If you or a loved one has suffered an injury as a result of negligence, it may be in your best interest to retain a personal injury attorney to assess your claims. Despite the extent of injuries, amount of damages, or specific cause of injury, an experienced personal injury lawyer will be able to help you understand your rights and what damages you may be entitled to.
Our experienced team of personal injury attorneys at the office of Jack Bernstein, Injury Attorneys, are here to help analyze your Tampa personal injury claims and help you obtain both the justice and compensation you deserve.
Contact Jack Bernstein, Injury Attorneys, now.
What Types of Cases Do Personal Injury Lawyers Handle?
Personal injury lawyers handle a seemingly endless amount of different case types. A personal injury lawsuit arises from a person sustaining an injury under negligence. Our personal injury attorneys at Jack Bernstein, Injury Attorneys, are equipped to handle any of the following types of personal injury cases:
- Automobile accidents: There are a wide variety of automobile accidents within the personal injury realm. Some of the most common types of automobile accidents our attorneys handle include car accidents, drunk driving accidents, distracted driving accidents, motorcycle crashes, semi-truck accidents, rideshare accidents, pedestrian injuries, bicycle incidents, and boat crashes.
- Catastrophic injuries: Unfortunately, catastrophic injuries are a common subset of cases under personal injury law. Catastrophic cases our attorneys regularly handle include traumatic brain injuries and spinal cord injuries. While these are two of the most commonly sought-after personal injury claims under this category, our attorneys are not limited to representing claims pertaining to these catastrophic injuries and can assist with any other catastrophic injury you may require assistance with.
- Wrongful death: Whether you’re looking to file a wrongful death action, survival action, or an accidental death case, our attorneys understand the emotional gravity that comes with filing any type of wrongful death case and are here to ensure you obtain the success and justice you seek.
- Premises liability: Landowners are subject to a reasonable standard of care for licensees and invitees that are present on their property. As such, plenty of different types of premises liability claims fall within personal injury law, such as slip-and-fall cases, dog bite accidents, casino accidents, cruise ship accidents, and more.
Medical malpractice and negligence: Medical malpractice cases arise when a patient is injured due to negligence on the part of their medical provider. Medical malpractice can involve a wide variety of subjects, including nursing home abuse, birth injury, wrongful death, permanent disability, and more.
How Can a Personal Injury Lawyer Help Me?
A personal injury lawyer can help in more ways than you may realize. Dealing with an injury can be a traumatic experience for anyone, regardless of the extent of the injury. Adding a lawsuit on top of already traumatic medical conditions can create a stressful experience for anyone, so having a personal injury attorney represent your claim will allow you to focus on your recovery without having to stress about the legal aspect of things.
Some of the ways a personal injury lawyer will help you include:
- Filing the necessary court documents
- Listening to you
- Investigating your claim
- Calculating your damages
- Establishing fault
- Conducting research and collecting evidence to build a legal argument
- Communicating with the insurance company on your behalf
- Retaining any necessary expert witnesses to testify for your interests
- Negotiating settlements with the opposing counsel
- Representing you in a trial
When Should I Contact a Personal Injury Lawyer?
While we understand that the aftermath of a personal injury incident may be difficult and one of the last things you want to do is deal with a lawsuit, our legal team encourages you to reach out as soon as you are medically capable of doing so. This way, we can start working on your case right away while you continue focusing on your recovery.
What Should I Bring to My Initial Consultation With a Personal Injury Lawyer?
For your initial consultation with a personal injury lawyer, it’s essential to bring as much information as possible so the attorney can adequately assess your standing in your claims. Some of the most important documents to bring to this initial consult to give the attorney a sense of the overall picture include:
- Medical records, including any active treatment and emergency treatment
- Insurance information, including policies and adjuster contact information
- Income documentation, including pay stubs and tax documents
- Witness information — this can be the name and number of anyone who witnessed the incident
- Photographs of the scene of the accident
- Police reports of the incident
How Do Personal Injury Lawyers Charge for Their Services?
Understandably, paying for an attorney can be intimidating for anyone. This is why we have broken down the factors that are taken into consideration when calculating fees for personal injury services:
- Level of difficulty of the case: Unsurprisingly, the complexity of a case is taken into consideration when calculating fees. As more complex cases require additional time on behalf of the attorney, these cases will thus result in higher fees.
- The amount of research required: Cases that require extensive amounts of research will likely require higher compensation, as it is not uncommon for attorneys to spend hours upon hours researching the case law in support of their clients.
- The experience level of the attorney: If you require an attorney with extensive experience and a specialization in a particular area of injury, their fees will likely be higher than those of a less specialized attorney who handles more common areas of personal injury.
- Specific costs related to the case: These costs can include court fees, mailing fees, and expert witnesses.
It’s important to understand that the majority of personal injury attorneys will rely on a contingency fee structure. Under this type of structure, the client does not have to pay any upfront legal fees or related costs to the attorney. Instead, the attorney will be compensated for their fees and any other related costs upon successful resolution of the claim.
Can I Handle My Personal Injury Claim on My Own?
While you can handle your own case, it is highly recommended against doing so. The legal system is difficult and intimidating, even for attorneys, so representing yourself will likely lead to avoidable stress and be detrimental to you and your case.
What Should I Look for in a Personal Injury Lawyer?
When looking for a personal injury lawyer, it’s essential to first find someone with whom you get along. As you’ll likely be communicating extensively with this attorney, finding one that makes you feel comfortable and one you can trust is crucial. In addition to the personal side of it, you will also want to find a personal injury attorney with substantial experience handling similar claims. This way, you can rest assured your case is in the hands of someone who knows what they are doing.
How Long Do I Have to File a Personal Injury Claim?
Contacting a personal injury lawyer as soon as possible is essential to guarantee that your claim can be heard. If you wait too long to file your claim, you may be barred from doing so by the applicable Statute of Limitations in your jurisdiction. Most Statutes of Limitations give the plaintiff two years from the date of injury to file a claim with the court, which is the case for Florida personal injury claims. So, if you wait too long, you may unfortunately be barred from doing so altogether.
What if I Can’t Afford a Personal Injury Lawyer?
If you can’t afford a personal injury lawyer, don’t let this prevent you from seeking a legal consultation. Our legal team can guide you through understanding any financial concerns you may have.
What Should I Do Immediately After an Accident or Injury?
While the nature of personal injury accidents can vary, the essential steps to take immediately following the incident are, for the most part, the same across the board. If you are in an accident or sustain injury from negligence, you should immediately contact emergency services and seek medical attention. Depending on the situation, you may want to take photos of the accident scene or collect witness information.
Once your injuries are attended to, you will be able to focus on contacting a personal injury lawyer to discuss the next steps.
How Much Is My Personal Injury Claim Worth?
Many factors are considered when determining the worth of your personal injury claim. Given that no two claims are the same, your attorney won’t be able to give you a set value on what your claim is worth until they can assess the elements of your claim and calculate the damages.
Will My Case Go to Trial, or Will It Be Settled Out of Court?
Despite what popular culture leads us to believe, most cases never make it to court and settle before reaching trial. This is because settling is typically the much more beneficial and economical alternative to going to trial. However, in some circumstances, a personal injury attorney may want to go to trial if they think it will lead to a more successful outcome for their client. Discuss this possibility during your case evaluation to understand which route will likely best suit your claim.
What if the Insurance Company Offers Me a Settlement?
If your insurance company offers you a settlement, do not accept it until discussing it with a personal injury attorney. Oftentimes, insurance companies are looking to settle claims as quickly and for as little value as they can. However, an experienced personal injury attorney will be able to determine whether the amount being offered is reasonable or not for your case.
How Long Will It Take to Resolve My Personal Injury Case?
The duration of personal injury cases can range from a few months to a few years. As with the value of a personal injury claim, the length of a claim entirely depends on the specific aspects and factors that come along with it. In cases where the injuries and issues are straightforward, you may be able to resolve them quickly. However, when the parties are hostile toward one another or the injuries are more complex, the claim may take a long time to settle.
What Is the Role of a Personal Injury Lawyer in Negotiating With Insurance Companies?
The role of a personal injury lawyer in negotiating with insurance companies is to ensure your rights are adequately and effectively represented. Insurance companies often take advantage of accident victims, so a personal injury attorney can ensure that doesn’t happen in pursuit of compensation for your claims. We know what to ask, how insurance companies work, and most importantly, the game insurance companies play with accident victims.
Call Jack Bernstein, Injury Attorneys, for a free case evaluation.
Sources:
Goguen, D. Florida Personal Injury Laws and Statutes of Limitation.
Statute of Limitations Definition.
Tampa Car Accident + Personal Injury Lawyers
For more than 40 years, personal injury lawyer Jack G. Bernstein has protected the rights of individuals who have been injured in a variety of circumstances. Throughout his career, Bernstein has been a strategist thoroughly dedicated to the idea of protecting the rights of his clients. Mr. Bernstein is a member of the Florida State Bar Association, the Hillsborough Bar Association and the Clearwater Bar Association.
Mr. Bernstein has the experience and expertise to handle a wide range of injury cases. Among the types of plaintiffs Mr. Bernstein represents are individuals involved in car accidents caused by drunk drivers or other exhibiting negligence, medical complications resulting from carelessness caused by a physician or a medical facility, including brain injury, bicycle, motorcycle, moped and truck accidents, admiralty law and cruise ship accidents, accidental drownings, all types of wrongful death lawsuits, along with most injury, catastrophic occurrences and legal malpractice issues.
Our firm handles every type of personal injury and accident case, using negotiation and litigation tactics effectively. We handle cases throughout Tampa, Sarasota, St. Petersburg, and Clearwater, FL. With a staff of approximately 40 people, including six lawyers and 34 support personnel, we have the legal resources to get the justice you deserve and the maximum recovery for your losses. Schedule your free consultation today; we are always here to help.
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