Unfortunately, serious accidents and injuries may occur due to negligence. Legally, victims who sustain physical and mental trauma due to another person’s negligence are entitled to file a claim to recover financial compensation for their losses. If you have been injured due to someone else’s negligence, read on to learn more about personal injury lawsuits and contact a skilled St. Petersburg, Personal Injury Attorney from our firm. We can help you recover reasonable damages for your injuries.
What steps are involved in successful personal injury lawsuits?
In a personal injury lawsuit, victims should follow these steps:
Retain the services of a personal injury attorney
Victims need to consult an experienced personal injury attorney. Oftentimes, insurance companies will quickly approach victims to catch them off guard. This way they can offer a low-ball settlement. Injured individuals need to retain the legal services of a skilled St. Petersburg, Florida Personal Injury Attorney who can help them maximize their settlement. An attorney will tell you to avoid speaking with the defendant’s insurance company to prevent you from saying something that could potentially hurt your case later on.
Investigate the incident
In personal injury cases, victims are required to fulfill the burden of proof to prove their injuries were caused by someone else’s negligence. This means they must gather enough evidence to back up their claim. A personal injury attorney can help gather evidence by investigating the cause of the accident.
File a claim
Once the investigation is concluded, your attorney will assist you in filing a claim against the negligent party. Victims do not need to worry about contacting the negligent party’s insurance company. Your attorney will handle that process for you. Legally, anyone who is injured by another person’s negligence is entitled to file a compensation claim for economic and non-economic damages. Depending on what type of accident occurred, you may need to file more than one claim. Some accidents and injuries involve multiple negligent parties. In Florida, victims have four years from the date their injuries were inflicted to file a claim. Your attorney can help you file a claim within the right timeframe. If you neglect to hire an attorney, you may miss the deadline and lose any opportunity to recover financial compensation for your damages.
Negotiation
After a claim is filed, victims will be sent a settlement offer by the negligent party’s insurance company. Your attorney will give their opinion on whether or not you should take the offer based on the evidence they’ve gathered, the cause of the accident, and the extent of your injuries. However, the decision is ultimately in your hands on whether to accept the offer or decline it. If you decline the settlement offer, your case will proceed through litigation. Additionally, your attorney may negotiate with the negligent parties’ insurance company for a more reasonable settlement offer. However, they may refuse to adjust their offer, resulting in taking the case to trial.
Court
If negotiation fails, you will need to file a court case. Before a case goes to trial, your attorney will prepare for the discovery process. This means they will gather as much evidence as they can to back your claim. Additionally, a mediator will try to help settle the case by reaching a mutual agreement on a just settlement. However, if mediation fails, individuals will have to take their claims to court. If mediation fails, the case will go to trial. The court will then have full control over the amount a victim can recover in damages. If the trial concludes and an individual feels they have not recovered an appropriate amount for their losses, they can appeal the final verdict.
If you have been injured due to negligence, get in touch with one of our skilled and trusted attorneys. Our firm is committed to helping our clients recover fair compensation for their losses. We are on your side and ready to fight on your behalf today.
