Madeira Beach Personal Injury Attorneys
An experienced personal injury attorney can help victims get the compensation that they deserve.
Personal injury accidents often leave victims with devastating injuries. These injuries are expensive and may result in high medical debt and lost wages. These damages don’t just occur right after the accident. Instead, they may last for a large portion of one’s life. The more severe the injury is, the more treatment one will require.
For the most severe injuries, victims may be required to have regular treatment such as physical therapy, surgeries, and more. For this reason alone, personal injury accidents can have a large impact on people’s well-being: financially, physically, and mentally.
What is Personal Injury?
Personal injury refers to any injury that occurs because of someone else’s negligence. This includes slip and fall accidents, motor vehicle accidents, and more. If you’ve been injured at the fault of someone else, this is considered to be personal injury.
Personal injury accidents also occur because of someone’s carelessness. They may not have intended to harm the victim. However, harm occurs because of their negligence or carelessness.
Different Types of Personal Injury Accidents
There are many different types of accidents that can be considered personal injury accidents. However, the most common ones are, by far, car accidents and slip and fall accidents.
Motor Vehicle Accidents
Motor vehicle accidents are both common and dangerous, which isn’t a great combination. It’s said that everyone will get into at least one car accident in their lifetime (and likely more). However, car accidents aren’t the only type of accident that causes injuries and death. Truck accidents, motorcycle accidents, pedestrian accidents, and bicycle accidents are all common causes of injury as well.
Motor vehicle accidents commonly cause serious injuries like traumatic brain injury, spinal cord injuries, amputation, broken bones, and more. Those who suffer injuries from motor vehicle accidents may be required to partake in long-term care, depending on the severity of their injuries.
Not all motor vehicle accidents cause severe injuries. Some may only result in minor injuries that aren’t life-threatening. Both people with minor injuries and people with major injuries can receive compensation for their damages.
Slip and Fall Accidents
Slip and fall accidents can occur in many different places, such as in the workplace or on private property. These accidents occur because of someone’s negligence, whether it’s neglecting to take proper care of one’s business or rental property, or failing to fulfill maintenance requests. Accidents can occur because of the following hazards:
- Cluttered floors
- Spills
- Loose mats
- Broken floorboards
- Broken steps
- Poor lighting
- Missing or broken handrails
- And many more reasons
Slip and falls often cause traumatic brain injury or spinal cord injuries, as the impact to the body or head can be great. Whether you’ve fallen in your apartment because of a hazard your landlord refuses to fix or you slipped in a mess at the grocery store, you may be entitled to compensation for your damages.
Florida Personal Injury Statistics
When it comes to motor vehicle accidents, Florida is one of the most dangerous places to live, as the rates for accidents are incredibly high. In fact, Florida is considered to be one of the most dangerous states for pedestrians and bicyclists because our infrastructure for vulnerable road users isn’t very good.
In 2019 there were 3,183 deaths because of motor vehicle accidents. That’s 14.8 deaths per 100,000 people. This figure is a bit above average, with the US average falling at 11 deaths per 100,000 people.
Out of those 3,183 deaths:
- 31% were car occupants
- 19% were pickup truck and SUV occupants
- 1% were large truck occupants
- 19% were motorcyclists
- 22% were pedestrians
- 5% were bicyclists
When it comes to slip and fall accidents, there were over 8 million hospital emergency room visits (the leading cause of visits) each year in the United States. Falls also account for 5% of job-related fatalities for women and 11% for men.
What Types of Damages Can I Collect?
After you’re injured in a personal injury accident, you’ll likely be concerned about your financial situation and how you’re going to pay your medical bills. This is the main reason that most people decide to file a lawsuit against the at-fault party, to get the compensation that they deserve.
You can receive economic and non-economic damages for your injures. Economic damages cover losses that have a monetary value associated with them, such as medical bills and lost wages. By contrast, non-economic damages cover losses that don’t have a monetary value associated with them. For example, these include pain and suffering and loss of earning capacity.
In some cases, you may receive punitive damages. Punitive damages are awarded to the plaintiff as a way to further punish the defendant. These are often given out to dissuade the defendant from committing the same act again in the future.
How is my Settlement Calculated?
There is no cut-and-dry solution to determine your settlement value. Each settlement is different, based on a few different factors that are specific to each person and their case. Those factors include:
- Your total damages
- The severity of your injuries
- The defendant’s available insurance
- Whether there was gross negligence involved
Your attorney will help you determine how much compensation you’re likely to receive. Additionally, they’ll advise you on when you should take a settlement offer and when they think they can get you more.
What Can a Personal Injury Attorney do for Me?
A personal injury attorney is a great way to ensure that you get the most compensation possible for your accident. Your personal injury attorney will not only argue your case and negotiate a high settlement on your behalf. But they’ll also perform investigations, look over witness statements, and develop your case based on the evidence they find.
You’ll be able to relax and recover while your personal injury attorney focuses on your lawsuit. Here at Jones Law Group, our attorneys are ready to use their expertise to help you. For more information or a free case evaluation, please contact us online or at 727-571-1333.