If an accident caused by another person or company left you injured, you have the legal right to fair compensation for all the injuries and losses you have suffered. Many injury victims are overwhelmed by the legal issues that arise after an accident. No injury victim should have to fight off an opponent’s insurance company during a time when the victim is recovering from painful injuries.
The Hudson personal injury lawyers at the Nicoletti Accident Injury Lawyers have experience in all types of accident cases. We fight hard for our clients so they can focus on making the best recovery possible from their injuries.
About Hudson
Hudson is a small and quiet beachfront community in the larger metropolis of Tampa, St. Petersburg, and Clearwater. There are many recreation options in our picturesque town. Hudson Beach is the central spot for water recreation, while Veterans Memorial Park and Arthur F. Engle Memorial Park offer recreational facilities for indoor and outdoor sports. We also have golf courses, resorts, camping, and RV parks.
All of these facilities create wonderful opportunities for many different types of fun and exercise in Hudson.
While recreational facilities can create great opportunities for fun, they also create opportunities for injuries. Injuries on the golf course or baseball field can lead to lifelong complications.
Like any town, Hudson has heavy traffic areas that can lead to accidents injuring drivers, passengers, motorcycle riders, bicyclists, pedestrians, and other individuals on the road. If you or a loved one were left injured in an accident in the Hudson area, it is important to consult with a personal injury lawyer about your legal rights.
Different Types of Personal Injury Accidents
Many different types of accidents can lead to personal injury. Different accidents cause different kinds of injuries, and can also present different legal issues, making it essential to hire a personal injury lawyer experienced with the particular type of accident that left you injured.
What follows are some of the most common accidents that bring personal injury clients to our office.
Auto Accidents
Auto accidents are a serious problem here in Pasco County. According to the Tampa Bay Times, the accident risk is nearly 150 times higher in Pasco County than the statewide average, meaning you are far more likely to suffer serious injuries in Pasco County than you are almost anywhere else in Florida.
Auto accidents cover a wide range of different types of motor vehicle collisions, including truck accidents, motorcycle accidents, accidents involving bicyclists and pedestrians, rideshare accidents involving a Lyft or Uber, and electric scooter accidents.
Each type of auto accident produces very different injuries and also presents a wide range of legal issues. For example, the question of liability in an accident involving a large commercial truck will be different than liability issues when a driver hits a pedestrian. If you sustained injuries in an auto accident, be sure to hire a personal injury lawyer experienced in handling your specific type of auto accident.
Bicycle Accidents
Riding a bicycle along the beachfront in Florida weather can be enjoyable, whether you ride for exercise, fun, or transportation. When a driver hits you, however, you are likely to suffer severe injuries.
Florida regularly has the most bicycle accident fatalities per year of any state in the U.S., and all cyclists are at risk of sustaining life-changing injuries due to distracted drivers or other driver negligence. Drivers should always safely share the road with cyclists, and they should be fully responsible when they fail to do so.
Boating and Recreation Accidents
Boating, sports, and other recreational activities can lead to injuries, and, in many cases, it is clear that someone else caused your injuries. For example, a boat captain was drinking while operating a watercraft and their impairment caused it to capsize. Every situation is different, so consult with a personal injury lawyer about your particular case to ensure that your legal rights are protected.
Slip and Fall Accidents
Slip and fall accidents can happen almost anywhere, often occurring in times of inclement weather or poor lighting. A leaking freezer in a grocery store could present a hidden danger to innocent shoppers. A landlord could endanger tenants by failing to fix an uneven staircase.
Landowners must maintain their property in a reasonably safe condition to prevent injuries. Business owners are held to a higher standard of care because they invite strangers onto their property for the specific purpose of making money. It is common for a slip and fall case to result in the legal right to compensation for injuries and losses.
Product Liability
Federal and state laws hold manufacturers of consumer goods to a standard of strict liability. A manufacturer is legally responsible (liable) for injuries resulting from its product when a consumer uses the product as intended.
Some common products that can cause harm include:
- Pharmaceuticals and medical devices
- Recreational equipment
- Safety equipment
- Machinery and power tools
- Motor vehicles
- Household appliances and goods
- Electronics
- Toys and games
- Infant and child products
Product liability cases can be far more costly than other types of liability. The Insurance Information Institute reports that jury awards for product liability cases were higher in 2017 than in business negligence cases, medical malpractice cases, premises liability cases, personal negligence cases, and vehicular liability cases.
In some situations, more than one consumer might suffer injuries from using the same product, which can lead to a complex class action case. Trust a personal injury lawyer to fight for your legal rights and demand the compensation you deserve.
What Is My Personal Injury Claim Worth?
The worth of a personal injury claim is one of the most important questions for your personal injury lawyer to answer. Your compensation will depend on different factors. Insurance companies do not like this complexity, as they prefer to make simple calculations based upon the total amount of your medical bills. While this is easy for them, it is not fair to you and usually does not account for circumstances that can make your personal injury claim more valuable.
What follows are some of the factors that can affect the value of your personal injury claim.
The Severity of Your Injuries
The more severe your injuries are, the greater the compensation you should receive for your pain and suffering. Insurance companies try to account for this by only using the value of your medical bills to calculate your pain and suffering.
However, such calculations do not account for your personal experience with your injuries. What if you had an underlying medical condition that made your recovery more painful? What if you were allergic to a medication that could have shortened your recovery? These factors can increase your pain and suffering and, consequently, the compensation to which you are entitled.
The Lasting Effects of Your Injuries
Some victims make a full recovery from their injuries if the accident is not that severe. However, in many cases, the victim will suffer lasting effects from their injuries, such as mild muscle pain and discomfort. Even if you experience only minor lasting pain, you are still entitled to compensation for this ongoing pain and suffering.
When injuries are permanent, the victim could suffer constant pain and suffering for the rest of their life. Especially severe permanent injuries, such as amputation and paralysis, often lead to multimillion-dollar awards for pain and suffering.
Even if your permanent injuries are not this severe, you are still entitled to compensation for your ongoing pain and suffering. Do not let an insurance company tell you what your ongoing pain and suffering is worth. They will most likely devalue your pain since it is difficult to prove its value empirically. You should always get advice from your own attorney about what your pain and suffering is worth.
How Well the Jury Relates to You
An insurance company is motivated to offer you money to settle your claim to avoid you filing a lawsuit against their client. An insurance company will not make a settlement offer after the statute of limitations has passed on your claim. At that point, you do not have the option of filing a lawsuit.
Because the avoidance of a jury trial is the motivating factor in settlement negotiations, the defense will consider how well the jury could receive your case. Are your claims of pain and suffering believable? Will a jury think you are exaggerating? Do you appear credible when you are giving testimony? It may feel harsh to receive judgment in this manner, but the reality is that the jury’s perception of you and your testimony will have a significant effect on the outcome of your case at trial and its settlement negotiations.
How Well the Jury Relates to the Defendant
The defendant may testify at trial as well, and a jury will also decide if the defendant’s testimony is credible. If the defendant comes across as lazy, negligent, evasive, or pretending not to remember important details, this will affect the outcome of a jury trial too. Many insurance companies are willing to increase a settlement offer to avoid having to put their client on the stand at trial.
The Severity of the Defendant’s Conduct
In addition to the defendant’s impression at trial, a jury will also evaluate the defendant’s conduct. If the conduct were especially negligent or careless, the jury would be less inclined to sympathize with the defense. This is a common situation when the defendant is a large corporation accused of wrongdoing, especially if there was a cover-up attempt or the conduct went undetected and led to victim injuries.
However, the defendant doesn’t have to be a large corporation for its behavior to be considered inexcusable by a jury. Imagine a car accident case in which the defendant was speeding. If the defendant had received six speeding tickets in the month before the accident, a jury would be more likely to find that driver negligent. Drunk and impaired drivers also do not fare well for the clear choices they made.
The Multiplier Method
To make a quick settlement offer on your case, the insurance company will often use a simple formula to calculate your pain and suffering. The claims adjuster will take the total amount of your medical bills and multiply by a small number (usually between one and three) to calculate the value of your pain and suffering. The adjuster will then add the medical bills, pain and suffering, and lost wages together to get a total for your settlement offer.
Such a simple formula does not take into account the victim’s different types of pain and suffering. Occasionally, the “multiplier method” can result in an acceptable settlement offer. So you can distinguish between adequate and inadequate offers, your attorney needs to prove you are entitled to the highest amount of compensation you deserve.
We have discussed pre-existing medical conditions or allergies that make your recovery more painful or difficult and deserving of more compensation. Physical disfigurements resulting from an accident, like scarring, can also cause permanent pain and suffering. An experienced personal injury lawyer can identify and prove all the factors that support more compensation in your personal injury case.
Experienced Hudson Personal Injury Lawyers for All Types of Accidents
As you can see, there are many different types of accidents that result in costly personal injuries. You don’t have to fight your personal injury claim on your own. Let a seasoned and dedicated lawyer demand the compensation you deserve.
The Hudson personal injury lawyers at Nicoletti Accident Injury Lawyers have helped many Florida injury victims get fair compensation for their accident claims. Call (727) 845-5972 or contact us online for your free consultation.
The sooner you have an experienced lawyer fighting in your corner, the better protected your legal rights will be. You will pay nothing upfront and no fees at all unless we achieve a successful claim for you.