Personal Injury Lawyers in South Florida handle various types of injury matters. Personal Injury Lawyers should be well-versed in all of these aspects of Personal Injury Law. If you’re an individual that has been injured in a Florida car accident or slip-and-fall, then much of that landscape may be unfamiliar.  A Personal Injury Lawyer in Fort Lauderdale or wherever you have been injured can be of great service to you if you have suffered a serious injury. Here are a few basic things to know …

1. What sorts of cases do Personal Injury Lawyers handle?

A Florida Personal Injury Lawyer may handle many different types of matters, including, but not limited to, auto accidents, slip and falls, dog bites, and in some instances, even medical malpractice cases (although many lawyers specialize exclusively in medical malpractice cases as that area of law can be fairly complex unto itself.)

2. How do I recover money for my injuries in a Florida Personal Injury Case?

Generally, your Personal Injury Lawyer will have to show that another person or entity was, in fact, careless or “negligent”, and that their carelessness caused your permanent injury. It is always a great idea, especially if your injury is recent, to take immediate steps to preserve evidence in your case if you’re able.

Try to:
a) Write down everything you can remember about how the injury occurred;
b) get the names and contact information of any witnesses to the incident;
c) report the incident to the proper authorities (for example, animal control for a dog bite or the local police department for a boating accident);
d) take pictures of any visible injuries to yourself and/or others and any damage to your property;
e) contact a Personal Injury Attorney to see if you have a valid claim against the person or entity who injured you before making any statements, written or verbal, to insurance company representatives.

3. I have no money! How will my Personal Injury Lawyer get paid?

In Florida, most Personal Injury Lawyers take cases on a contingency basis, which means that they do not ask for a retainer fee “up-front” but instead, will take a percentage (typically 33% before filing a complaint, 40% after filing a complaint, plus costs) of any proceeds you actually recover. This means your Personal Injury Attorney should be financially motivated to take solid cases and should be frank with you about your ability to file a successful claim because, at the end of the day, if you don’t get paid, they don’t get paid.

Click here for further reading.