Pensacola Personal Injury Lawyer

Fighting For the Compensation You Deserve in the Florida Panhandle

Being injured in any kind of accident caused by the negligence or wrongdoing of someone else can leave you in dire straits. Emergency room treatments, hospitalization, follow-up medical visits, physical therapy, pain medications, and more can occur, all while you are unable to work. Your car, truck, or motorcycle may need repairs or be totaled. You may have lost personal items in the crash, such as laptops, phones, and more. Furthermore, you may be in pain or discomfort and may need days or weeks to overcome the trauma of the accident. 

At such an overwhelming time, you could feel pressured to make a settlement with the insurance company. However, that can be a mistake. You need someone who will fight for your rights and help you secure compensation that covers what your case is truly worth. Our Pensacola personal injury attorney at Michael J. Griffith, P.A., has decades of experience dealing with insurance companies. We understand their tactics in trying to pay you as little as possible. We also know the ins and outs of the legal system and can efficiently help you navigate the legal landscape. These are areas that you won’t know how to properly handle unless you are a legal professional. 

Are you suffering from injuries that were caused by someone else's negligence? Call Michael J. Griffith, Attorney at Law, today at (850) 495-7977 or contact us online to schedule a free consultation with our personal injury attorney in Pensacola. 

Personal Injury Claims in Florida

Our firm handles a wide variety of personal injury claims, including:

• Motor vehicle accidents
• Slip and fall injuries/premises liability
• Dog bites
• Injuries from defective products
• Assault injuries/negligent security 

We can help you by answering your questions, advising you of your rights, and examining your case to determine the best course of action. Most cases are settled outside of court through negotiations. However, If a court trial is your best option, we will fight the big insurance companies in seeking everything to which you are entitled under Florida personal injury law. We will be your dynamic ally in the civil court system.

Can I Rely on My Insurance Company For Personal Injury Claims?

Many insurance policies offer coverage for a variety of damages for injury victims. Unfortunately, many of them try to avoid paying for this coverage. Even if a victim files a perfectly valid claim for additional damages outside of medical bills, the insurer might deny these in bad faith.

Medical expenses alone can include hospital bills, prescription medicines, physical therapy, lab work, follow-up visits, physical therapy, canes, walkers, wheelchairs, and more. You might think that your insurance company will serve as an advocate for you, but you will be surprised by how little they will help. To get these expenses fully covered, you will need the skills of a dedicated personal injury lawyer who knows the strategies to use to ensure that the insurance company covers your damages, even when trying to avoid them.

Common Types of Damages 

The best understood and most common form of damages is medical expenses, as mentioned above. This makes sense as these bills obviously result from accidents and can total hundreds of thousands of dollars. 

However, you can also seek compensation for other damages, such as:

• Loss of use: Loss of use refers to the cost of losing your motorcycle, vehicle, bicycle, or other property items damaged in an accident.
• Loss of earning potential: If your injuries mean that you have to take a lower-paying job, you can seek the wages you stand to lose.
• Lost wages: You can also seek to recover the past wages you lost from missing work due to your accident.
• Pain and suffering: This nonmonetary damage seeks to put a price on the physical pain and emotional turmoil of an injury.
• Loss of consortium: When a spouse or relative dies, the companionship you lose is referred to as loss of consortium.

Types of Pain & Suffering Damages

Pain and suffering damages include recovery for not only physical pain but also for emotional distress such as:

•  Fright
•  Nervousness
•  Grief 
• Anxiety 
• Worry 
• Mortification
• Shock
• Humiliation
• Indignity
• Embarrassment 
• Apprehension
•  Terror 
• Or ordeal 

Pain and suffering is subjective damage that insurance companies minimize in their evaluation of claims. Hiring our competent injury lawyer can help you arrive at a reasonable amount based on the evidence and our extensive knowledge and experience.

How to Prove Negligence 

Proving negligence involves establishing four elements: duty of care, breach of duty, causation, and damages. Here's a general outline of how negligence can be proven:

• Duty of Care: You will need to prove that the defendant owed a duty of care to the plaintiff. Depending on the specific circumstances and the relationship between the parties, the duty of care will vary. 
• Breach of Duty: You will need to demonstrate that the defendant breached their duty of care. This often involves demonstrating that the defendant failed to act with the level of care that a reasonable person in similar circumstances would have acted. 
• Causation: Establish a causal connection between the defendant's breach of duty and the plaintiff's injuries or damages. You will need to indicate that the defendant's actions or lack thereof directly caused or substantially contributed to the harm that was suffered by the plaintiff. 
• Damages: Provide evidence of the actual harm or damages that were suffered by the plaintiff as a result of the defendant's negligence.  

How Much is My Personal Injury Claim Worth?

It is complex to try to calculate the total value of your injury claim. The insurance company will almost certainly offer you much less money than you deserve. Before you accept a settlement, speak with an attorney who can advocate for your rights.

Florida Personal Injury Statute of Limitations

In Florida, the statute of limitations for personal injury claims is generally four years from the date of the incident. Additionally, if a minor was injured in an accident, their parent or legal guardian could bring a lawsuit on their behalf up until the minor's 18th birthday. After the minor turns 18, they then have four years to file a lawsuit themselves. If a personal injury claim is not filed before that deadline passes, it may be barred by the state's statute of limitations and can no longer be brought to court.

Contact Our Pensacola Personal Injury Attorney Today

If you have been injured in an accident or incident caused by another, you need an attorney who will fight you and has the proven skills to do so effectively. At Michael J. Griffith, P.A., we devote much of our practice to handling personal injury cases. We have served the people of Pensacola, the Florida Panhandle, and the entire state for close to 50 years. 

Contact Michael J. Griffith, Attorney at Law, today to get started with our Pensacola personal injury lawyer.