Can You Handle a Personal Injury Case on Your Own?

May 11, 2017 | Attorney, Matthew Dolman
Can You Handle a Personal Injury Case on Your Own?

Accidents and collisions – particularly those involving motor vehicles – often happen unexpectedly. When you have been injured as a result of another person's negligence, or if you have been injured by a defective product or in the scope of your employment, your first priority should be getting better and seeking the medical treatment you need to get back on the road to recovery.

Personal injury cases can be complex, and insurance companies and their adjusters are sometimes difficult to deal with. Therefore, if you have sustained injuries in an accident, it is advisable that you contact a personal injury attorney as soon as possible after sustaining your injuries. A lawyer will be able to streamline the legal process for you and help you obtain the monetary compensation that you need and deserve. This will allow you the time and energy you need to recover from the injuries you sustained in the accident or collision.

Motor Vehicle Accidents

Involvement in a motor vehicle accident can be extremely stressful and time-consuming – particularly if you have never been involved in an accident before. Recovery and treatment take up many hours of time and keep you from both your personal life and your professional life.

In a motor vehicle accident case, if you have been injured as a result of another driver's carelessness, recklessness, or negligence, you may be entitled to monetary compensation under a negligence theory of recovery. In order to prove negligence, an injured car accident plaintiff must successfully demonstrate that the defendant driver failed to act in a reasonably prudent manner under the circumstances, thereby causing the accident which led to the plaintiff's personal injuries and damages.

An experienced personal injury lawyer will be able to help you satisfy the burden of proof in your case, in order to prove negligence on the part of the defendant or defendants.

Slip and Fall Accidents

While they can occur almost anywhere, slip and fall accidents typically occur on sidewalks, in people's homes, at shopping malls, and in parking garages. In order to prove negligence on the part of a property owner in maintaining certain property, an injured plaintiff must prove notice on the part of the property owner. The injured plaintiff, therefore, must be able to demonstrate that the property owner failed to provide adequate warning of a known danger on the property or otherwise take corrective some action to eliminate it.

The landowner's or possessor's duty of care owed to the plaintiff depends upon the plaintiff's status on the land at the time he or she is involved in the accident and sustains the injuries. For example, a business invitee who is on the premises for the purpose of benefiting the landowner will be owed a much higher duty of care than a trespasser. An experienced personal injury lawyer may be able to assist you with proving a lack of notice on the part of the landowner or possessor.

Medical Malpractice

If an individual is injured as a result of a health care provider's carelessness, recklessness, or negligence, then he or she may have a claim for medical malpractice against the negligent health care provider, hospital, or treatment facility.

In a medical malpractice case, the injured plaintiff must normally introduce expert testimony from another physician at trial. That physician must be able to say that the patient's treating provider deviated from the applicable standard of care of a reasonable doctor under the same or similar circumstances. An experienced Florida medical malpractice attorney may be able to help you meet that burden of proof in your case.

The Benefits of Hiring a Personal Injury Lawyer

A personal injury attorney may be able to assist you with your case in some or all of the following ways:

  • Obtaining and reviewing all medical records and bills
  • Negotiating settlement offers with insurance adjusters and other insurance company representatives, keeping in mind the value of the injuries and damages which you sustained in your case
  • Making counteroffers to low offers from the insurance company
  • Filing suit against all potential defendants within the proper time period (i.e., the statute of limitations)
  • Pursuing alternative dispute resolution, such as mediation or arbitration
  • Representing a personal injury plaintiff during litigation and up through a jury trial

A skilled Clearwater personal injury lawyer also may be able to assist you with obtaining some or all of the following types of damages:

  • Compensation for all related medical and physical therapy bills and expenses
  • Compensation for all time missed from work and lost wages
  • Compensation for past, present, and future mental anguish, pain, and suffering
  • Compensation for permanent impairment
  • Compensation for loss of earning capacity
  • Compensation for loss of companionship, consortium, and/or family support
  • Compensation for future medical care, including future medical procedures and surgeries

Contact a Florida Personal Injury Attorney Today to Discuss Your Case

When it comes to handling personal injury cases, you should know that despite what they say in their advertisements, insurance companies are not really all that interested in fully and fairly compensating you for your injuries and damages. Rather, insurance companies and their adjusters are more interested in safeguarding their own money, limiting their own liability exposure, and making sure that no one else gets ahold of their money.

In virtually every personal injury case, the insurance company's adjuster will lowball the initial offer and may not even consider raising the settlement offer until well after a lawsuit has been filed and discovery has been completed and exchanged. At Dolman Law Group Accident Injury Lawyers, PA, our personal injury attorneys will have the necessary legal expertise to effectively negotiate with the insurance adjuster and help you obtain a fair settlement or jury verdict in your case.

To schedule a free consultation or case evaluation with a Clearwater personal injury lawyer, please call us at (727) 451-6900 or contact us online.

Dolman Law Group Accident Injury Lawyers, PA
800 North Belcher Road
Clearwater, FL 33765

(727) 451-6900

 

Matthew Dolman

Personal Injury Lawyer

This article was written and reviewed by Matthew Dolman. Matt has been a practicing civil trial, personal injury, products liability, and mass tort lawyer since 2004. He has successfully fought for more than 11,000 injured clients and acted as lead counsel in more than 1,000 lawsuits. Always on the cutting edge of personal injury law, Matt is actively engaged in complex legal matters, including Suboxone, AFFF, and Ozempic lawsuits.  Matt is a lifetime member of the Million Dollar Advocates Forum and Multi-Million Dollar Advocates Forum for resolving individual cases in excess of $1 million and $2 million, respectively. He has also been selected by his colleagues as a Florida Superlawyer and as a member of Florida’s Legal Elite on multiple occasions. Further, Matt has been quoted in the media numerous times and is a sought-after speaker on a variety of legal issues and topics.

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