What Does a Personal Injury Lawyer Do (in Florida)?
When someone else injures you, you might wonder whether you can sue the at-fault party for compensation. Many people in cases like this turn to a personal injury lawyer to see if they have a case.
But how does a Fort Lauderdale personal injury attorney evaluate your case? Most people don’t know what to expect.
We are here to clear up the confusion. In this post, we discuss the factors your injury lawyer will consider when evaluating your case. For an assessment of your injury case, reach out to David I. Fuchs, Injury & Accident Lawyer, P.A.
Determine Who Is at Fault
The most significant factor to consider in any personal injury case is a fault. Your Hollywood, FL personal injury lawyer will want to hear the details of your accident to see whether another person is at fault and, if so, who that person is.
To you, that may sound simple. You were there, so you know who was at fault. But your attorney will need to look at the case through the lens of Florida personal injury law and what a judge or jury will think about what happened.
For instance, if you were hit by an 18-wheeler, you might assume that the truck driver is at fault. And they may be. But your lawyer will want to look at other possible at-fault parties. The trucking company may be at fault for forcing the trucker to drive for long hours while drowsy. Or a truck manufacturer may be at fault for making a faulty truck part that malfunctioned and caused your accident.
If you name the wrong at-fault party in your personal injury claim, you may not be able to recover full compensation. Your lawyer will want to make sure you have the correct at-fault parties.
Review the Evidence
Next up is the evidence. Without evidence of what happened, your case might not get very far. To assess your case, your personal injury attorney will ask you for details about what evidence may be available. They will also want to hear about people or places where they could find more evidence.
Some of the evidence your lawyer may want to review includes the following:
- Medical records of your injuries
- Police reports related to your accident
- Any statements from witnesses who saw the accident
- Photos or videos of the accident or the aftermath
Calculate the Value of Your Damages
Most people who have been injured want to know the value of their case. This is something your personal injury lawyer can help you estimate.
To put a monetary value on your personal injury case, your lawyer will want to discuss every way in which your injuries have affected your life. In personal injury law, these harms are called “damages.” Damages break down into two main categories: economic and non-economic.
Economic Damages
Economic damages are those that impact your finances. The at-fault party may have to pay you for the following economic damages:
- Medical bills
- Future medical costs, such as corrective surgeries
- Income you lose while recovering
- Income you will lose because your injury has disabled you
- Property damage resulting from the accident
To place a monetary value on each of these damages, your lawyer will need to talk to your doctors, see your past pay stubs, and determine the value of any of your property that was damaged.
Non-Economic Damages
Non-economic damages are an important part of the compensation you can receive through a personal injury suit. But they are somewhat harder to place a monetary value on.
To assess your economic damages, your personal injury lawyer will want to discuss with you the following factors tied to your accident:
- Your pain and suffering
- Your emotional trauma
- Any scarring or disfigurement you suffered
- Any effects of the injury that reduce your quality of life
- Any way in which your injury has damaged your personal relationships
Your injury attorney will help you place a value on each of your non-economic damages. And then they will start building a case meant to recover maximum compensation for you.
What Happens During the Consultation with Your Attorney
If you’ve been seriously injured in an accident caused by another party, you should talk to an attorney. The consultation will only take your time, there is no charge. You should be informed about your rights and how the legal system works because you need to make the right decisions for you and your family if you want to seek compensation for your injuries.
When we meet, a highly skilled injury attorney will listen to you, ask questions, and evaluate whether or not you have a valid personal injury claim under Florida law. We will explain how we can help you seek a remedy and what we will need from you to increase your case’s chances of success. We will talk about what we do, what your options are, the difficulties you may face, and the strengths of your case.
Through this consultation will find out if you are the kind of client we’re seeking and if your case is one we want to take. We don’t take every case, we take those that are the best fit for potential clients and our firm. If we want to work with you and you want to work with us, we will never charge you any legal or attorneys’ fees unless you recover damages. If we feel your situation would be better handled by another firm, we will suggest one you can trust.
Why Retaining David I. Fuchs Makes Sense
After suffering a serious injury, consulting with an attorney is a wise choice. Trying to represent yourself in a personal injury matter could result in you obtaining far less compensation than if you used an attorney with over 30 years of experience litigating personal injury cases.
- There are many potential issues that go into determining what your case is worth. What compensation you might want to ask an insurance company for may be far less than what you should get or so unreasonably high an insurance company may not be interested in negotiating with you.
- There may be many more parties that may be responsible than you realize. In a vehicle accident case, there could be multiple drivers at fault; the location of the accident may have been negligently designed or maintained; or the cause may be a defective vehicle part which could result in liability for its manufacturer, distributor, and seller.
- Insurance company claim representatives may be very kind and polite. Most of them act professionally. But the insurance company’s bottom line is generating profit. Limiting claims is one way to do that. You may get pushed to settle early in a case, before all your damages are known, for an amount that’s not fair given your circumstances.
Schedule a Consultation Today
David I. Fuchs is a South Florida accident attorney who has over 30 years of experience litigating cases where someone was injured by the negligence of another. If you’ve been injured in a Florida accident, you need an attorney to help you get the best possible outcome for you and your family. Attorney Fuchs has dedicated his career to giving the injured a voice in our legal system, providing client-focused legal advocacy. He has successfully resolved thousands of personal injury cases. He is ready to help you too.
To schedule a free, initial consultation of your case, contact David I. Fuchs, Injury & Accident Lawyer, P.A. today in our online form.
If you want a trusted personal injury lawyer to evaluate your case, schedule a free consultation with David I. Fuchs, Injury & Accident Lawyer, P.A. We are ready to hear your story and assess the factors described above. We are ready to win for you so you can get your life back.
