Were you or a loved one recently injured in Milton, FL? Was someone else responsible? You may have the right to file a personal injury claim and seek compensation for your medical bills, lost wages, and pain and suffering. An experienced Milton personal injury lawyer at Gross & Schuster Injury Lawyers can help you fight for every dollar you deserve.
Not all personal injury law firms are equal. Our team has over 75 years of combined experience in personal injury law. Since our foundation, we’ve been committed to helping injury victims and their families recover full and fair compensation.
If you’ve been injured in an accident, it’s always a smart idea to consult a lawyer sooner rather than later. Serious injuries can change your life in unexpected ways. To learn more about how our legal team can help, call our law offices in Milton, Florida to schedule a free consultation today at (850) 790-7790.
How Can Gross & Schuster Injury Lawyers Help With a Personal Injury Claim in Milton, FL?
Serious injuries can have dramatic consequences for the victim. Many victims face both short-term consequences and serious long-term life changes. It’s one thing when the injury was entirely unavoidable. If someone else was careless and caused you to suffer, you deserve to be compensated.
Our Milton personal injury attorneys at Gross & Schuster Injury Lawyers are here to help in any way we can. We know how important recovering full compensation can be to your future. We’ll never cut corners when it comes to advocating for our clients. When you hire us, you’ll have an attorney to provide personalized guidance and support at every stage.
Trusting our law firm to handle your case means you’ll have an advocate to:
- Listen to your story and explain your legal rights and options
- Provide straightforward legal advice and opinions
- Investigate to pinpoint the precise cause of your injuries
- Gather evidence to prove liability and establish causation
- Calculate the fair value of your losses, including future expenses
- Work closely with you to understand how the injury has impacted your life
- Consult respected experts as complex issues arise in your case
- Vigorously defend against any allegations that you caused your own injuries
- Negotiate with the insurance companies for the full settlement you deserve
- Take your case to court and advocate for a full jury verdict if necessary
The legal process can be complicated. We’re here to make things as simple as possible for you. To learn more about our law firm and our case results, contact us today to schedule a free consultation. You can also use our online contact form to get in touch.
Do I Have a Personal Injury Case?
Personal injury laws hold people financially responsible when they cause others harm. Most personal injury lawsuits are based on negligence. They involve situations where someone failed to exercise reasonable caution, and thus caused harm to someone else.
The four elements of negligence are:
- Someone had a legal duty of care
- They breached that duty of care
- The breach of duty was the direct and proximate cause of an injury
- The victim suffered damages
Many different scenarios can give rise to a valid personal injury case.
For example, you could have the right to sue for damages if:
- You were seriously injured after a negligent driver caused a crash
- You were attacked because a property owner failed to install adequate security
- You fell down a flight of stairs because the handrails were damaged
- Your doctor made a mistake and prescribed the wrong medication
An experienced attorney can help you understand your legal rights and options. Most accident attorneys offer free case reviews, so there’s no need to worry about financial risk.
Why Should I Hire a Personal Injury Lawyer?
An experienced personal injury attorney can add significant value in your case. If you’re like most people, you’ve probably never had to deal with the legal system. You may not understand the process and what you’ll have to prove to recover compensation. Your lawyer can handle all of the legal issues.
Some additional reasons to consider hiring a lawyer include:
- The insurance company has resources. If your injuries are serious, they’ll fight hard to avoid paying a full settlement. Your lawyer also has resources and knows how to fight for what you deserve.
- Expert testimony can be critical to proving your case. Experienced lawyers have relationships with respected experts who they can bring in to help with complex aspects of your injury claim.
- You’ll probably be blamed for causing your injuries. If you were even slightly responsible, your compensation will be reduced–possibly all the way to zero. Your lawyer knows how to defend you and minimize the impact of insurance strategies.
- Serious injuries can take a toll. Your recovery could take weeks or months. While your lawyer is focused on your financial recovery, you’ll have time to focus on your health.
In the end, clients who are represented by experienced attorneys tend to win higher settlements and verdicts when compared to those who go it alone.
We Handle All Personal Injury Cases in Milton
Gross & Schuster Injury Lawyers is a full service personal injury law firm in Milton. We handle any type of accident case.
Some of our most common practice areas include:
Car Accidents
Across the state of Florida, 252,274 people were injured in car crashes in 2023. 1,418 injuries were reported in Santa Rosa County alone. If you were involved in a car accident, our lawyers can help you file a PIP claim and seek compensation from the at-fault driver.
Motorcycle Accidents
Motorcycle accidents can be devastating for riders. Unfortunately, insurance companies are notorious for blaming motorcyclists for causing their own injuries. That’s rarely fair. Our attorneys have the resources to defend you and fight for every dollar you deserve.
Truck Accidents
Accidents involving large trucks can be catastrophic and even fatal. If you were injured in a trucking accident, you’ll probably be forced to face off against a large trucking company and their commercial insurance carriers. They’ll begin negotiations immediately after a serious truck wreck. Our lawyers can help you even the playing field and fight for the money you need.
Slip and Fall Accidents
Property owners in Florida have a legal duty to maintain their premises in a reasonably safe condition. If you slipped and fell because of dangerous property conditions, our lawyers in Milton are here to help. Property owners rarely step up and accept responsibility for a victim’s damages. Our lawyers have the skills and knowledge to help prove your case.
Workplace Accidents
Navigating the workers’ compensation system in Florida can be frustrating to say the least. If you were injured on the job, you deserve a strong advocate who will be fighting to win the full compensation available. You may also not realize that you could have the right to file a personal injury lawsuit for additional damages.
Catastrophic Injuries
A catastrophic injury will fundamentally change your life. Our team often represents victims who are struggling with:
- Serious brain injuries
- Amputations
- Severe burns
- Vision loss
- Paralysis, including quadriplegia and paraplegia
- Internal organ damage
We know how to fight for a compensation award that fully covers your past and expected future expenses. We’re ready to get started; just contact us today for your free case review.
Fatal Accidents
If you lost a loved one in a fatal accident, we know the grief can be overwhelming. Often, seeking compensation in a wrongful death lawsuit is the only way to get justice. Our attorneys in Milton can help you fight for compensation for your loved one’s medical bills, loss of financial support, and the loss of your loved one’s company and guidance.
Additional Practice Areas
We also have the resources to handle personal injury claims involving:
- Boating accidents
- Pedestrian accidents
- Bicycle accidents
- Bus accidents
- Uber and Lyft accidents
- Swimming pool accidents
- Construction accidents
- Commercial vehicle accidents
- Dog bites
- Defective products (product liability)
- Medical malpractice
- Birth injuries
- Nursing home abuse and neglect
- Intentional physical assault
- Sexual assault
- Firearm violence
- Dangerous property conditions (premises liability)
- Maritime injuries
We’re prepared to put the full weight of our experience and resources to work for you. Call our attorneys in Milton to learn more about your right to financial compensation after an injury.
How Much Does it Cost to Hire a Personal Injury Lawyer in Milton, FL?
Most Milton personal injury law firms operate on a contingency fee basis. A contingency fee is a system where a client pays their lawyer a percentage of their settlement or verdict. Usually, that percentage is around 33%, depending on how complex your case becomes.
With contingency fees, you only pay at the end of your case. You’re not required to make any payments as your case proceeds. Additionally, if your lawyer fails to recover compensation in your case, you don’t have to worry about legal fees.
What Damages Are Available to Milton Accident Victims?
Under Florida law, victims can pursue compensation for economic and non-economic damages.
Your economic damages should cover all of the unreimbursed financial expenses you’ve incurred because of the accident and injury.
For example, you may be entitled to receive compensation for:
- Current medical bills, including ER visits, hospitalization, surgeries, medications, etc.
- Future medical expenses
- Rehabilitation and specialized therapies
- Skilled nursing care
- Lost wages during recovery
- Lost earning capacity if you suffer a long-term disability
- Property damage, including vehicle repairs
Non-economic damages are less concrete. These are your “pain and suffering” damages.
Examples include:
- Physical pain and suffering
- Mental trauma and emotional distress
- Anxiety
- Depression
- PTSD
- Diminished quality of life
- Physical disfigurement and scarring
- Loss of companionship
Punitive damages, while rare, may be available if there is evidence to prove that the defendant’s acts were intentional or malicious. When defendants act with extreme disregard for human safety, courts can award punitive damages as punishment.
How Much Is My Personal Injury Case Worth?
While it’s not really the answer you want, the honest answer is that it depends. The value of any personal injury case depends on the victim’s unique circumstances. The type of injuries involved, the prognosis, and even the identity of the at-fault party all matter.
Some of the key factors we’ll evaluate when assessing your case value include:
- The overall severity of the injuries
- Your medical treatment costs
- The level of pain and trauma you have experienced
- How your earnings have suffered during recovery
- Whether you will be able to earn as much after reaching maximum medical improvement
- Your need for ongoing medical care and rehabilitation, and the cost
- Insurance coverage options
- Whether the insurance company can prove that you shared any blame for your injuries
Our accident lawyers are always available to review the facts and discuss your situation. Once we understand the details, we can give you a better sense of your case value.
What If I’m Partially At Fault For the Accident?
Your compensation will be reduced if you’re even slightly responsible for your injuries. When multiple parties share responsibility, financial liability is divided between them. Each party is assigned a percentage of fault.
Under Florida’s modified comparative negligence law, you lose your right to damages entirely if you are more than 50% responsible for your injuries. If you share less blame, your compensation is reduced according to that percentage.
Keep in mind that this isn’t an exact science. If the insurance company has evidence that you share some fault, you don’t have to sit back and accept their accusations. Instead, call a lawyer who can help minimize the impact of the shared fault law.
How Long Do I Have to File a Lawsuit After an Accident in Florida?
The Florida statute of limitations is now two years for most personal injury cases. You generally have two years from the date of an accident or injury to file a personal injury lawsuit.
Exceptions do apply in some cases. For example, assume you developed an occupational illness over time and didn’t know about it immediately. The clock starts ticking on the date you knew, or reasonably should have known, about the harm you suffered.
That said, the deadline is relatively strict. If you miss the deadline for taking legal action in your case, you completely lose your right to compensation. Since you won’t have much time, it’s important to speak with a lawyer as soon as you can if you were injured.
What is Negligence, and How Do I Prove It?
While other legal theories may apply in some personal injury cases, negligence is the most common. You’ll need enough evidence to convince an insurance company, or judge and jury, that someone else was responsible for your injuries.
Different types of evidence can be relevant, including:
- Accident reports or police reports
- Video footage from traffic cameras, dash cams, business surveillance cameras, etc.
- Physical evidence from an accident scene
- Medical records
- Statements from eyewitnesses, employees, and others who can testify about what they know
- Testimony from accident reconstruction specialists
- Traffic citations
- Drug or alcohol test results
- Employment records
- Maintenance logs
- Cell phone records
- Receipts to document the expenses you have incurred because of the injury
- A journal that describes how the injury has impacted your daily life
While you’re focusing on your physical health, an experienced accident lawyer can begin the search for evidence. Remember, evidence is always strongest soon after an accident. Taking legal action sooner rather than later is always a good idea.
Florida Personal Injury Laws
Florida’s no-fault insurance law is involved in nearly all motor vehicle accident cases. In Florida, you first file a claim with your own insurance company after a collision. Your personal injury protection (PIP) coverage will compensate for medical expenses and lost wages.
That said, PIP coverage is not always enough to cover all of your losses. If your injuries are serious, you then have the right to pursue compensation from the at-fault party. Many different types of injuries can qualify as “serious” under Florida car insurance laws. We represent clients who have suffered broken bones, crushing injuries, facial scarring, and many other types of injury.
Will My Personal Injury Case Go to Trial?
It’s unlikely that a jury trial will be necessary. Most parties can reach a settlement agreement before the case proceeds to trial. That said, there’s really no way to know how your case will unfold.
Trial could be necessary if:
- The insurance company disputes liability
- There are serious disputes about the value of your case
- Shared fault is an issue
- You want a sense of justice in a public forum
It’s always best to hire a lawyer with significant experience winning at trial. Hiring an experienced trial lawyer shows the insurance company and defendant that you’re serious about getting full compensation. It also gives the other side strong motivation to negotiate in good faith for a full settlement.
How Long Will My Injury Case Take?
Many different factors can influence how long it will take to resolve your case. All cases are different. Some can be resolved within a matter of weeks, while others may take months.
Some important factors that will impact how long your case will take include:
- The severity of your injuries, and how long it will be before you have a strong understanding about how the injury will impact your future
- The strength of the evidence that’s available to establish liability
- Whether the insurance company offers a lowball settlement and lets your case drag on, or is willing to offer a fair deal early on in the process
Cases that go to trial tend to take much longer. When trial is necessary, the court’s schedule becomes a factor.
Serious injury cases also tend to take longer. It’s important not to rush if you are seriously hurt. If you take a quick settlement, you risk accepting an offer that doesn’t fully account for the losses you will continue to suffer in the future.
What Should I Do After an Accident?
When accidents happen, things quickly become overwhelming and even chaotic. If you can remain calm and remember a few important steps, you can put yourself in the best position for recovering compensation at a later date.
While those steps can vary depending on the circumstances of the accident, some key action steps include:
- Calling 911 to report a motor vehicle accident or filing an accident report with someone in charge
- Remaining at the scene until an accident report is complete
- Seeking medical attention as soon as possible; not all injuries are immediately obvious. It’s also possible that your injuries could become worse in the time after the accident.
- Collecting evidence. Take photos and videos of the accident scene and any apparent injuries. This documentation can become extremely important if you eventually file a claim for compensation.
- Exchanging information. You should exchange insurance information and contact details with another driver in a car accident and with any eyewitnesses.
- Avoiding apologetic statements. Try to avoid apologizing or accepting blame. Statements can be used against you to reduce your compensation award.
You can call a personal injury attorney in Milton at any stage in the process. However, you should remember that your lawyer will have work to do before filing a claim for compensation. Calling sooner ensures they’ll have the time to build the strongest case for compensation possible.
Contact Our Experienced Milton Personal Injury Lawyers For Legal Help
If you or a family member were involved in an accident, our team at Gross & Schuster Injury Lawyers is ready to hear about your case. Contact us today for a free consultation with a respected Milton personal injury lawyer. We’re here to offer the legal guidance and support you need at every stage of the process.
There are never any attorney’s fees unless we win compensation in your case. We also offer a free case evaluation. That means there’s no reason to wait to learn about your legal options after an injury.