St. Augustine Personal Injury Lawyers
FREE CONSULTATION – NO OBLIGATION
Being injured in an accident can cause hardship for your entire family. Medical care, physical therapy, and other types of assistance can be expensive after a serious injury. And, while you’re watching those expenses pile up, you may be unable to work for an extended period of time. That can mean pain, physical limitations, financial stress and other issues all piling up at once.
The last thing you need is the stress of negotiating with insurance companies for the compensation you need to cover your medical expenses and help you rebuild. And, it’s easy to make costly mistakes when you’re talking to an insurance company representative whose job is to minimize your claim and save the company money. But, it has to be done.
That’s where we come in.
Free, No Obligation Personal Injury Consultation
Your best resource after a car accident, slip and fall accident, or other injury is an experienced St. Augustine personal injury lawyer. Here are just some of the ways a local personal injury lawyer can help:
- Helping ensure that you don’t overlook any responsible parties, which could reduce your compensation or undermine your case
- Advising you on how to avoid missteps that could hurt your case
- Interviewing witnesses and gathering evidence to build the best possible case for fair compensation
- Managing deadlines, exchange of information with the insurance company, court filings, and other technical and procedural aspects of your injury case
- Negotiating with the responsible party’s or insurance company’s attorney
- Identifying, hiring and working with expert witnesses
- Help determine whether a settlement or jury trial is in your best interest
- If it’s the right choice, prepare your case for trial and argue before a St. Augustine jury
At Harrell & Harrell, our attorneys are experienced in handling a wide range of personal injury claims. Contact us right now at 904-251-1111 to schedule a consultation. There’s no charge and no obligation.
Pursuing a St. Augustine Injury Claim
“Personal injury” takes in a broad range of case types. Some common examples include:
- Car accidents
- Large truck accidents
- Motorcycle accidents
- Pedestrian accidents
- Bicycle accidents
- Slip and fall injuries
- Negligent security premises liability
- Nursing home neglect
The key thing these cases have in common is that the claims are based on negligence. Under Florida personal injury law, negligence means that:
- Someone has a responsibility to exercise a certain level of care for the safety of others, and
- They fail in that responsibility
But, negligence alone isn’t enough to win a personal injury case. In addition, the injured party must prove that the negligence caused (at least in part) the accident and resulting injuries.
Many personal injury law firms, including ours, handle other closely-related case types. For instance, at Harrell & Harrell we also handle:
- Wrongful death cases, which are similar to personal injury cases but involve a fatal injury
- Medical malpractice cases, which are negligence claims specific to doctors, hospitals, and other healthcare providers
- Workers’ compensation cases, which are work injury cases that do not require the injured employee to prove negligence
- Product liability cases, which hold manufacturers and sometimes others accountable for defective products or failure to provide adequate warnings and instructions
- Social security disability cases, which help people who are no longer able to work secure benefits and gain access to Medicare coverage
- Veterans disability cases, which provide similar benefits to former members of the U.S. military
What if I’ve Already Received a Personal Injury Settlement Offer?
Unless your injury was very minor, it’s generally a good idea to consult a St. Augustine injury attorney before accepting. A settlement offer may sound good when all you’re hearing is a number–especially if you’ve been out of work and anxiously watching your medical bills add up. But, if you’re like most injury victims, you don’t know all of the types of compensation that may be available to you, or what’s considered a fair settlement for your situation.
Insurance companies know that most people who aren’t represented by an attorney don’t have all the information. And, some will take advantage of that by trying to steer you into a quick settlement before you learn the full extent of your damages. One risk of a quick settlement is that you may not yet know how much ongoing or future medical care you’ll need, or how much it will cost. If you settle your case and find out later that you’ll require another surgery or will be out of work for much longer than anticipated, you can’t go back for more.
You may be on your own paying for expensive medical treatments, or even find yourself unable to get the care you need because it’s too costly.
An experienced St. Augustine accident attorney like the ones on our team can help you avoid pitfalls like this. A seasoned injury lawyer will be familiar with insurance company tactics, and can help you weigh the benefit of receiving payment promptly against what you might be giving up.
How Much is a St. Augustine Personal Injury Case Worth?
Most injured people want to know what they can expect in a personal injury settlement or jury verdict. That’s understandable, but the answer isn’t as simple as those online calculators you’ve probably seen might suggest.
The value of a personal injury claim depends on many different factors, including:
- How serious your injuries are
- Whether you’ll make a full recovery or have suffered a permanent injury
- What limitations you face due to the injury
- What expenses you’ve incurred as a result of the injury
- How clear it is that the responsible party was negligent
- Whether you share responsibility for the accident
- How local courts and juries tend to treat personal injury claims
We can’t tell you exactly what your case is worth–no personal injury attorney can. But, some of the damages that are commonly awarded in car accident cases and other personal injury cases include:
- Medical bills
- Therapy and rehabilitation
- Medical equipment and other special equipment
- Cost of assistance required due to the injury
- Lost income
- Diminished or lost future earnings
- Property damage
- Compensation for pain and suffering
- Compensation for loss of quality of life
Protecting Your Personal Injury Claim
The choices you make and the actions you take can impact your St. Augustine personal injury case–from the moment after your accident. Some important steps you can take to preserve your claim include:
- Calling the police immediately after the accident
- Being careful about what you say at the scene of the accident
- Collecting information, such as photos and witness contact information, if you are able
- Write down what you remember in as much detail as possible, as soon as you can after the accident
- Get checked out by emergency personnel and, if necessary, at the hospital or your doctor’s office
- Do as your doctor instructs, including keeping follow-up appointments and completing any physical therapy or other rehabilitation your doctor recommends
- Avoid talking too much about your accident or posting about your accident in social media
- Keep notes or a journal during your recovery
Your personal injury lawyer can explain why each of these items is important, and can provide specific guidance for you and your case.
Making the Most of Your Free Consultation
At Harrell & Harrell, we want to make it as easy and stress-free as possible for you to get the help you need after an injury. We have offices conveniently located throughout the Jacksonville area, including in St. Augustine.
We know you need accurate, reliable information to make good decisions about your injury case. Your free consultation with one of our personal injury lawyers is your opportunity to learn more about:
- What to expect during a personal injury case
- The strengths and weaknesses of your case
- What steps you should take to protect your claim
- How local juries have responded to cases like yours in the past
- How contingency fees work and why you’ll never pay attorney fees unless we settle or win your case
But, that’s not the only benefit of scheduling a free consultation. You’ll have an opportunity to learn more about the firm and the personal injury attorney who would be handling your case. It’s important that you’re comfortable with your injury lawyer, and that you are confident in their knowledge and their concern for your well-being. During your initial consultation, pay attention to whether the attorney listens to your questions and concerns, and whether they explain things in a way that makes sense to you.
A St. Augustine personal injury case will typically take many months to resolve. If the case is high-value, the full extent of your injuries isn’t yet known, you’ll require significant future medical care, or the case is hotly contested, the case will likely go on even longer. So, you’ll want a personal injury attorney you can trust and communicate with.
Talk to a St. Augustine Injury Lawyer Now
If you’ve been injured in or around St. Augustine, help is available. To learn more about your rights, your options, and how Harrell & Harrell can help you pursue fair compensation, call 904-251-1111 right now.
