Our Florida personal injury law team can help if you were hurt in a Kissimmee car crash. You do not have to go through this experience alone. We will provide guidance and legal counsel as we help you navigate the accident claims process.
For example, we’ll collect evidence, build your personal injury claim, and work directly with the insurance provider to get maximum compensation. We will handle your injury claim while you recuperate from your injuries.
We’re a Kissimmee personal injury law firm that’s not afraid to go the extra mile for you. Call our legal team today for a free consultation.
Why So Many People Work with Lawyers on Car Accident Injury Claims
You do not have to work with a lawyer on a car accident injury claim, but there are many benefits. We can help you avoid the traps and pitfalls that many people experience when they try to tackle the insurance companies on their own, such as:
Not Fully Understanding How an Insurance Company Works
If you don’t understand how an insurance company works, you may make bad decisions about your case.
For example, you might decide to accept a lowball offer because you want to move forward with your life. However, it is important to remember that you cannot afford to take a chance to get less than what you deserve.
Lowball Offers
The adjuster will often make a lowball settlement offer to an injured person who does not have an attorney. That’s because the insurance claim adjuster’s job is to get rid of claims for as little money as possible.
Insurance companies spend more money on settling cases than they receive in premiums paid by policyholders. This means that they have a financial incentive to settle quickly and cheaply.
They also have large teams of lawyers and investigators working on each case. These resources allow them to fight against bigger settlements than they would otherwise be able to achieve.
In addition, people mistakenly think that the settlement is free money, but nothing could be further from the truth. You will have to pay all your medical costs out of the settlement proceeds. After you do that, you will likely have little, if any, money left.
Settling Before You Complete Your Medical Treatment
You should never settle your injury claim until you finish your medical treatment and your doctor releases you. Sometimes, the initial round of treatment, like physical therapy, does not fix the problem, and you must undergo surgery.
If you have already settled with the insurer, you will have to pay for the operation out of your pocket.
Missing the Filing Deadline
You have a limited time to file a lawsuit seeking damages for your injuries. If you miss the deadline, you may lose your right to sue.
Our attorneys know how to navigate the court system and keep you informed about deadlines.
Not Getting Paid Enough
Insurance companies don’t want to pay you because it cuts into their bottom line and means paying more in premiums. They also don’t want to pay too much because they don’t want to spend more money on litigation than necessary.
The insurance company might drag out the claims review process, making you think they will pay until the deadline passes. They will not pay your claim at that point, and you cannot file a lawsuit.
Giving a Recorded Statement
If the claims adjuster asks you for a recorded statement, tell him to talk to your lawyer. These statements only benefit the insurance carrier. The adjuster can “cherry-pick” your words and twist their meaning to deny your claim.
Signing Something You Do Not Understand
When you settle your claim, you must sign paperwork before getting the check. If you have a lawyer on your side, they will read the documents to ensure you are getting a fair deal and not giving up unnecessary rights.
People without lawyers often sign deals without being confident of what they signed. This can lead to problems later on.
A Kissimmee auto accident lawyer could protect you from situations that can decrease your settlement value, taking money from your pocket.
How to Establish Negligence of the At-Fault Driver
Before we can hold someone responsible for paying your losses, we have to establish that the person is liable for your injuries. We will have to prove all four of these elements of liability:
- Duty: The defendant must have had a legal duty toward you. This is a simple element to prove since all drivers have a duty to operate their vehicles safely and obey the law.
- Breach: The at-fault party failed to live up to the standard of the legal duty of care. Breaching the legal duty of care is negligence. For example, if the defendant was distracted because he was talking on his cell phone while driving, he did not operate his vehicle safely, and thus, he was negligent.
- Causation: The negligence had to be the cause of the accident that hurt you. If the negligent driver slammed into your car because talking on the phone distracted them, the facts satisfy the causation element.
- Measurable damages: You must have quantifiable losses due to negligence. Bodily injuries satisfy this element.
After we prove all four elements that establish liability, we can go after intangible losses like pain and suffering.
Compensatory Damages in Kissimmee, FL Car Crash Injury Claims
Every injury case is unique; therefore, we cannot state a dollar amount for the financial compensation you will collect. Our accident attorneys will have to talk with you and other accident victims, investigate your accident, then gather police reports and other evidence before we can calculate your damages.
Here are some of the kinds of damages that we have won for our car accident, truck accident, and motorcycle accident clients:
- Lost wages: Getting hurt in an automobile accident can cause you to miss time from work without pay. You can recover your lost wages, salary, regular tips, self-employment, and other forms of income.
- Diminished earning capacity: Often, accident injury victims cannot earn as much money as before the collision due to their injuries.
- Medical expenses: You can include the reasonable cost of the medical treatment needed for your injuries in your claim. The ambulance, emergency room, doctors, hospital, surgery, diagnostic procedures, prescription drugs, and physical therapy can fall into this category.
- Property damage: Your property may have been damaged by a negligent party. This includes cars, trucks, motorcycles, boats, RVs, trailers, and other vehicles or equipment. We can help you get compensated for these types of losses.
- Rehabilitation center: Sometimes severe injuries like spinal cord damage or traumatic brain injury require extended care at a specialized facility.
- Loss of consortium: This includes loss of companionship, love, affection, sexual relations, and household services. It also includes loss of enjoyment of life.
- Pain and suffering: Pain and suffering is not always easy to quantify, but it’s important to get compensated for it. We can help you get the maximum recovery possible for your pain and suffering.
- Disfigurement: A disfigurement occurs when someone has permanent scarring or deformities due to a Florida car accident. These scars may affect how people see you, how others treat you, and how you feel about yourself.
- Wrongful death: This occurs when someone dies as a direct result of another person’s negligence. In Florida, wrongful death claims are governed by statute. We could help you pursue these claims if your loved one was killed in a car crash caused by a negligent motorist.
Getting Legal Help for Your Car Accident Case
A Kissimmee, FL, accident injury lawyer can help if you suffered injuries in a crash. The Law Offices of Anidjar & Levine always go the extra mile for our personal injury clients. We will work tirelessly to get a maximum claim for compensation so you can rebuild your life.
You won’t pay upfront legal fees because we are paid out of the settlement or award at the end of the matter. Don’t delay in taking legal action. Florida statute states you have four years to recover damages, so contact a personal injury lawyer today for a free consultation.
We Can Help.
