PALATKA PERSONAL INJURY LAWYER
FREE CONSULTATION – NO OBLIGATION
When you’ve been injured in a car crash or other accident, insurance claims, documentation, paperwork and negotiations are likely the furthest thing from your mind. But, the reality is that you may need compensation to cover medical expenses, lost wages, and other expenses while you recover from your injuries and rebuild.
Fortunately, you can have it both ways. When you put your personal injury claim in the hands of an experienced Palatka accident attorney, you can ensure that your interests are protected while you focus on yourself and your family.
The Palatka personal injury lawyers at Harrell & Harrell, P.A., know how deeply our clients’ lives and those of their families are affected by injuries sustained in accidents. If those injuries were caused by someone else’s negligence, you may be entitled to compensation.
If you’re feeling overwhelmed and don’t know where to turn, we’re here to help. When you schedule a free consultation with an experienced injury attorney at Harrell & Harrell, we will:
- Assess your claim and advise you on possible responsible parties
- Explain how the personal injury claim process works
- Give you a general idea of how similar cases have played out
- Explain how our contingency fee arrangement works, so you never pay fees unless and until we’ve won or settled your case
If we take your case, we’ll take responsibility for the daunting technical aspects, such as managing deadlines, ensuring that required pleadings and other documents are filed in the proper format at the proper time, and gathering information from the other side.
We’ll also handle negotiations with the insurance company’s attorney, investigate and gather evidence on your behalf, work with expert witnesses where necessary to build your case, and keep you up to date on what to expect at every stage.
Talk to a Palatka Personal Injury Lawyer Now
If you or a loved one has suffered injuries in a car accident, truck accident, motorcycle accident, or otherwise been harmed by someone else’s negligence, help is just a phone call away. To learn more about how our injury attorneys can help, call 386-328-3999 right now. Or, fill out the contact form on this site and we’ll get in touch with you.
Protecting Your Palatka Personal Injury Claim
Small mistakes can have a big impact on your car accident case or other Palatka injury claim. It’s important that you take steps to protect your case from the very beginning. For example:
- Don’t assume that you’ll remember the details of the accident–it may be months before you’re called upon to talk about the incident in a courtroom, and even traumatic memories fade. Write down everything you remember as soon as possible after the injury.
- Make sure you seek medical attention and do exactly as you’re instructed. Skipping doctor appointments, not keeping up with physical therapy, and otherwise ignoring medical advice can harm your health and your case.
- If you’re navigating a long recovery, consider keeping a log or journal. Over time, the good days and bad will blur together and it may be difficult to recall how serious your pain was during a particular time and what limitations you faced. But, those details may be important when establishing damages.
- Be cautious when speaking with insurance company representatives. They’ll probably be friendly and helpful, but remember that their job is to save the company money by limiting the compensation you receive.
- Think twice before accepting a quick settlement. A check in the mail can be very tempting when you’re off work due to your injuries and facing financial stress. But, settling early could mean that you don’t receive full compensation, especially if you have ongoing medical needs.
- Limit what you say about your accident, especially in social media. Innocent inconsistencies from one telling to another or even social media fluff like “Feeling great today!” can come back to haunt you.
These general tips may help you protect your injury claim. But, there’s no substitute for personalized advice and guidance from an experienced lawyer. Your attorney can help you avoid the pitfalls above in many ways. For example, your lawyer will tell you what type of records you need to keep to support your specific claim. And, the attorney will take over discussions with the insurance company’s attorney.
What is Negligence?
“Negligence” has a common meaning we’re all familiar with. But, negligence in Florida personal injury law has a more specific meaning. A person, business, or other entity is negligent if:
- They owe a duty of care, and
- They breach or fail in that duty of care, and
- Their breach or failure causes an event, such as a motor vehicle accident, and
- Someone is injured and/or suffers other damages as a result of the negligence
For example, the owner of a retail store has a duty to maintain the premises in reasonably safe condition for customers and others who visit the store in the course of operating its business. If the business fails in that duty–for example, fails to repair or post a warning sign about a broken stair rail–they will likely be found to have breached the duty of care. If someone falls and is injured because they didn’t know the stair rail was broken and relied on it, the store owner’s breach of duty will likely be found to have caused the accident. The injured person’s pain and suffering, medical expenses related to the fall, and lost income during recovery will all be damages attributable to the business’s negligence.
The same analysis applies to a wide range of negligence claims, including motor vehicle accidents, negligent hiring and training in nursing homes, commercial trucking accidents, pedestrian injuries and more.
Damages in a Palatka Personal Injury Case
No two personal injury cases are exactly the same. The amount of compensation available varies based on factors specific to the accident, such as the degree of fault of each party and the extent of the injuries. Lost income and projected future income will vary depending on current earnings and future earning capacity. The strength of the evidence in your case will impact the likely outcome at trial, meaning that it will affect the type of settlement the insurance company’s attorney may offer. And, variables that have nothing to do with you or your case can also have an impact–variables such as who is handling the case for the insurance company and the county where your case is tried.
No personal injury lawyer can tell you exactly what your claim is worth, or guarantee you a specific outcome. But, an experienced local injury lawyer will be able to give you a general idea of the type of damages that may be available in your case, and how local courts have decided similar cases in the past.
Some common types of damages include:
- Medical expenses: Medical expenses may include costs already incurred in the treatment of your injuries and projected ongoing medical expenses. You may also be entitled to compensation for medical-related costs such as physical therapy, medically necessary equipment, counseling, transportation to medical appointments, medication and more.
- Lost wages: You may be entitled to compensation for wages you lost during the time you were unable to work due to your injuries. If you worked part-time or had to take a lower-paying job during your recovery, you may be able to recover the difference between what you would have earned had the accident not happened and the amount you actually earned.
- Lost earning capacity: If you face long-term or permanent limitations due to your injury you may be entitled to compensation for lost future earnings. Establishing lost future earnings typically requires working with an expert witness.
- Property damage: If your property was lost or damaged in the accident, such as your car being totaled in a motor vehicle collision, you may be entitled to compensation for the loss.
- Pain and suffering: Pain and suffering is one type of “non-economic” injury that may be compensated in a Florida personal injury case. These are damages you suffer that can’t be quantified like lost earnings, but still represent a significant loss.
Our Palatka Personal Injury and Accident Practice Areas
Our personal injury lawyers represent people in and around Palatka in a wide variety of negligence-based injury cases, including:
- Car accident cases
- Motorcycle accident cases
- Commercial truck accident cases
- Premises liability claims, such as a slip and fall on someone else’s property
- Nursing home abuse and neglect cases
- Wrongful death claims
- Medical malpractice claims
- Social Security disability claims
- Pedestrian accident cases
Get Help with Your Palatka Personal Injury Claim
If you or a loved one has been injured because someone else was careless, you may be entitled to compensation to help you rebuild. But, personal injury cases can be complicated, and it’s easy to make mistakes that could reduce the amount of compensation you receive. In some cases, a simple misstep could cost you your claim.
The sooner you speak with an experienced Palatka injury lawyer, the better. The attorneys at Harrell & Harrell know you’re under a lot of stress and juggling a lot of obligations and priorities after a serious injury. We want to make it as simple and low-stress as possible for you to gather the information you need to protect your personal injury claim.
That’s why we offer free, no-obligation consultations, and never charge a fee unless we recover compensation for you.
Take the next step right now and sleep better tonight. Just call 386-328-3999 or fill out the contact form on this site to get started.
DON’T SETTLE FOR LESS THAN YOU DESERVE.®
Personal Injury Law FAQs
The best way to get information about your rights and options after a Palatka personal injury is to schedule a free consultation with an experienced local personal injury lawyer. The information below will give you a general idea of what to expect, and some guidance on how to determine whether you need a personal injury attorney and how to choose your injury lawyer. But, it’s no substitute for personalized advice. Your best next step is to schedule a free consultation now.
At Harrell & Harrell, we have a decades-long tradition of successfully fighting for Florida injury victims. You don’t have to take our word for it. You can see specific examples of our multi-million dollar verdicts and settlements on our website, and hear directly from satisfied clients. And, your initial consultation is always free, so you can speak with an experienced injury attorney about your case and what you can expect from our firm before you make a decision.
Our injury lawyers handle a wide range of injury-related cases. That includes motor vehicle accident cases, premises liability cases like slip and fall injuries, product liability claims, and dog bites. We also fight for Floridians who have been harmed by medical malpractice and nursing home abuse and neglect, and workers who have been injured on the job. If you don’t see your type of injury listed here, don’t worry. We have extensive experience with many types of negligence-related claims, and chances are good we’ll be able to help. Just give us a call or fill out our contact form to find out.
The right personal injury attorney can help you at every stage of your case, from advising you on how to avoid common mistakes that can hurt your case to managing technical procedural requirements, collecting evidence on your behalf, negotiating with the insurance company, and preparing your case for trial. At every stage of a personal injury negotiation and litigation, what you don’t know can hurt you. With an experienced personal injury attorney on your side, you can relax and focus on your recovery while we focus on your case.
It can be difficult to know when you need a personal injury lawyer in your corner, because most injured people don’t have the in-depth knowledge required to determine whether there are going to be issues proving liability, how likely the insurance company is to offer a fair settlement based on the facts in a specific case, or how to establish the full extent of their damages. The best way to find out is to err on the side of caution and consult an experienced injury lawyer even if you aren’t sure whether or not you’ll need their help.
Possibly, yes. In part that’s just because insurance companies don’t always play fair, and they may try to avoid paying you a fair settlement even if the case is relatively small. But, there’s another, potentially more significant reason to consult an injury lawyer before you make any decisions. Shortly after an accident, you may not know the full extent of your injuries, or you may not realize that certain symptoms are connected to your accident. In other words, your injuries may be more serious than you realize. Insurance companies have far more experience than injury victims in making that assessment, and may try to settle your claim quickly to cut off your ability to recover for any damages you aren’t immediately aware of.
In most Florida cases, you have two years from the date of your injury to file a personal injury case. But, that doesn’t mean you should take your time about contacting an attorney. The very best time to consult a personal injury lawyer is as soon as you are able after your accident. Hiring an attorney early protects you from insurance company tactics designed to avoid payment or reduce your settlement, and gives your lawyer the best opportunity to gather evidence while it’s fresh.
Before your consultation, gather any documents or other materials you have relating to the accident. Some common examples include medical bills, correspondence from the insurance company, medical test results, witness contact information and photos or video taken at the scene of the accident. If you’re not sure whether something is relevant, bring it along–it’s better to have too much information than not enough, and the attorney can tell you what’s useful.
You should also make a list of things you want to be sure to tell the attorney about your accident, and of questions you want to ask. It’s easy to get sidetracked during a consultation and forget something important. A written list will help ensure that you don’t realize on your way home that you forgot to ask an important question or share an important detail.
If there is anything specific the attorney wants you to bring to the consultation, they’ll tell you when you schedule your appointment.
We handle personal injury cases on a contingency fee basis. That means our fee is a percentage of the settlement or verdict we secure for you. You never pay up front fees, and you don’t pay any attorney fees unless we recover compensation for you. We will also advance the costs associated with preparing and litigating your case, from filing fees to expert witness fees and deposition costs. When you hire our firm, you will be asked to sign a contingent fee contract which will explain in detail how the fee percentage is determined and how cost reimbursements are handled. We’re happy to discuss the contract with you if you have questions about how this works.
Every case is different. Some smaller, straightforward cases may be settled in just a few months. More complex cases that go to trial may take 2-3 years to resolve–in some cases even longer. During your initial consultation, your personal injury lawyer can tell you more about the variables that impact how long a personal injury claim takes to resolve and give you a better estimate of what to expect in your case.
At Harrell & Harrell, we take the approach that best suits the client and the case. If we can negotiate a fair settlement, it’s often in the client’s best interest to accept the settlement, since it saves time and costs. But, if we believe the insurance company’s offer is too low and think we can do better at trial, we may recommend that you turn down a settlement and fight it out in court. The final decision as to whether to accept a settlement is always yours.
