Many trucking accident cases in Hollywood and across Florida are resolved out of court. The parties involved often reach a settlement rather than pursuing expensive litigation. Despite this, if you have a trucking collision claim in Hollywood or anywhere in southern Florida, it is important to consult with an experienced personal injury attorney who has trial experience.
Some people contact a personal injury attorney because they’re not sure whether they want to file a claim. If this is the case for you, there are several things you’ll want to ask yourself before you make a final decision:
1) How will you pay for your injuries and damages?
A serious truck collision in Hollywood or anywhere in southern Florida can cost hundreds of thousands of dollars or even in excess of one million dollars if permanent injuries are involved. You may have to pay for car repairs, hospital stays, surgeries, and a lifetime of increased medical costs if you’ve suffered a permanent injury. You may also need to pay for a rental car, a wheelchair, a ramp for your home, and many “extra” expenses. Even if you’re fortunate enough not to have suffered a permanent injury, you may still miss many weeks of work and your income may be affected.
Even if you have significant savings or assets, they can quickly be swallowed up by the high costs of injuries and damages.
2) How much will your insurance company pay you?
You may assume that because you have car insurance coverage, your costs will be covered. However, many people who have been involved in trucking accidents find that insurance does not pay for many things – such as those extra expenses which can add up to tens of thousands of dollars.
In addition, an insurance company may want to settle your claim quickly – before you even know how injured you are and how much your injuries may cost. A personal injury attorney can thoroughly examine the true cost of your injuries and damages and can pursue compensation for all those costs. Without a claim, you may need to pay more out of pocket, so you will need to investigate exactly how much insurance will cover.
3) How likely are you to get fair compensation for your losses?
Unfortunately, in many cases, defendants are more willing to settle out-of-court if they realize a plaintiff is willing to go to trial. Defendants want to avoid expensive and difficult litigation. If you show that you’re not willing to go to court, insurers and defendants may be more eager to offer you a low compensation amount – one that threatens your financial stability by not covering a large portion of your damages and costs.
While there is no legal requirement to pursue your claim in court or to hire a personal injury attorney, approaching your accident as anything other than a serious legal situation can be a mistake. Your trucking collision can affect your life for many years to come and can affect your finances for much longer than that. You want legal support and you want to file a claim if you have one so you have the best chance possible at fair compensation.
If you’d like to know more about the justice and financial supports Florida law affords people injured in trucking collisions, contact Flaxman Law Group. Our legal team has more than six decades of combined experience and we’d be happy to offer you a free, no obligation, and confidential consultation so you can learn whether a legal claim may be right for you.