What does a personal injury lawyer do?

If you or a loved one got hurt due to the carelessness or deliberate conduct of another, our personal injury attorneys can identify who is responsible and help you receive compensation. In the first instance, a Morgan & Morgan personal injury lawyer can review your case’s facts in a free consultation. Moving forward, we can help in several ways, including:

Build Your Case Against the Responsible Party

Your attorney will analyze your accident, if required, with the help of professional accident investigators. They will gather the necessary evidence to build a comprehensive case against the party responsible for your injuries and damages. Tasks your attorney will be working on during this time include completing and filing court-related documents and handling all communication with the insurance company and defendant.

Negotiate a Fair Settlement

Personal injury claims are often resolved before going to court. Settling out-of-court can be cheaper and quicker for insurance companies and victims. However, individuals without legal representation may not know the entire worth of their claims and might get bullied into accepting an insurance company’s lowball settlement offer.

An attorney at Morgan & Morgan can level the playing field and negotiate aggressively with an insurer, aiming for maximum compensation.

Fight for You at Trial

Having an experienced personal injury lawyer on your side can be critical if the at-fault party or insurer refuses to settle. Your attorney can protect you and represent your case powerfully at trial. Some law firms shy away from taking claims to trial. Not Morgan & Morgan. We fight for full and fair compensation, whatever it takes. Our attorneys never settle for less and are prepared to fight tooth and nail for what you need to put your life back together.

Protect Your Legal Rights

Your personal injury lawyer will advise you on how to protect your legal rights and maximize your settlement, which can include:

• Following your medical treatment plan
• Refraining from signing any paperwork without first consulting your lawyer
• Avoiding talking about the claim with anyone or posting details on social media
• Gathering evidence of your damages, such as receipts and bills
• Communicate and cooperate with your attorney promptly

An injury attorney will make the legal process as easy as possible, helping you focus on your recovery.

Work for You on a No-Win-No-Fee Basis

Most personal injury attorneys handle cases on contingency, meaning you only pay them once you receive a settlement or judgment in your favor.

While some lawyers charge their clients legal expenses upfront, such as court filing costs, Morgan & Morgan never do. We don’t charge you a dime upfront and don’t get paid until and unless you do.

Injury lawyers can help you get justice and recover compensation in a variety of circumstances, including but not limited to:

Car Crashes

Car accidents can happen to the most careful and experienced drivers. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) estimates that 31,785 individuals died on US roads in the first nine months of 2022 alone, with fatalities among cyclists and pedestrians rising.

Survivors of severe accidents often suffer debilitating and costly injuries. However, as many accidents happen due to other motorists’ recklessness or carelessness, injured victims may be entitled to compensation with a personal injury claim. You could also have a case if you experienced a car crash due to a poorly designed road or a car defect.

If you or a loved one recently suffered injuries in a collision, consult with our personal injury lawyers to determine whether you have a case and qualify for damages.

Slips and Falls

Not all falls qualify for a personal injury lawsuit. However, you could be entitled to compensation if you got hurt on another’s property due to a dangerous condition, such as a wet floor or loose rugs. Places where slips and falls frequently occur include:

• Grocery stores
• Apartment buildings
• Shopping malls
• Construction sites
• Public pools
• Hotels and resorts
• Nursing homes

Getting legal help after a fall can be vital, especially if you suffered a significant injury and financial loss. A personal injury attorney could help you recover your due from a negligent property or business owner.

Accidents at Work

Employees getting hurt at work, for example, due to a vehicle accident or slip and fall, are generally covered by workers’ compensation. Workers’ comp benefits typically include:

• The cost of medical treatments
• Wage replacement payments
• Death benefits for the family

If you receive workers’ comp, you are generally not entitled to file a personal injury lawsuit against your employer. However, you could have a legal case if your employer did not have workers’ comp coverage or caused your injury deliberately. Moreover, if a third party, such as a site owner, equipment manufacturer, or subcontractor, caused your injury, you could have a case.

Since a severe workplace injury could impact the rest of your life and lead to reduced income in the future, getting timely legal advice can be critical for protecting your rights.  

Medical Negligence

When medical treatments go horribly wrong, victims may be forever disabled and face astronomical expenses over their lifetime. Unfortunately, medical malpractice is no rarity in the US, with over 250,000 Americans dying annually due to medical professionals’ carelessness, according to Johns Hopkins Medicine. Examples of medical errors that could lead to a lawsuit include:

• Misdiagnosis
• Failure to order diagnostic tests
• Medication errors
• Operating on the wrong organ
• Mixing up patients
• Anesthesia errors
• Birth injuries

Medical malpractice lawsuits are usually challenging, expensive, and lengthy, often requiring the testimony of several expert witnesses. If you have a case, you need an experienced personal injury lawyer who primarily handles medical malpractice claims. Morgan & Morgan’s tenacious lawyers have handled numerous medical malpractice claims, helping individuals and families recover the settlement they deserve.

Dangerous Consumer Products

Nobody should have to worry about getting hurt by a correctly handled consumer product, such as a vehicle, kitchen appliance, toy, or others. However, sometimes, manufacturers fail to ensure the safety of their products either in the design, manufacturing, or labeling of the items. If you or a loved one got hurt due to a faulty product or medication, our attorneys could help you recover damages.

Other Injury Claims

Many different accidents and incidents could qualify for a lawsuit, including but not limited to the following:

• Dog bites
• Assaults and attacks
• Boating accidents
• Aviation incidents
• Nursing home abuse and neglect
• Slander and libel

Personal injury claims, including rare incidents, have one thing in common: someone else is responsible for the victim’s injuries and damages. Since it is not always clear whether injured individuals have a legal claim, consider scheduling a free consultation with Morgan & Morgan’s personal injury lawyers to identify your rights and options.

Receiving adequate compensation can be crucial for your future, especially if you suffered significant or life-changing injuries due to another’s negligence. While damages vary from one claim to another, you could qualify for the following awards:

Healthcare Expenses

You could be entitled to all necessary medical costs as a result of your injury, such as:

• Hospitalization
• Medical transportation
• Surgeries
• Medical devices such as a wheelchair
• Medications
• A home health aide
• Physical therapy
• Estimated future healthcare expenses

Lost Wages

Severe injuries could prevent you from working for an extended period. Unfortunately, some injured individuals may never be able to return to their careers or work again. If you lost wages due to your injury, you could be entitled to lost income, lost benefits, and loss of future earning capacity.

Non-Economic Damages

You could qualify for non-economic damages, especially if you suffered significant injuries. Such damages are designed to compensate victims for the physical pain and emotional distress accompanying most injuries and can include:

• Pain and suffering
• Inconvenience
• Emotional anguish
• Loss of enjoyment of life
• Disfigurement
• Disability

Landlords and other property owners are responsible for making their premises reasonably safe for tenants and visitors. They must maintain the property, remove hazardous conditions, or warn of any dangers with appropriate signage.  

Generally, tenants could have a legal case against a landlord if they can prove that their injury occurred due to the landlord’s carelessness. You can establish a landlord’s responsibility by taking pictures of the hazardous condition that caused your fall, such as wet floors, broken floorboards, or bulging carpets. Make sure to document your injuries by seeking medical help as soon as possible. You could be entitled to compensation if you show that the property owner is liable.

However, not every fall at an apartment complex is necessarily a slip and fall claim. Moreover, cases against landlords can be challenging to prove. Therefore, if you suffered an injury, consult with our personal injury lawyers to determine whether you have a claim and could pursue damages.

In the first instance, you are generally responsible for your medical bills, even when another causes your injuries. However, when you win your legal case, the settlement should include adequate funds to pay for all your medical treatments, including past, present, and future expected costs. Since you won’t receive a settlement instantly, consider the following tips to help pay for your medical expenses as they arise:

• Use your private health insurance policy
• Ask medical providers whether you can defer payments until you receive your settlement check
• Use Medicaid or Medicare benefits

It is important to note that once you receive a check for medical expenses, you will have to reimburse the insurer or government agency. Our personal injury lawyers can help with this process, called subrogation, and negotiate with your lienholders to ensure that you only pay what is necessary.

You are not legally required to hire an attorney. However, working with an experienced lawyer can give you the best chance of getting what you truly deserve, which can be critical if you suffer a severe or disabling injury. Without professional legal representation, you might struggle to get your due. An insurance company could take advantage of you being self-represented and deny you an adequate settlement. Hiring an attorney is a good idea if you:

• Suffered significant injuries
• Have steep medical costs and other damages
• May not be able to work for some time
• Suffered a permanently disabling injury
• Have some responsibility for the accident

Fighting an insurer or handling a complex lawsuit on your own can be exhausting and stressful, especially during recovery. Hiring a Morgan & Morgan personal injury lawyer can give you peace of mind during one of the most challenging times in your life.

If you are injured due to another’s mistake or carelessness, you need adequate compensation to move forward with your life.

What does a personal injury lawyer do and how do they help? With our personal injury lawyers in your corner, you can have the best shot at getting what you truly deserve. Contact us today for a free, no-obligation consultation to identify your next best steps.