Have you been hurt by the negligent or careless conduct of another entity or person? Accidents happen all the time but when you get hurt due to the carelessness or negligence of others and suffer great discomfort, you have the right to seek financial compensation for your troubles.
Here at Steinberg Law, our team of Boynton Beach personal injury attorneys has helped several of our clients recover damages in personal-injury accident cases including medical malpractice claims, premises liability claims, vehicle accidents, and more.
Over the years, we have gained a reputation for commitment to our clients. We have gained extensive insights into the common tactics used by the defendants to try and rob our clients of their legitimate claims. Our personal injury lawyer in Boynton Beach aggressively pursues the interests of our clients and makes sure our clients get fair compensation for their injuries.
Call us at 877-783-4611 to talk to a seasoned personal injury lawyer from Steinberg Law.
Steps to Take after an Accident
If you have been hurt in an accident at work or elsewhere, it is important for you to take certain steps, right after the accident. Ignoring these steps might go against you and you may not be able to get the compensation you deserve.
See a doctor
You should immediately seek medical attention when you get injured in an accident. It does not matter whether you are feeling okay. There are internal injuries that take some time to surface. Also, seeking immediate medical attention provides you the documentation which is of extreme importance in case you decide to file a claim. In case you delay visiting the doctor for more than 2 weeks after the date of your accident, the insurance company might deny your claim.
Get photos and videos
If you are in a condition to take photos and videos after your accident, you should do that. If you can’t, maybe you could ask someone nearby to take photos of the accident scene as well as the nearby areas.
Get witness contact details
If there are people who have witnessed the accident, you should try to gather their names, addresses, and contact details such as phone numbers or email. Do not wait for too long as it will be difficult for you to get in touch with them at a later date if you do not have their contact details.
Report the accident
One of the most important things you need to do after an accident is to report it to the proper authorities. In case you have met with an accident at your work, you should immediately get in touch with your immediate supervisor or manager.
Also, make sure it is reported in writing. If an accident has happened outside your workplace, you should wait for the police to arrive. The police officers will gather the necessary details and file them in the police report. You can then get a copy of the police report. This report contains all the details of the accident and it is extremely helpful when you decide to file a claim for your injuries.
Do not talk to anyone
When you have an accident, the insurance company of the other party might ask you to sign a statement or make a statement. They might make it sound like they are working for your best interests but that is not the case. Insurance companies are always looking at their own bottom line.
This is why you should never sign a statement or make a statement as it would be used against you and you could be denied fair compensation. Always discuss the details with the lawyer and let the lawyer deal with the insurance adjusters.
Get in touch with a Boynton Beach personal injury attorney
You should immediately hire the services of an experienced Boynton Beach personal injury lawyer. The legal team at Steinberg Law has several years of experience in dealing with such cases.
Our team of lawyers will negotiate, on your behalf, with the lawyers on the other side to help you get a fair settlement offer. We understand the common tactics used by insurance companies to avoid payouts.
Give us a call at 877-783-4611 to schedule a free and private consultation.
What Are the Benefits of Hiring a Lawyer?
You might be wondering why you need the services of a lawyer for such claims. Personal injury law is extremely complex and a lot of evidence needs to be collected and presented in the right manner, and at the right time, to get fair compensation. Without an experienced attorney by your side, your attempts will be thwarted at every step by the well-paid lawyers retained by insurance companies.
On top of that, more than 90% of personal injury cases are settled out of court as going to trial is extremely expensive and most parties avoid going to trial. However, taking the case to trial becomes a necessity in case the other party does not agree to a fair settlement offer.
The experienced team of personal injury attorneys at Steinberg Law will help you understand your legal options. We will gather the necessary evidence and present a demand letter to the other party. In case the other party fails to provide a fair settlement offer, our lawyers will take the case to trial and help you get fair compensation.
What Is the Expected Recovery in Personal Injury Cases?
There is no standard amount that can be recovered in personal injury cases as each case is different and the amount recovered depends on a variety of factors.
In most cases, the amount of recovery is based on two separate categories: economic and noneconomic damages.
The economic damages category includes all the components that can be calculated to a dollar amount. For instance, it would include all the medical expenses related to the injury, compensation for loss of income including current income as well as any future income, and other expenses related to the injury.
The non-economic category includes all the intangibles such as compensation for pain and suffering, emotional distress, and various other such elements.
Punitive damages may also be awarded but it happens rarely.
Determination of Liability
In some personal injury accident cases, determination of liability is straightforward as only one party is at fault and ample evidence is available to prove their fault. However, things get extremely complicated in some cases. In such cases, there are 4 elements that have to be proven with evidence for the determination of liability.
The victim has to prove that the at-fault party has a legal duty of care. The next step is to prove that they breached that duty of care due to which the accident happened and the victim suffered injuries.
Causation also needs to be proven. Causation simply means that the actions of the other party are directly responsible for the victim’s injuries and a reasonable person would have behaved in a different manner when put in a similar situation.
If you want to recover financial compensation for your injuries, you also need to show that you have suffered damages directly as a result of the injuries suffered by you during the accident.
As far as the compensation proportion is concerned, the comparative negligence rules come into effect in Florida. When an accident happens, both parties might be at fault. If the person who has filed the claim is also determined to be at fault, their compensation is reduced by the extent of their fault. For instance, if it is determined that the victim is 30% at fault in the accident, the awarded compensation is brought down by 30%.
Is There a Time Limit?
All personal injury cases have a strict deadline or time limit as per the statute of limitations. For people in Boynton Beach, Florida, this time limit is 4 years from the accident date.
To put it simply, if the accident victim does not file a claim within 4 years, the claim may be rejected by the court. Even if you have been in negotiations with the other party and have not filed a claim, your claim is likely to be rejected.
There are also some exceptions to this rule. For instance, you get only 2 years in medical malpractice cases. There are also further exemptions in certain situations.
You should get in touch with the Boynton Beach personal injury lawyers at Steinberg Law to better understand the statute of limitations applicable in your particular case.
Process for Personal Injury Claims
The process of filing a claim to get a fair settlement for your injuries must follow certain steps to be successful. Your first step should be to hire the services of an experienced attorney.
Your attorney will collect all the necessary evidence including records of medical expenses, details of injuries suffered, records of loss of income, records of other expenses, documentation to prove pain and suffering, and other such documents. They will then present a letter of demand to the other party along with all the evidence.
The letter will also ask for a certain amount that should be accepted within 30 days.
The other party has certain options. They may choose to accept the demand and make the payout. They may want to negotiate the settlement. They may choose to deny the claim.
If the other party decides to negotiate a settlement, your lawyer will work with them to come up with an offer that is agreeable to everyone involved. If both parties do not agree on a settlement, the case will go to trial and a whole new process will start.
The Cost of Hiring a Boynton Beach Personal Injury Attorney
Personal injury cases usually have a contingency fee arrangement. The victim is not required to pay anything out of their pocket as the law firm will take on the case. Their fees will be a particular percentage of the amount they win in the settlement. In case they fail to get a settlement from the other party, the law firm will not get anything.
Steinberg Law works on a contingency fee basis. You do not need to pay anything if we fail to win any compensation for you.
Types of Personal Injury Cases
We take on a wide range of personal injury accident cases. Some of the common examples include:
- Auto accident cases
- Motorcycle accident cases
- Workers’ compensation cases
- Negligent security cases
- Amusement park injury cases
- Slip and fall accident cases
Contact a Personal Injury Attorney
If you get injured in an accident, it is recommended for the victim to get in touch with an experienced attorney as quickly as possible. You will need all the help you can get as you will be recovering from your injuries but it is important to take action at the earliest if you want to get compensation for your injuries.
It is generally recommended to hire the services of a lawyer in case you have to miss work for more than a week or your medical bills go over $3000 after an accident. Personal injury attorneys such as the legal team at Steinberg Law work on a contingency fee arrangement which means you do not have to pay any fee in case no recovery is made.
Every personal injury case is different. Get in touch with the experienced team of attorneys at Steinberg Law to schedule a free consultation. Our team will review your claim and help you make an informed decision.
