20 Dec 4 Personal Injury General Assumptions

4 Personal Injury General Assumptions

There are many grey areas, best practices, and common misconceptions about personal injury cases. Our attorney Troy Farquhar is answering four common statements to help clear some confusions.

1. I have insurance, so don’t need an attorney for my case.

If you have been injured in an accident by someone else’s negligence, you are entitled to compensation. Typically that compensation will be through an insurance company: the at-fault insurance company, and, if you have uninsured motorist coverage, sometimes your own. The insurance company exists to make money, and they do that by paying out as little as possible in claims. You can go it alone, but having an experienced personal injury attorney who knows the system will greatly impact your settlement results.

2. People who file personal injury lawsuits are just greedy.

Sure, there are some frivolous injury claims. The outrageous examples tend to stick out and influence people’s overall perception of the system. But, if you’re the innocent person dealing with medical bills, lost time from work, pain and suffering, and loss of the ability to do fun activities that you used to do— then you know you aren’t being greedy when you’re seeking fair compensation.

3. I only have minor injuries, so it’s probably not worth talking to a lawyer.

What might seem like a minor injury at first, may not be so. Many injuries to the connective tissues in our bodies, what are often called “soft tissue injuries” do not completely heal for a long time, if ever. So, even if you don’t think your injury is serious, it’s not a bad idea to get checked out by a doctor. As for whether or not you should see a lawyer, consultations in our office are always free and there are no costs to our injured clients unless we get you compensation for your injuries.

4. I have plenty of time to file a lawsuit if I want to do it later.

You have 4 years from the date of injury to file your case in Florida. I would not be so concerned about the length of time between being injured and filing your case. What does concern me is how long after your accident before you seek treatment. In Florida, in order for your treatment to be covered by your insurance, you must seek treatment within 14 days. Also, if you do file a claim against insurance for pain and suffering, the longer you waited to treat your injuries, the more suspicious the insurance company will be that you really were not hurt. So, if you are injured, seek treatment immediately and contact a knowledgeable personal injury attorney.

If you’d like to discuss your case with one of our attorneys, schedule a free consultation here.