If you have been injured as a result of someone else’s behavior–whether recklessness, negligence, or malice—then you are entitled to compensation because of their actions (or inactions) under American tort law and a personal injury lawsuit. In many cases, this compensation is initially sought through an insurance claim, but in more serious instances the compensation is immediately sought after with a lawsuit. Regardless of how your first steps towards getting the money you deserve look, the team at Fasig | Brooks is here to help you every step of the way.
Our award-winning team of personal injury lawyers has a history of successful cases representing a wide range of personal injury victims and winning a significant amount of compensation for them. Trying to go up against an insurance company or a defendant and their legal team on your own is an overwhelming task and one that can be avoided entirely by partnering with an experienced St. Augustine personal injury attorney as soon as possible.
Read more below to get a better understanding of how personal injury law works in St. Augustine, as well as to get a better sense of how working with an attorney can be a significant advantage for your case and for your final settlement or award amount. Contact us as soon as possible to speak directly with one of our attorneys during a free initial consultation, where we can discuss your situation in particular and give you a specific understanding of how you will benefit from working with us throughout this entire process.
Personal Injury Law in St. Augustine
Seeking compensation for a personal injury can be an extremely stressful and complex process, no matter how straightforward your situation may seem. After an injury where the responsible party has liability insurance, such as a car accident, you will file a claim with their insurance company in order to initiate the process, at which point a claims adjuster will be assigned to your case. During the coming weeks, you will work with the claims adjuster to help them understand the entirety of your situation before returning to you with a settlement offer.
The unfortunate reality of a personal injury claim is that the insurance company is never looking out for your best interests above all; instead, the claims adjuster’s primary focus is on identifying all possible ways to reduce your final settlement amount in order to save money for the insurance company. While you are dealing with the fallout of your injuries, it can seem impossible to advocate for yourself properly in order to get the money you deserve.
Working WIth a Personal Injury Lawyer
When you hire a personal injury attorney to guide you through the insurance claims process, you are giving yourself room to focus on your recovery without taking on the added legal stress. The St. Augustine personal injury attorneys at Fasig | Brooks work strictly on contingency fees, which means that you will be able to hire legal representation without a dollar out of pocket. We only get paid when you win, as a percentage of your final award.
Stress is shown to play a significant role in recovery from physical injuries, meaning that when you have an experienced legal professional fighting your legal battles for you, you can keep your stress low so that your recovery is your main priority. In addition to the medical benefits, working with an attorney is one of the best ways to make sure that you are fighting for the money you deserve, and not just what the insurance company wants to pay.
Common Types of Personal Injuries
The factors that determine whether or not an individual is the victim of a personal injury are as follows:
- The defendant had a duty of care that they needed to uphold
- The defendant failed to uphold their duty of care
- This failure to uphold the duty of care caused an accident
- The accident caused the plaintiff measurable damages
Essentially, this means that you and your St. Augustine personal injury attorney will need to prove that the defendant was expected to act in a certain way in order to keep you and others safe from harm, that they failed by acting negligently or recklessly, and that you were injured as a result. As you can imagine, this opens up the possibility for a wide range of situations to be covered as a personal injury tort. The following are a few of the most common examples of personal injuries:
Car Accidents
Every time you head out onto the public roads, you are at risk of being involved in an accident – even if you are the most cautious and responsible driver possible. The fact is that other people pose a significant risk to your safety, and if someone else causes your accident and injuries then it is important to understand that you are likely entitled to more compensation than the insurance company would like to pay out.
Motorcycle Accidents
Driving a motorcycle is a fun way to get around town, but there are many inherent risks to the activity, including serious injuries and even death. Unfortunately, Florida is routinely found to be one of, if not the, most dangerous places in the United States for motorcycle crashes.
Slip and Fall Accidents
Every time you enter someone else’s property, you have every legal right to expect that they have taken the appropriate steps to ensure that your visit is free from injury resulting from avoidable hazards. Whether the property owner is able to fix the hazard or not before your visit is a primary issue, but if they were unable to fix it, you have a right to be warned. If you have been injured due to something like a wet floor, broken staircase, or another hazard that you were not properly warned about, contact us to learn about your options today.
Product Liability
Product companies are held to high safety standards, as are the manufacturing plants that produce their goods, the distributors that supply retailers with the products, and the retailers themselves, as well as many other participants on the supply chain. If you are injured due to an issue with a product, and not just because of user error during normal usage, then you may be entitled to compensation.
