morgan, however, are highly familiar with Florida law, the common tactics of insurance companies to delay, stall, or deny your injury claim, and the best way to set you up for success as you proceed with a case.

We recognize that it can feel overwhelming to determine your course of action when you're on your own, especially when you're dealing with substantial medical injuries. If you are unsure what your future looks like, but know that you need support from a qualified personal injury attorney, seek out the car accident lawyers in Wesley Chapel today to learn more.

Each state has rules known as the statute of limitations. This sets a clear deadline for filing personal injury lawsuits. If you wait until this timeline has already passed, you will be unable to recover compensation. This time limit usually begins running at the date of the accident, but the time period may be shorter, such as if you are pursuing compensation from a government agency. There are some exceptions to the statute of limitations, but it is rare. It can also be put on pause in certain situations, but again, this is a rare condition in which the statute of limitations is told.

For example, if the victim was mentally incapacitated prior to the time of the injury, the statute of limitations may be paused during that incapacity. It is far better to consult with a qualified personal injury lawyer in Wesley Chapel as soon as possible after you believe you have been hurt. This is your only way to protect yourself for full and fair compensation.

Your doctor may put you on a treatment plan to position you in the best case to make a full recovery. However, it is not always the situation that you will be put back to the level of physical or mental health that you had prior to the accident. Recognizing this, Florida personal injury law enables you to recover compensation for other losses you may have sustained from the accident, such as if you cannot go back to work in the career that you had prior to the wreck. While the damages available to car accident victims will vary from one case to another, working with a Morgan & Morgan attorney from day one helps you to understand all potentially available compensation and to begin gathering evidence to fight for those claims.

If you have long-term injuries that require assistive medical devices, modifications to your home, or an inability to work entirely, all of this information will come up as part of your personal injury claim.

Contact Morgan & Morgan for Help

The lawyers at Morgan & Morgan will do everything in their power to make sure that you receive compensation for all of the ways that your life has been affected by a vehicle accident. If you’ve been injured due to someone else’s negligence, don’t hesitate to contact us for a free, no-obligation case evaluation to see how we can help.