Personal injuries come in numerous types and severity, but other people’s negligence causes many. If a victim has been injured on account of another person’s conduct, they deserve compensation from the negligent party.
Fortunately, an experienced West Palm Beach personal injury lawyer can help you navigate the complex process of recovering damages in a personal injury lawsuit. Some cases are relatively minor and could be settled quickly. Other personal injury lawsuits take months or even years before completion. However, the effort is often worth it as there is a wide range of damages a plaintiff could be awarded in a successful lawsuit.
If you suffered a personal injury, the West Palm Beach personal injury lawyers at The Law Offices of David I. Fuchs, Injury & Accident Lawyer can help. For a free case assessment, call us today at (954) 866-1750.
Types of Personal Injury Cases Our West Palm Beach Personal Injury Lawyers Handle
Victims can be injured in numerous ways by the negligence of other people. Fortunately, our West Palm Beach personal injury lawyers have years of experience recovering compensation for our clients in many types of personal injury cases.
Car Accidents
Car accidents are arguably the most common reason for personal injury lawsuits in West Palm Beach. Most car accidents are caused by the negligence of other drivers, which can take many forms. For example, the following are common causes of car accidents in West Palm Beach:
- Speeding
- Driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs
- Distracted driving
- Tailgating
- Disobeying traffic signals
- Illegal lane changes
- Improper left turns
How a particular car accident lawsuit is litigated depends greatly on how the accident occurred. Our West Palm Beach personal injury lawyers can help you investigate your case and determine the best path to recovering compensation.
Slip and Fall Accidents
Slip and fall accidents are another common type of personal injury cases that our lawyers handle in West Palm Beach. Property owners, landlords, and business owners are responsible for ensuring their premises are safe for visitors. Devastating slip and fall injuries can occur if an owner does not perform routine maintenance and upkeep their property. Victims of a slip and fall accident often require lengthy physical therapy and even surgery to recover fully from the types of injuries these accidents can cause.
Motorcycle Accidents
Motorcycle accidents can cause some of the most serious personal injuries a victim can suffer. Motorcyclists have far less protection than car drivers if involved in an accident. Thus, it is not uncommon for victims of motorcycle accidents to sustain catastrophic injuries or even death.
Most motorcycle accidents are caused by negligent drivers that fail to look out for riders sharing the road with them. Fortunately, motorcycle accident victims will likely have several options to recover compensation for their damages.
Pedestrian Accidents
Unfortunately, many pedestrian accidents occur in West Palm Beach. With its beaches and shopping areas, West Palm Beach has many locations where a pedestrian accident is more likely to occur. Numerous distractions could cause a driver to fail to stop at a crosswalk or yield the right of way, like texting as they approach a traffic signal. Pedestrian accidents also commonly happen in parking lots where drivers might focus more on finding a spot than pedestrians walking nearby.
Other Types of Cases Our Firm Handles
While the types of cases mentioned are typically the most common, personal injury law covers many accidents for which victims can pursue damages in court. Our firm’s personal injury lawyers have the skills and experience to also represent you in a variety of different kinds of personal injury lawsuits in West Palm Beach:
- Truck accidents
- Bicycle accidents
- Lyft and Uber accidents
- Bus accidents
- Injuries sustained on a cruise ship
- Taxi and passenger van accidents
- Wrongful death accidents
- ATV Accidents
Our West Palm Beach personal injury lawyers can help you determine the best strategies for recovering compensation, regardless of the accident that caused your personal injuries.
Damages You Could Recover in a West Palm Beach Personal Injury Lawsuit
Damages is the legal term for the financial compensation a plaintiff can be awarded in a personal injury lawsuit. These damages are typically split into two categories of losses, which include your economic and non-economic damages. The amount of compensation you recover in your case will depend on the injuries you suffered and the impact your injuries have had on your life.
Economic Damages
Economic damages refer to the monetary losses you suffered because of your injuries. In a personal injury lawsuit, economic damages usually include a victim’s medical expenses and lost wages from the time their injuries caused them to miss work. However, future medical costs for long-term care and the loss of future earning potential at work can also be claimed as economic damages. Further, any property damage and out-of-pocket expenses associated with your injuries can also be claimed in a personal injury lawsuit.
Non-Economic Damages
Non-economic damages are more challenging to establish since they are not based on your financial damages but on the psychological impact your injuries have had on you. Non-economic damages can be awarded to compensate a victim for physical pain, emotional suffering, humiliation, and other negative experiences a victim has endured since being injured. The court can rely on a number of factors to evaluate your award for non-economic damages. Still, your testimony about your injuries’ impact can usually establish the extent of your damages.
Punitive Damages
Punitive damages are a special type of damages that are rarely awarded in a personal injury case. Punitive damages are intended to punish a defendant for particularly egregious conduct rather than compensate the plaintiff, which is what the other types of damages are for.
According to Fla. Stat. § 768.72(2), victims can claim punitive damages if they can show that the defendant committed gross negligence or intentional misconduct in causing their accident. Put simply, the defendant’s conduct that caused your injuries must be shockingly negligent or reckless for punitive damages to be awarded as punishment. Our West Palm Beach personal injury lawyers can help evaluate your case to ensure the full range of damages you suffered is claimed in your lawsuit.
Our West Palm Beach Personal Injury Lawyers Can Help
If you have been injured on account of another person’s conduct, our West Palm Beach personal injury lawyers can help you pursue compensation from the person responsible. Contact The Law Offices of David I. Fuchs, Injury & Accident Lawyer at (954) 866-1750 for a free case review.