While Sawgrass provides its residents with a beautiful lifestyle, cases of accidents and personal injuries are still high. When these unfortunate tragedies happen, most people don’t know who to blame for the damages or don’t know the legal action to take to protect their rights. If you are looking to hire an attorney or learn more about an injury claim, Jacksonville Personal Injury Attorney is here to provide a solution for your problem.

Engaging the Right Attorney in Your Case

Accidents often leave their victims confused without knowing what to do. During this challenging time of your life, apart from the doctor treating your injuries, you need an attorney if you are planning on recovering damages from the person accountable for the tragedy that caused your injuries. Hiring an attorney specializing in personal injuries in Florida is hectic, and by the end of the process, you might feel like you are searching for a needle in a haystack.

The decision to hire is not an easy one because you will be picking an attorney whom you will work with for years. Keep in mind that personal injury claims can last even for years. Because of this, you need a personable attorney and one that you are comfortable around. The attorney should share your goals and work towards your best interests.

In a large state like Florida, where there are many personal injury attorneys and law firms, finding the right legal representative will be an uphill task. Below are some pointers that will aid you to spot the right attorney:

  1. Talk to Friends and Relatives

Among your friends, family, and relatives, you are not the first to suffer personal injuries. Someone has suffered injuries and hired an attorney before. Therefore, you should inquire from these people if they have hired an attorney before. Not all the referrals you get are the best, so you should find out if the person referring you is happy with the services they received from an attorney. If they seem happy and are quick to recommend the lawyer, then you should include the name of the attorney on your list of candidates.

Speak to more than five people and get recommendations. Use the list to meet the experts in person for a sit down to discuss your case. By the time the meetings are over, you will have narrowed down your list to two or three attorneys you feel you can work with.

  1. Do Some Online Research

With a computer and internet connection, you can research various attorneys in Sawgrass from the comfort of your home. You should check out sites like Lawyer.com or Avvo for a list of attorneys operating in your area. In these sites, attorneys list their field of specialty and where you can find them. By visiting these sites, you can find what you want.

  1. Online Reviews

The feedback from past clients of an attorney says a lot about their services. If you are checking an attorney online and then realize that the majority of their reviews are negative, it is an indicator that the majority of these past clients are unhappy with the services provided. Although you can find customer reviews and feedback on the attorney’s website, most of these reviews are unreliable because they are biased.

Therefore, when checking these websites, look out for red flags. If all the reviews in a site are positive, then something is not right. Independent review sites are the best places you can find reliable customer feedback. Choose an attorney who specializes in personal injury claims and whose past clients appear happy with the quality of service provided.

  1. Training and Specialization

It is wrong to think that your family law attorney can handle your injury claim. Not every legal practitioner out there can handle your injury claim. Because of this, you should find contacts of parties you are interested in and arrange a face to face meeting. During the appointment, you should have questions about the number of years the attorney has been practicing, the type of clients the attorney deals with in most cases, the number of cases that have gone to trial, those they have settled, and the amount they charge.

If you have sustained injuries in a construction site or car accident, you should opt for an attorney who deals with similar cases. In case most of the claims by the attorney end up in trial, it means that their settlement rate is relatively low, and the attorney is not right for you if you didn’t want your case to end up in court.

  1. Your Involvement in the Case

Although attorneys help focus on recovering damages while you heal, the last thing you want is to be in a situation where you are kept in the dark the whole time. Therefore, when hiring, it’s advisable to find out how the attorney will involve you in the case. You need someone who will give you updates and require you in specific decision making so that you can have peace of mind.

With the knowledge of the above pointers, it will be easy to find someone you are comfortable working with and one that will make sure you recover maximum damages for your injuries.

The Role of your Attorney in the Case

Your attorney plays a vital role in your accident claim. Take note that the reason you are seeking compensation is to recover the money you have lost for being incapable of work or to pay medical expenses. Your Sawgrass Personal Injury Attorney understands the accident laws in Florida and should know which court to take your case in if he or she fails to settle the case.

Besides explaining your legal rights, offering advice and representing you in court, your Sawgrass Personal Injury Attorney can do some of the following things for you:

  • Bring all their negotiation experience on the table
  • Bring an objective, knowledgeable view of your decisions
  • Level the playing field because an attorney will represent the or defendant.
  • Your attorney will also use all the resources available like expert witnesses and private investigators to poke holes in the accountable individual’s evidence, thus increasing the possibility of receiving maximum compensation.
  • Because proving pain is not easy in a claim, your attorney will aid in documenting and demonstrating your pain and struggles because of the injuries.
  • Your Attorney will also aid in finding the potential defendant. Finding potential defendants in personal injury claims is an uphill task because of the many layers that require uncovering. For this reason, an attorney will be instrumental in uncovering the layers.
  • An attorney will also navigate the court processes easily and ensure that all the documentation required to begin the process is prepared on time before the statute of limitations elapses.
  • An attorney will also be on your side during negotiations, and if the case goes to trial, he or she will represent you in court.

Ways of Covering Medical Expenses After an Accident 

The last thing you want to think about after sustaining injuries in an accident is how you are going to foot your medical bills. You want to focus on healing, but unfortunately, adults have duty calls. Trying to figure out how you will pay all your bills is challenging, but with a Sawgrass Personal Injury Attorney, the process can be simplified. An attorney will help you explore the various ways to cover your medical expenses without having to undergo financial stress.

In the event of a car collision, even without an attorney, you can pay for your treatment using the following ways:

Auto Policy

In the event of a car accident causing injuries in Sawgrass, you will need to turn to your insurer for compensation. This insurance policy is called Personal Injury Protection (PIP). You need to use your PIP first to cover the medical expenses, and if the plan isn’t enough to cover the bills, you can sue the responsible party for reimbursement.

MedPay Coverage

Florida has a Medical Pay that drivers can purchase for protection in the event of an accident. However, this coverage is not mandatory, as the PIP policy. After an accident causing injuries, your PIP policy will cover the medical costs. If the plan isn’t enough, Medical Pay comes into play to foot the remaining balance of the medical bills. The reason MedPay coverage is convenient is that the PIP policy is only 10,000 dollars. If your medical expenses exceed the amount, you don’t have to think about suing the potential defendant, which is a lengthy process. Instead, the Medical Pay coverage will cover the balance.

Sometimes the car insurance policy might not be enough to cover the medical bills. Paying out of pocket might seem challenging, especially if the injuries prevent you from working. When you are inept to work, you will not earn anything, and you might end up losing your job resulting in further financial strain. If your employer were the one providing insurance coverage, you would automatically lose the coverage, which will lead to more problems. Losing health insurance coverage means you can’t access proper medical care or pay hospital bills. However, even when you are in a situation like this, there is a solution for you. Some of your options include:

  1. Contingency-Based Medical Billing

Your Sawgrass Personal Injury Attorney can help you find medical practitioners who will provide treatment on a contingency basis. The advantage of working with attorneys is that they have created a relationship with medical providers. They can use the ties to arrange for a contingency relationship where you will be treated and the medical costs delayed until a settlement is reached with the insurer of the potential defendant.

After you receive compensation, your attorney will reimburse the medical provider for the medical services. A profound attorney will make sure your medical costs are part of the treatment, such that there will be no need to worry about your medical expenses, including future medical costs.

  1. Litigation Funding

When an accident occurs, you might suffer injuries that require specialized attention. Some of these medical specialists might not accept contingency-based payment. You will need to pay out of pocket and in advance because these experts have a busy schedule, and if you don’t pay on time, your slot will go to somebody else.

If you find yourself in such a situation, speak to your Sawgrass Personal Injury Attorney to help you access litigation funding. The funds are loans extended to people who are awaiting a settlement. Although the loans don’t require credit checks, the interest rate for repayment is very high. You can also opt for a personal loan to cover these expenses.

Because several companies offer litigation funding, you should evaluate their interest rates to find a loan that will be less costly to repay.

Keep in mind that if you stay for a long time with unpaid medical bills, they could have long term effects on your life. Medical providers will report you to debt collection companies if you are unable to cover the bills. Apart from being unable to receive medical treatment, unpaid medical bills will affect your credit score once you are reported to debt collectors. Even after recovery, you might not access loans or mortgages because of the poor credit rating.

But with a Sawgrass Personal Injury Attorney, it is possible to negotiate with the debt collector or delay the billing until a settlement is reached and you can pay the medical bills.

Where your insurance coverage isn’t an option, and your attorney is clueless, don’t panic yet. You could file for bankruptcy to have your medical debt wiped out. You can register for bankruptcy under Chapter 13, where you agree to pay a particular portion of the medical bills under a repayment plan then the balance is squared.

In case you don’t make enough money to repay the loan, you can file for bankruptcy under chapter 7. Declaring bankruptcy under either of the chapters will also affect your credit rating. So, before opting for bankruptcy, try speaking to the doctor and see if you can come up with a repayment plan that is satisfactory to all parties.

Find a Personal Injury Attorney Near Me

Jacksonville Personal Injury Attorney is available to offer legal guidance to residents of Sawgrass who have suffered personal injuries in an accident. Call us today at 904-800-7557 for a zero obligation consultation.