Harris Law Firm PA

If you are involved in a Florida car accident, and have been injured, then there are many important steps you can take to protect your rights and help you get the best personal injury settlement for your circumstances.

Do I Need a Lawyer?

Inevitably, injured persons ask themselves a common question:  Do I need a lawyer?

Of course, this depends on your circumstances. If the accident was minor (i.e. less than $2,000 property damage) and you have not suffered permanent injury, i.e. herniated disk, head injury, broken bones, aggravation of pre-existing injury or illness, etc., then the truth is you may not need a lawyer.

Unfortunately, some lawyers seem to think that everyone needs an attorney for minor car accidents.  In fact, lots of lawyers advertise in the phone book and on TV counting on minor accident claims to help them meet their bottom line.  These firms operate on volume.  They accept a very large number of small value accident cases. They may refer you to a chiropractor if you have muscle soreness but not other problems.  Good for the firm and good for their doctor referral, but maybe not so good for you.

Be Careful When Selecting a Florida Accident Attorney

Hiring the right lawyer means using common sense and good judgment.  Because hiring a lawyer is an important decision, consider the attorney’s qualifications.  Think about how you want to proceed, and how you don’t want to proceed:

• Often, at super-size firms, your case is handled by non-lawyer staff, and it may be rare that you even speak with a lawyer.  These are “volume” firms, where they seek to handle as many small claims as possible for quick, often small, settlements to pay for their large overhead.
• Calling a TV “referral service” means you will talk to a call center (not a lawyer), and that call center operator will attempt to send you to a chiropractor and lawyer who are “on their list.”   The fact is you don’t know anything about these attorneys and chiropractors, their experience, or backgrounds.  Think about whether such an arrangement is in your best interests.
• Blindly hiring some lawyer who has large phone book ads means that you’re probably hiring a volume firm, like those mentioned above, which depends on large numbers of clients for small settlements);
• Make sure you ask the law firm who will be handling your case.  Many accident law firms employer non lawyer staff to handle most aspects of your claim, and in some instances, you are lucky if you ever meet your attorney.
• be wary of law firms which make a bunch of promises to you, especially when it comes to how much money you will receive for your injuries.  Many firms lure clients in with promises of large settlements, only to come up way short.  No lawyer or legal staff should be making promises about a result — no lawyer is permitted to guarantee a result.

Where do you fit in in these types of law firms?  Like I said, use your own common sense and good judgment.  If that’s the type of law firm you want, then go for it.

If you think your case may require an experienced injury lawyer handling your important claim from day one until it’s done, then call us. We limit the number of cases we handle so we can provide personal attention and service to each and every client.

At the very least, you can talk to us and get a feel for how we’ll proceed. Because we don’t believe in a hard-sell, you have no risk or obligation.

Were You Involved in a Serious Crash? Are You Wondering What Your Next Steps Should Be?

1. If you are injured or feeling any pain, obtain medical treatment as soon as possible.  Request an ambulance/emergency medical help.  If you do not leave the scene of the automobile or motorcycle accident by ambulance than either go see your family doctor or go to an urgent care center. Your primary care doctor may refer you to a specialist. Many specialists will not see patients without a referral from a primary care physician.

2. Contact law enforcement.  The obvious thing to do in any real emergency is to call 911.  Depending on the seriousness of the auto accident and location of patrol officers in the area, your accident may be handled by the Florida Highway Patrol, county sheriff’s office, or local police department.  Notify them of the car accident or truck accident.

3. Do not miss your medical appointments!  Make sure your doctors are informed of all areas where you are in pain.  Tell the truth, and be thorough.  Certainly do not exaggerate your symptoms, but also don’t minimize the pain and suffering. Keep your doctor informed of all symptoms. Doctors take notes when they see you (so do nurses at the hospital), so make sure they record all of your symptoms and pain complaints.  If you don’t mention it, then they won’t write it down.

When a personal injury claim is made against the negligent driver’s insurance company, the insurance adjuster will be pouring over your medical records seeking to find inconsistencies, discredit your allegations, or to minimize the pain and suffering that you have endured.

A classic example is a person who has been involved in a traffic crash, has serious pain in the low back, but more moderate pain in the neck area.  At the emergency room, the accident injury victim describes the sharp low back pain, but does not mention the tightness, soreness, and moderate pain in her upper neck region.

Days go by, and the neck pain becomes worse and worse, while the low back pain begins to feel better.  Finally, after a month or so with limited or treatment for the neck, the accident injury victim seeks a specialist’s opinion.  It turns out there is a cervical herniated disk in the neck, while the low back pain was muscle tightness and soreness which has resolved.

4. Remember, as far as the insurance company is concerned, if you are not treating with a doctor, then you are not suffering.  While this is an unrealistic view of pain and suffering, it is unfortunately their common [and unwise] standard.  In other words, do not expect to receive damages for lengthy periods of time when you are not treating, but you claim that you are in constant pain.

5. If you have been injured, then it is a good idea to hire a Florida personal injury attorney. Know their experience and background before making your decision. If you want to know more about us, check out our “About” page, or visit us here.

6. Do not give a statement to the at-fault driver’s insurance company. You are not required to do so.

7. You may be required to give a statement to your own insurance company (make sure you know it is your own insurance company before giving any statement).  If you and the at-fault driver happen to be covered by the same auto insurance company, then contact your Florida accident attorney immediately.  In such circumstances, we can prepare you for the statement and make the proper arrangements to protect your interests.

Keep in mind at all times:  insurance companies are trying to give you the least amount of money as possible or even potentially deny your claim. Do not give them ammunition by answering their “fishing expedition” style questions asking you to guess and estimate. Call us.

8. Keep your Florida personal injury lawyers informed of all medical providers, doctors, physical therapist, hospitals and urgent care centers with whom you have treated.  Keep track of dates of treatment and what occurred during the treatment.  Keep track of all medications. Save receipts and prescription information packets for all medications.

9. Arrange to have photos taken after the car accident as soon as possible.  They can be taken by a friend or family member.  If you hire us, then we’ll arrange for the photos of the car damage.  Do not have your vehicle repaired until the property damage photos have been taken.

10.  Have photos taken of your visible injures, scarring, or bruising.  Our firm can handle this, or you can have a close friend or family member take them.

11. Do not sign medical releases for the insurance company. The FL personal injury lawyer will collect your medical records for you and submit them to the insurance company along with a special demand package containing the proper authorizations.

12. Do not let the insurance adjuster influence you to settle the car accident prior to retaining an experienced Florida personal injury lawyer. The insurance adjuster wants you to accept as little money as possible, and they want to keep you away from an experienced Florida accident lawyer who can explain your legal rights to you and fight the insurance company’s tactics.

So, if you believe you need a lawyer for your car accident, motorcycle accident, or truck accident, then contact us.  You can call us, chat with us online, or use the contact form (on the right-hand side of this page) to email us.

We’re here to help, and we’ll provide you with our honest assessment.