Personal injury cases can be complex and often require the legal services of Bradenton attorneys with legal experience to help injured victims navigate the legal process and seek fair compensation for the harm incurred.
When you work with an established law firm with experienced personal injury lawyers, your personal injury case can take on unexpected turns. For example, accident victims might find out that there is more than one at-fault party in their insurance claims.
In other instances, injured victims may be surprised at what damages they might be entitled to, especially when comparing it to an insurance company’s early offer. If the circumstances surrounding their case allow it, working with an experienced personal injury attorney in Bradenton, FL, can help victims obtain justice and a fair settlement, even in the most complex cases.
At Gerber Law, our law firm has served Florida residents since 2001, advocating for the rights and fair compensation for personal injury victims in hundreds of cases.
Throughout our 28 years of service, our attorneys have earned numerous accolades and honors, such as being included in the Florida Justice Association, The Florida Bar, the Top 10 Best Attorney List of 2020 published by the American Institute of Personal Injury Attorneys, and more. Contact our law firm today for a free consultation if you have been hurt due to another’s negligence and learn more about your legal options.
The Role of Bradenton Personal Injury Attorneys
Under Florida law, when a person is injured in an accident or due to negligence, they have the right to pursue a claim and recover compensation for their medical bills and associated medical expenses, especially for catastrophic injuries, lost wages, pain and suffering, and other losses.
In many types of personal injury cases, victims must deal with insurance claims adjusters who will try to undermine their policyholder’s liability. Any insurance company must focus on making money, not losing it.
In such instances, the at-fault party and the insurance company might use a victim’s lack of legal experience and knowledge of personal injury law against them. This can result in various situations, such as victims accepting lesser compensation despite suffering a serious injury, risking being assigned a percentage of fault for the accident, and other unfavorable outcomes.
Working with a personal injury attorney can help victims pursue fair compensation and relieve them of the burden of engaging in negotiations while allowing them to rest and heal. Personal injury attorneys can help you gather evidence for your case, work with other experts to prove fault, and even establish if there are multiple liable parties in your claim.
This is especially useful if, for example, you experienced a car accident with an underinsured or uninsured driver. In this type of case, various other legal aspects are considered, and a Bradenton personal injury attorney can help you explore additional ways to seek compensation.
If settlement negotiations fail, then you will need to pursue a personal injury lawsuit against the at-fault party, and here, Bradenton personal injury lawyers experienced in civil trial law can help you protect your rights and interests.
Recovering compensation that adequately addresses your damages is another complex aspect, as most victims aren’t aware of the damages they could be entitled to.
At Gerber Law, our law firm can offer you a free case evaluation so you can immediately find out if you have a strong claim on your hands, and a Bradenton personal injury attorney with our firm will help you seek the legal damages you are entitled to. Although insurance companies can delay justice, with legal representation, you will force them to accept your terms.
Types of Personal Injury Cases We Take on At Gerber Law
Depending on the type of personal injury case you are pursuing and who the negligent party is, various laws can apply to your case. At Gerber Law, we focus on the following areas of practice:
Motor Vehicle Accidents
Auto accidents often result in severe or fatal injuries. If you were involved in any of the following motor vehicle accidents, do not hesitate to contact our law office:
- Motorcycle accidents
- Pedestrian collisions
- Boating accidents
- Bicycle crashes
- Car accidents
- Truck accidents
In automobile accidents, the insurance company covers the clients’ financial damages pertaining to medical expenses, property damage, and lost wages. Insurance carriers can use their personal injury protection (PIP) coverage to seek immediate medical attention regardless of who is at fault for the accident.
However, they must do so within 14 days; otherwise, their coverage will expire. If a victim suffers severe injuries, such as brain injuries or spinal cord injuries, their insurance might not be enough to cover expenses.
In such instances, victims can sue the negligent driver responsible for the accident to recover compensation. A personal injury lawyer in Bradenton specializing in the type of vehicle accident you were involved in can help you pursue your claim, establish the liable parties, gather evidence against them, and help you seek justice and fair compensation.
Medical Malpractice
At Gerber Law, our personal injury attorneys focusing on medical negligence cases can help injured victims establish fault and seek damages. In medical malpractice claims, proving that a healthcare provider owed you a duty of care and breached the standard duty of care is crucial in establishing fault.
Our network of third-party healthcare professionals can help you prioritize your health and prove how you were neglected. In instances where a healthcare provider was particularly neglectful or egregious in their actions, you can also pursue punitive damages as a form of punishment.
Premises Liability
Our Bradenton injury law firm also takes on various types of premises liability cases. In these types of accidents, personal injury victims can also hold multiple parties liable for their accidents. Some of the premises liability cases we most often engage in include:
- Slip and fall accidents
- Dog attacks
- Negligent maintenance
- Inadequate security
- Unsafe conditions
Each type of premises liability case is different. For example, suppose you had a legal right to be on the premises but were attacked by a dog. In that case, under Florida’s strict liability laws, you can hold the pet owner liable without proving negligence. They can be held liable for the attack even if they do not know about their dog’s aggressive behavior.
If a property owner fails to maintain their premises safe, which results in your injury, you can hold them liable. Slips and falls are among the most common types of accidents in these situations, typically caused by uneven floors, wet surfaces, or poor lighting conditions.
Nursing Home Injuries
Our Bradenton personal injury attorneys also take on nursing home abuse and neglect cases. If you suspect that your loved one has been neglected or abused by the nursing staff, contact our law firm immediately so we can analyze your case details.
Defective Products
Sometimes, Bradenton residents suffer injuries from defective products. You can hold the manufacturer or retailer liable for the defective product and seek damages for the harm incurred.
Wrongful Death Claims
In wrongful death claims, the surviving family victims can pursue a claim against a negligent party that caused the death of their loved one and seek damages. The entities with the highest right to pursue a wrongful death claim are in the following decreasing order:
- Spouse
- Children
- Parents
- Personal representative or estate
- Other dependant relatives
Why Taking Action Early in a Personal Injury Claim is Crucial
Regardless of what type of personal injury claim you wish to pursue in Bradenton, FL, the sooner you take action, the better. This is because the evidence can be collected more easily. For example, if a CCTV camera captures the event of your accident, accessing the records sooner will prevent the material from being lost.
Witness statistics are also more reliable the sooner they give testimony. Apart from this, Florida’s statute of limitations imposes a legal timeframe in which you can pursue a claim. For most personal injury claims, you only have two years from the date of the accident, discovery of injury, or date of death to pursue a claim.
If your accident or injury occurred before March 2023, then the older statute of limitations of four years applies, which means that your claim expires in March 2027. You lose your right to sue if you do not file a claim before the statute expires.
Some exceptions can extend the statute, but to find out exactly how much time you have left or if special circumstances apply to your case, contact our law firm for a free consultation and find out.
Compensation in Personal Injury Cases and Applicable Personal Injury Laws
Personal injury cases result in both physical injuries and emotional trauma. Victims who pursue a claim might receive compensation for the following:
- Past, present, and future medical expenses, pain and suffering, lost wages, and future earning capacity
- Property damage
- Compensation for depression, anxiety, emotional distress, PTSD, or other mental disorders caused by the traumatic event
- Loss of consortium, funerary expenses, and financial dependency
- Punitive damages
Higher compensation is usually awarded to victims who suffered severe injuries and required extended recovery periods. When you pursue compensation from multiple liable parties or your claim is disputed, fault is assigned to each party, including the victim, if applicable.
Under Florida’s pure comparative negligence system, victims can still recover damages if they are not more than 50% at fault for the incident.
How Our Personal Injury Lawyers Can Help
Dealing with a personal injury or loss of a loved one isn’t easy, and if you find yourself in this unfortunate position in Bradenton, FL, a personal injury lawyer with our law firm can help you out.
Our lawyers will vigorously investigate your case, gather evidence, prove fault, negotiate on your behalf, and, if necessary, advocate for your rights and fair compensation in court. To learn more about the other areas we service in Florida visit our florida personal injury lawyers page.
