Last Update: 01/25/16
When you or your family member (husband, wife, son, daughter, mother, father, etc.) gets hurt, it’s a major life event. There’s an immediate change in your daily routine, of course. There’s also the consequences of that accident and injury — the lost wages and money worries; the practical needs like health care, therapy, help doing things like getting places or just getting around the house; dealing with the emotional issues. It’s stressful and getting things back to normal can never come soon enough.
However, that’s not all that injury victims and their loved ones have to face. You have to deal with lawyers. It may be the only time that you or your family has to go into a lawyer’s offices or go down to the courthouse.
The Lawyer for the Person Who Was Hurt and Injured
The lawyer that you hire — a lawyer that practices “Florida personal injury law” – he or she should be a lawyer who focuses on representing injury victims. These attorneys, like Alan Sackrin here at our firm, are called “plaintiff’s lawyers” and they usually work on a contingent fee basis to negotiate a settlement or take the case to trial on your behalf or on behalf of your family.
You, as the injury victim, initially have to decide whether or not you will hire a personal injury attorney, or plaintiff’s lawyer. It’s your call, you hire a lawyer if you want to do so or you try to handle the matter yourself (not recommended).
The Lawyer for the Defense (Insurance Defense Lawyer)
Despite your decision on whether to hire a personal injury lawyer or not, you should know that you will be dealing with lawyers no matter what. The insurance companies all have attorneys on their payroll who are well-versed in Florida personal injury law. These are the insurance carrier’s “in-house lawyers.” The insurance company may also hire an outside Florida law firm to work on its insured’s behalf (the party who caused your injury) for certain claims that arise from the car accident or slip and fall, for example. These are “defense attorneys” and there are entire law firms in South Florida that are dedicated to defense work.
Maybe you will meet the defense lawyer or insurance company attorney at some point — or maybe you’ll deal directly with insurance claims adjuster that is assigned to your claim. Rest assured, insurance agents, adjusters, investigators, and the legal team all work together on each and every claim in a smooth operation designed to keep those claims numbers down and company bottom lines in the black.
Therefore, no matter if any of the following insurance companies (these are just a few examples) are the carriers responsible for paying the claim for your soft tissue slip and fall injury, please know that there’s a defense lawyer overseeing what is happening in your case:
- Allstate Insurance
- Farmers Insurance
- Florida Insurance Guarantee Association
- GEICO Insurance
- Hartford Insurance
- Liberty Mutual Insurance
- Nationwide Insurance
- Progressive Insurance
- State Farm Insurance
- USAA Insurance.
To Protect Your Interests, Know Your Rights – and Your Lawyers
If you are injured in Florida, please be aware that no two injuries are the same even though insurance companies find it easier to make you think that they are all the same. Soft tissue injuries are especially unique because of the difficulty in objectively qualifying an injury, but fractures and sprains in slip and fall injuries as well as other types of hard tissue personal injury claims must be evaluated on an individual basis because many of these injuries involve some type of expensive present or future medical procedure.
We’ve already posted on how insurance carriers like to use software to generate proposed settlement offers. (Go here to learn more: Colossus and Xactimate: Did You Know That Big Insurance Companies Use Software Programs To Decide How Much Your Injury Claim Is Worth?)
What Should You Do Now?
A good piece of advice if you have been harmed in an accident, is to at least speak with an experienced personal injury lawyer before you file a claim to learn about some of the issues that can arise with these claims, including the type of evidence needed to prove a claim and the type and amount of damages you can recover. Most personal injury lawyers, like Alan Sackrin, will offer a free initial consultation (over the phone or in person) to answer your questions.
Related:
- What is My Injury Claim Worth and How Can I Get Maximum Compensation for My Injury Case?
- Can A Prior Injury Lawsuit Hurt Or Lessen My New Personal Injury Claim?
- What Kind of Florida Personal Injury Money Award Can You Expect To Receive if You Are Injured? Economic vs Non-Economic Damages
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Do you have questions or comments? Then please feel free to send Alan an email or call him now at (954) 458-8655.
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