You have rights if you are injured because of another person’s or party’s negligence. One right is to recover compensation.
If you are in this situation, it is recommended that you hire a Jacksonville personal injury lawyer from Terrel Hogan to help with your case. Personal injury law is often complex, and you may not know what you are entitled to without an attorney.
Along with getting a fair settlement offer, our legal team will help you better understand the personal injury lawsuit process and how long your case will take.
You can also learn more about the timeline of a personal injury case in Florida here.
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The Accident and Injury Occur
If an accident occurs, it is often difficult to consider anything besides the immediate situation. However, if you can, it is smart to take pictures of the aftermath of the accident and the factors that led to the incident.
Take clear photos of any visible injuries, property damage, street signs, and road markings. It is also smart to collect contact information from anyone involved in the accident and witnesses who saw what happened.
Get Medical Care
After an accident, your health should be a top priority. Even if you are not in serious pain, doctors may find signs of an injury that you do not know about through diagnostic tools or observations. For example, internal bleeding and TBIs are extremely common and serious injuries. However, they are not immediately obvious.
Seek medical attention immediately after an accident to ensure all your injuries are found, treated, and documented.
It is also important to note that seeking medical attention provides documentation of what happened and what injuries you sustained in the accident. This is helpful if you decide to file a personal injury lawsuit.
If you are involved in a car accident in Florida, you must seek medical attention within 14 days of the accident.
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Contact a Jacksonville Personal Injury Attorney
After an accident occurs in Florida, it is important to contact our personal injury attorneys. You have four years from the accident date to file a lawsuit. The exception to this is if you file a medical malpractice claim. In this case, you have just two years from when the incident occurred.
While this is true, personal injury cases can take a long time. As a result, you must start the process as quickly as possible.
Our personal injury attorney offers clients a free initial consultation to help evaluate their situation and give them a good idea of if they can recover compensation. During this consultation, we can also give you an idea of how long the case will likely take.
Investigation of Medical Records and Claims
Your attorney needs to know all the related details of the case. The more details you can provide, the better. In these situations, there is no such thing as too much information.
It is best to get in touch with an attorney quickly. This will ensure that the details of what happened are still fresh in your mind. If you took pictures and notes while at the accident scene, share them with your lawyer.
Your attorney will review your medical records and your bills. This will ensure that your attorney can evaluate how extensive your injury is and determine the potential value of your case.
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File an Insurance Claim
After hiring an attorney, they can file a claim with the insurance company. An adjuster will be assigned to your case and review the evidence and medical documents to determine how extensive your injuries are and their total costs.
After the insurance adjuster reviews all the details, they will determine what the company can offer for compensation.
The Settlement Demand
Your attorney will send a demand letter for a certain amount of money to settle your case. It is estimated that around 90% of all personal injury cases are settled like this. However, other cases will go to trial when insurance companies and lawyers cannot agree on an amount.
Before accepting any offer by the insurance company, be sure to have your attorney review it. This will ensure you get a fair settlement amount.
Filing a Lawsuit
If the negotiations are unsuccessful, your attorney can file a lawsuit. At this point, the other party will be served a lawsuit and respond. They usually have 20 days to do this.
Discovery
After the lawsuit is filed, the discovery phase starts. Both sides attempt to learn about the other side’s strategy during this time. They will request documents they believe are relevant from each other.
The next step is to take depositions. During this, both sides can ask questions to any witnesses, experts, and anyone else involved. All depositions are given under oath, and the victim and defendant are usually the first questioned. Judges will usually put a time limit on the discovery stage of three to six months (in most cases).
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Mediation
After the information is gathered, the court may require the parties to go through mediation. A mediator is a third party who will review the facts and try to facilitate an agreement between the parties.
The Trial
Many personal injury cases settle before going to trial. However, if no settlement can be reached, the case will be decided by a jury at trial. Each side will present its information, and a jury will decide the outcome.
Let Our Jacksonville Personal Injury Lawyer Help with Your Case
When it comes to personal injury lawsuits, there are more than a few factors to consider. Be sure to keep the information here in mind, which will help you know what makes up a personal injury lawsuit and how it progresses. Our legal team will fight for your legal rights to help you achieve the best possible outcome for your case.
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