Five Steps Of The Florida Keys Personal Injury Claim
After suffering a personal injury in the Florida Keys, the results can be devastating. Fortunately, in Florida, a victim of another person’s negligence has the right to file a personal injury claim and obtain compensation from the at-fault party’s insurance company.
Unfortunately, many people do not know the steps involved in a personal injury claim. Knowing the steps involved in a personal injury claim is crucial. When you understand the steps involved in a personal injury claim, you can know what to expect should you decide to file such a claim in the future.
In this article, we will look at the five steps in a personal injury claim in the Florida Keys.
Step #1: Consulting and Hiring a Personal Injury Attorney
As soon as you can, after your accident, consult and hire a personal injury attorney. Hiring a personal injury attorney is the best way to ensure that you know what to expect throughout the claims process. During your initial consultation with an attorney, the attorney will tell you what to expect during the claims process, including what you should expect to pursue for your damages based on several things such as your medical bills and the amount of time that has passed since your accident occurred.
Step #2: Investigating Your Accident
After consulting and retaining a personal injury attorney, and a skilled one, for that matter, you and your attorney will begin investigating your accident. An investigation is crucial to help you find out who or what caused your accident. Some of the things that your attorney may do during the investigation stage include;
- Collecting witness statements
- Checking traffic/camera footage
- Consulting expert witnesses
Indeed, your statement will provide your attorney with a good starting point. However, your statement alone might not be enough for you to prove who or what caused your accident.
Step #3: Filing a Demand for Compensation/Filing a Personal Injury Claim
After you have told your personal injury attorney what you believe happened and your attorney has gathered all the necessary evidence, you and your attorney will file a personal injury claim/demand for compensation. If your case involves only one negligent party, you will file one claim. On the other hand, if your personal injury case involves multiple defendants, you will file various claims, ensuring you file a separate claim for each defendant.
Step #4: Negotiation
Usually, once a plaintiff files a personal injury claim with an insurance company, the insurance company will offer the plaintiff a fast settlement. Sometimes, an insurance company will even give a plaintiff a settlement offer before the plaintiff gets the opportunity to file their claim. Whether you receive a settlement offer before or after filing your claim, your attorney can help you negotiate a better payment. If the insurance company or companies agree to give you a fair deal, the claims process will stop here.
Step #5: Going to Court
If your attorney cannot reach an agreement with the insurance company or companies, you might need to take your case to court. The time a plaintiff has to file a personal injury lawsuit in Florida is limited by Florida’s statutes of limitations for personal injury cases.
Contact Us for Legal Help
If you have suffered a personal injury in a Florida Keys accident, reach out to Lyons & Snyder Trial Attorneys to get help from our Key West & Marathon car accident attorneys.
Resource:
flsenate.gov/Laws/Statutes/2018/95.11
