Any injury can mean a lifetime of consequences, and in West Palm Beach, if you suffer an injury due to the negligence of another, you deserve compensation. At Clayton Trial Lawyers, our focus is ensuring your recovery is fully compensated by the negligent party. We are the go-to West Palm Beach personal injury attorneys.
Why Work with a West Palm Beach Law Office?
Working with a lawyer after your personal injury means the ability to get the money you deserve. Our team handles a number of different kinds of injury cases including:
- Car accidents
- Trucking accidents
- Boating accidents
- Workplace related injuries
- Dog bites
- Slip and fall
- Wrongful death
- Construction injuries
- Sports-related injuries
- Nursing home abuse or neglect
- Medical malpractice cases
If your injuries are related to any of the above causes, a personal injury lawyer in West Palm Beach can provide legal representation for you and will pursue the maximum compensation for the damages.
Not quite sure why you’d work with a personal injury lawyer instead of just taking the money the insurance company has offered? Selecting the right attorney means you don’t have to deal with the paperwork hassles on your own. More than that, though, it can make a significant difference in the amount of money you receive.
A Closer Look at a Personal Injury Case
When you choose a West Palm Beach personal injury attorney, the first step is to meet with your attorney about your case. During the first consultation, we will answer all your questions and at the same time determine the merits of your case.
Once we take your case, we begin to collect evidence. This will usually involve getting the police report, the medical report, and tracking down all the witnesses. Our team may even visit the site of the accident with an expert and obtain images of the accident scene. In addition, we will try and gather any video evidence from nearby CCTV. Often medical bills and employment records are key to this evidence collection, as they can establish your costs as a result of the injury.
The next step in the process is to establish liability. Anytime there are two parties involved in an accident, they usually blame each other. As a result, a good West Palm Beach personal injury attorney will collect the evidence to show who caused the accident and determine liability. This is very important as Florida law takes into account comparative negligence. For example, if you are driving and suddenly see a squirrel running on the road, you might hit your brakes. The driver behind you might be following too closely and is unable to stop, which results in a collision. In court, you may also be partially at fault for applying the brakes suddenly and causing the other driver to slam into you. If the award is $10,000 and you are deemed to be 20% responsible for the accident, you will get $8,000 for your damages.
Once we have obtained all the medical records and evidence regarding the accident, we send a demand letter to the insurer. The demand letter will have a chronology of the accident and all the supportive evidence. The demand letter will also have all the damages outlined and the total amount of compensation for you.
After receiving the demand letter, the insurer may either agree to pay the compensation or may suggest negotiations. Personal injury lawyers like those at Clayton Trial Lawyers excel at the art of negotiations and are fully aware of the maximum level of compensation for each type of injury. We’ll handle all the communications with the insurer to prevent you from saying anything that may jeopardize the claim. It is important to know that insurers do record the conversations when speaking to injured victims and if you say anything wrong, it can be used against you. Thus, it is vital that if you get a call from the insurer, you should refer them to your lawyer.
Typically, we try to settle with the insurer as the process is much faster, quicker, and cheaper than going to trial. The majority of personal injury cases are settled out of court but sometimes the lawyer has no choice but to proceed with a trial.
If the insurer does not want to negotiate, doubts the validity of the claim, or only wants to settle for a minuscule sum, we may file a case in court on your behalf. This is a major undertaking and requires far more work than a settlement. It requires gathering expert witnesses, preparing the witnesses, and obtaining depositions. But we will continue to request a settlement with the insurer as this is the preferred way to settle a personal injury case- as it is more cost-effective and less time-consuming.
What Type of Compensation Can You Receive?
Compensation in personal injury cases can vary, but in Florida, an experienced West Palm Beach personal injury can ensure you’re compensated for a variety of different costs including:
- All lost wages
- Medical expenses
- Loss of earning capacity
- Pain and suffering
- Loss of companionship
- Mental anguish
- Cost of any home renovations if you have become disabled
- Cost of any extra help
Clayton Trial Lawyers Can Help
If you have been injured due to the careless actions of another party, consult with a personal injury lawyer to get the maximum compensation for your injuries. The good news is at Clayton Trial Lawyers, as with most West Palm Beach personal injury lawyers, we do not ask for any upfront money; we only get paid when you win the case. To determine if you have a valid case, ask for a free consultation with one of our experienced personal injury lawyers.