Fort Pierce Personal Injury Lawyers

If you decide to hire a Fort Pierce personal injury lawyer to represent you, they will get to work right away to build the strongest possible claim. After a consultation, the first step is usually an investigation. Your attorney will interview witnesses, analyze medical records, seek out accident reports, and consult with experts to get a better understanding of what happened and who may be responsible. For example, they might discover that a local government agency did not properly maintain the road where you crashed, allowing you to add that entity to your claim.

At the same time, your attorney will research Florida law to put together a legal basis for your claim. They will then draft a demand letter, which will be sent to the defendant’s insurance company. This letter will explain the facts of the case, the legal reasons why the defendant is responsible, and then make a demand for compensation (damages).

In a personal injury lawsuit, you may be able to recover three types of damages: economic, non-economic, and punitive damages. Economic and non-economic damages are compensatory because they compensate an accident victim for their losses. Punitive damages are set up to punish a person who acted intentionally or recklessly.

Economic damages pay for your out-of-pocket financial losses. Examples include property damage, lost wages, reduced earning potential, medical bills, and future medical treatment. Depending on your situation, economic damages may also cover things like home renovations to make your house accessible.

Non-economic damages pay for your intangible losses. These losses can be harder to prove, since you don’t get a bill in the mail for something like insomnia due to anxiety after an accident. However, these damages (which include pain and suffering, emotional distress, scarring, disfigurement, and loss of enjoyment of life) are just as important to a full recovery as economic damages.

Punitive damages may be available in cases where the defendant acted intentionally or recklessly. They will be awarded by a jury if your case goes to trial.  Punitive damages are designed to punish someone who acted badly, instead of compensating an injury victim.

Insurance companies often focus heavily on economic damages while downplaying non-economic damages. They typically use an algorithm to decide on a settlement number, multiplying a number that represents the severity of your injuries by your economic damages. This often leads to a settlement offer that is far less than the true value of your case.

After your lawyer sends a demand letter, the insurance company will usually respond with a counteroffer based on this computer formula. Our Fort Pierce personal injury attorneys won’t simply accept a lowball settlement offer. Instead, we will continue to negotiate until we can reach a fair settlement.

In some cases, it may become necessary to file a lawsuit. In Florida, there is a 2-year deadline to file a personal injury lawsuit, known as the statute of limitations. Filing a lawsuit is often required as a way to preserve your legal rights. That does not mean that your case will go to trial. 

The majority of personal injury claims are resolved outside of the courtroom. Whenever possible, our Fort Pierce personal injury lawyers will negotiate a settlement for our clients. If the insurance company won’t offer you fair compensation, we will take your case to trial and ask a jury to return a verdict in your favor.