Rear-End Collisions: Causes and Common Injuries

Rear-end collisions are considered to be one of the most prominent types of auto accidents in the country. These are considered to be a common cause of accidental injuries.

In present times, distracted driving is highly prevalent. However, it is not the only cause of rear-end collisions. These collisions can be caused by:

• Distracted driving
• Speeding
• Heavy traffic
• Weather conditions
• Road rage
• Mechanical failure
• Fatigued driving

Driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs
In order to prevent and mitigate rear-end crashes, go for the Forward Collision Avoidance Systems. These systems allow a vehicle to automatically brake without driver action when a crash is likely to occur. However, unfortunately, even with this technology, accidents are still likely to happen. The common injuries you could experience as a result of a rear-end collision can differ. It may differ based on certain factors.

 

What are some of the common rear-end injuries caused?

 

Whiplash
Whiplash is certainly one of the most common injuries that can result from a rear-end collision. This injury is usually caused by a violent, sudden movement of the neck and head. It can cause serious soft tissue damage.

The severity and extent of whiplash injuries vary from case to case. There are certain spinal injuries that demand more intensive medical treatment than others. These are the situations where the head, neck, and back move more violently. This heightens the likelihood of sustaining a serious injury. One of the most prominent dangers of a rear-end whiplash injury is that it isn’t immediately apparent. It could take days or weeks for the full symptoms of the injury to become truly visible.

Broken Bones
Broken bones arise from failure to brake. This is a prominent side effect of many collisions. These are associated with all auto accidents. However, in a rear-end collision, the most common breaks occur to certain parts of the body like hands, spine, ribcage, feet, and skull.

Many modern crash safety equipment exists today. However, broken bones can still happen when the collision is extreme. Unlike soft-tissue injuries, many of the breaks can be easily detected. This enables victims to get medical treatment just on time. However, when there are fractures to the skull, it can be way more serious. These fractures can indicate other problems such as traumatic brain injury, or TBI.

Traumatic Brain Injury
TBI-related deaths are way too common today. Just like whiplash, the early warning signs of traumatic brain injury may not be instantly visible. This could take days or weeks for the full effects of the injury to fully manifest.

There are certain common symptoms. These include loss of consciousness, dizziness, chronic fatigue, abnormal changes in behavior, impaired speech, lowered cognitive performance, etc. The bad thing is that traumatic brain injury can be extremely difficult to treat. Also, certain injuries can result in permanent impairments. Some might even lead to death.

Facial Disfigurement/Scarring
When it comes to rear-end crashes, occupants can be thrown against their restraints. There are times when an occupant could hit a dashboard or headrest in a manner that leaves them with permanent scarring or disfigurements. In such cases, the quality of safety measures and immediacy of treatment can be major deciding factors in preventing scarring.

Paralysis
When a spine or brain injury is pretty severe, it can leave you partially or completely paralyzed. There are multiple factors that can impact the degree of paralysis.

Seat Belt Injuries
Seat belts are vital when driving. But, surprisingly, when someone is involved in a rear-end car accident, seat belts can cause injuries! When your car is struck from behind, your seat belt tightens in order to hold your body firmly in place and prevent it from striking the steering wheel, dashboard, and windshield. The moment this happens, the seat belt can very well cut your skin when your body is thrust forward. The most common seat belt injuries are bruising or lacerations to the chest, neck, and torso.

You must see a doctor and have your injuries documented if you wish to file a claim. Make sure to seek legal representation. Get a monetary settlement for your injuries.
Usually, the Extent of Your Injuries has to be taken into account. This extent depends on certain common factors like type of vehicles involved, the rate of speed, the location of impact, if seatbelts were worn, airbag deployment, seat back angle, etc.

Keep in mind that headrests can be the most common source of protection against whiplash in rear-end collisions.

 

Steps to take after a Rear-End Collision

Right after a rear-end collision, you must contact the emergency medical service as soon as possible. Keep in mind that the timeliness of your treatment can make a huge difference in your recovery process. Once you have properly taken care of your health needs and the needs of any other occupants in your vehicle, consider contacting an experienced auto accident attorney.

You must keep in mind that many things can happen in the aftermath of a severe rear-end collision. Some of these include astonomical medical bills, adjusted insurance rates, lost time and wages, etc. so, many of you might stress over financial trouble right after such an accident.

Keep in mind that you do not need to face a financial emergency due to the recklessness of others. Make sure to contact an experienced auto accident attorney in your community to represent you. Try to rightful earn you the compensation for injuries, property damage and medical treatment associated with such a collision.

 

Ways to prevent rear-end collisions

Drivers must check your mirrors more often. When coming to a stop at a traffic light, try to look in the rearview mirror to be sure vehicles behind you are stopping. Make sure to check your mirrors to be sure traffic is stopping behind you.

It is also important to stay focused on your driving. When you slow to a stop, try to detect an escape route. Never rush up to a stop sign or red light. While stopped, try to visualize what you can do should the vehicle behind you not show signs of stopping in time.

What Does a Typical Personal Injury Case Look Like?

You might wonder as to what goes on in a typical personal injury case. You might wonder as to how long it takes.

Getting medical treatment
This is the very first thing that you should do after getting injured in a certain accident. If you are injured, make sure to go to the hospital or visit a doctor. When it comes to health, this is the right thing to do. If you do not see a doctor for some time after an accident, the insurance adjuster and the jury will surely assume that you were not that hurt.

Picking a lawyer
This comes next. If you have a strong claim, it is important to choose a South Florida personal injury lawyer. You must make sure to choose the lawyer right after the injury. You can settle a minor personal injury claim yourself. However, you should still consider talking to a lawyer. If you have suffered from severe injuries or losses, you will need a lawyer for any personal injury claim.

If you are out of work for more than a few days, you should hire a lawyer. You must decide to talk to some lawyers. Once you choose a lawyer and sign a fee agreement, he/she will start to work on your injury case.

Investigating the injury claim
This is a major step. The medical records also need to be reviewed. The lawyer interviews you about how the accident happened, your medical condition, your background, and medical treatment. The attorney wants to know everything that might be relevant to the accident. He/she will make sure to ask all questions to know more about your injury and treatment. Usually, lawyers do not really want to be surprised. So, you must go ahead and answer all the questions honestly.

It is then that the lawyer will get all of your medical records plus bills associated with the injury. Also, he/she will get your medical records for any treatment that you have ever had associated with the condition at issue. This can take some months.

Once the lawyer collects all the medical records, the lawyer will review them in order to see if there is a possible case. Now, the lawyer might be able to determine that there is no case. In that case, he/she will deliver the bad news to the client early on.

Making Demands
There are many small personal injury claims that are settled prior to the filing of a lawsuit. If the lawyer is of the opinion that the case can be settled, they will go ahead and make a demand to the other lawyer or the insurance company of the other side.Else, your lawyer might go ahead and file the lawsuit. Generally, if your claim is about permanent injury or impairment, a genuine personal injury lawyer will not settle it prior to filing suit.

A genuine personal lawyer will not make a demand until the plaintiff has attained a point of maximum medical improvement that is referred to as MMI. MMI is the stage when the plaintiff has ended his/her medical treatment. This is mainly because when the plaintiff has reached MMI, the attorney does not know the actual value of the case.

The attorney should not file a lawsuit until MMI. This is mainly because if the plaintiff is not at MMI when the case goes to trial, the jury might give less value to the case. It could take some months or years for the plaintiff to attain MMI. However, a genuine lawyer will decide to wait, if the plaintiff can afford to wait financially. Of course, if the plaintiff requires money, then the attorney should put the case in a suit early on.

Filing of the lawsuit
The filing of the lawsuit usually begins the clock running on when the case is getting to trial. The pretrial procedures of every state vary. However, it will take some years for a personal injury case to get to trial. You need to remember that a lawsuit is required to be filed within certain time limits. These time limits are set by every state has set by passing a law that is referred to as a statute of limitations.

The Discovery Process
The discovery process is a procedure in which all the parties look into the legal claims and defenses of the adversary. They usually send interrogatories and document requests to one another. Also, they take depositions of every relevant witness in the personal injury case. It usually begins with the plaintiff and the defendant. This process can last for 6 months. It depends on the court’s deadlines as well as the complexity of the personal injury case.

Mediation and Negotiation
With the ending of the discovery period, the attorneys will start talking about settlement. Certain times, the lawyers can go ahead and settle a case by talking among themselves. However, some tend to go to mediation. Mediation can be defined as a process in which both clients and lawyers go in front of a mediator in order to settle the personal injury case.

Trial
In general, mediation works. However, if it does not work, the case is likely to go for trial. Depending on the severity of the injury case, a personal injury trial can last a day, a week or even longer. The duration of the injury case may be increased since, in many states, trials are held for only ½ a day and not a full day. This pretty much doubles the duration of a trial. However, it also lets the lawyers and judges get certain other things done.

When a lawsuit is scheduled for trial, it does not mean that the trial will occur on that date. Trials tend to get rescheduled due to the schedules of the judge. If your trial gets canceled due to some reason, you should not assume that the lawyers are conspiring against you. In general, trials are delayed all the time.

Some key factors that impact the settlement value are the defendant's assets, the plaintiff's losses and liability.

8 Mistakes Made after a Florida Car Accident

Here are the top 8 mistakes made after a Florida car accident:

Not contacting the Police
In order to build a valid claim, you are required to call the police is critical after the car accident in Florida. This is also important for getting the right amount of compensation. As per Florida law, you need to contact the police right after an accident. When you call the police to the accident scene, it certainly caters to lawful requirements in the state of Florida. On top of that, it helps you construct your personal injury claim. The police report helps you establish that the car accident took place on a fixed day plus time. Thus, it acts as evidence that you were injured due to the accident.

In case you have visible injuries, the police can take note of the same in their report. They might not be able to investigate a civil claim. However, they can act as a great support system when it comes to collecting the right pieces of evidence that ought to be valuable to you to strengthen your personal injury case.

Not taking the case to trial
A majority of car accident cases get settled before they are taken to the trial. If the other side does not pay you properly, you can take your case to trial to get a genuine court order. This might be your last option to get fair compensation for the damages caused. The law in Florida makes sure that people get the right amount of compensation. If you are required to take your case to trial to attain justice, you must exercise your set of legal rights.

Make sure to get representation from an experienced car accident attorney in South Florida. He/she is the right person to represent you legally in court. He/she can fight for you and speak on your behalf. Also, they can give you valuable advice as to whether you should go for a settlement or take your personal injury case to trial.

Not informing your doctor about your symptoms
You might want to downplay your injuries right after a Florida car accident. In order to pacify yourself and release some pain, you might tell yourself constantly that your injuries are not that severe. However, in this process, do not hold back from giving out all the info to your doctor. Keep in mind that small details matter as well. If you withhold, it would certainly get your case complicated. You might not be aware of the severity of your injuries in some cases. Your doctor might be able to recognize these injuries if you let them know about your symptoms.

In certain cases, some injury-related symptoms do get worse over a course of time. If you have a list of symptoms but do not tell the doctor about those, the insurance company might just doubt your claim and question it.

Making apologies for the accident
The other party is likely to use your statements against you in court. According to the Florida Evidence Code, the other party can certainly admit your statements at trial. If you apologize in some wat, the other side might use it as proof that you were partly responsible for the accident. In worse situations, they might even tend to put all the blame on you! So, beware!

Do not make apologies right after a Florida car accident. Your personal injury lawyer can deal with a lot of communications with the other side.

Not visiting a doctor
When you get medical attention right after an accident, it gets easy for you to prove that your injuries arose from the car accident in Florida. If you wait for some time to see a doctor, it certainly gives the insurance company the chance to question the severity of your injuries. When you see the doctor early on, it gets easy for them to diagnose your injuries. Also, they would provide you with a good recovery plan.

After the Florida car accident, you usually get a period of 14 days to go and visit a doctor. You need to visit a reliable doctor to claim PIP benefits for the physical injuries that you have sustained in the accident. If you miss this time frame, the insurance company might as well reduce the value of your claim or even deny it. As per Florida the law, you must seek medical care within a period of 14 days of an accident. This is vital if you wish to make a valid claim for medical bills by means of your PIP insurance.

Thinking that you cannot be a Legal Claim
As a state, Florida has a no-fault system for most of the car accidents. Many are under the wrong impression that this no-fault system deters all car accident lawsuits! This is just false!

Florida law does enable you to file a personal injury claim against the third party for compensation. This is applicable when you have prominent or long-lasting injuries due to the car accident. In such cases, you are likely to have a solid case for financial compensation.

Posting frequently on Social Media
Look before you post something on social media! Keep in mind that social media is admissible in court. Now, you might have your status set to friends only. Still, it is not 100% safe to make a statement on a public platform. If you say something outright to the other party on social media, it might cost you big time. The other party might find a way to take your posts out of context. Most times, they make sure to use it against you and your claim. To be on the safer side, do not post on social media. Wait for your personal injury case to resolve first.

Singing a release
Most insurance companies wish to resolve the case as soon as possible. So, they do tend to send you a release of claims. And this might get your claim denied.

Slips and Falls Are No Joke: Five Good Reasons to Hire a Slip and Fall Lawyer

A majority of slip and fall accidents tend to occur for various reasons. They may be caused due to poor property maintenance or by certain weather conditions. If the property is not well-maintained, the owner may be held liable. If the weather is at fault, it is not that likely that the owner will be held negligent.

Some hazards cannot be avoided. Various owners might try to keep up with various slippery conditions. If they make a strong effort to keep things safe, they may not be liable for injuries that tend to take place. There are certain circumstances under which an owner is responsible.

How can a slip and fall lawyer help?

The main goal of a personal injury lawyer is to prove negligence. While doing so, the lawyer shows the defendant is legally responsible for your set of injuries. A lawyer may discover that the sidewalk was in disrepair for several months and that the owner has had certain other incidents/injuries that take place as a result. This type of info can clearly establish fault. Also, it can get you the compensation you truly require. If a claim is settled out of court or goes to trial, a personal injury lawyer offers crucial counsel as well as support. 

Here are the top 5 reasons to hire a slip and fall lawyer:

You have to pay the lawyer only when you are compensated

Like other lawyers, slip and fall injury lawyers tend to receive payment when you receive your compensation. This is known as a contingency payment. A contingency payment indicates that your lawyer will get paid only when you get reimbursed. If your insurance does not get you compensated for your injury, then you do not owe your slip and fall injury lawyer a penny! Thus, you have nothing to lose. So, you should just go ahead and hire a slip and fall, injury lawyer. That way your chances of getting fair compensation for your slip and fall case will be high.

It just seems fair since when you get rewarded, your lawyer gets rewarded too.

You can decide to rest a bit

At the time of hiring a slip and fall injury lawyer, keep in mind that he will take care of all of your legal troubles. Thus, you are likely to have more time to rest. You can make use of the time to get recovery from your set of injuries. Just relax! Keep in mind that your lawyer is there to help you. He will make sure to get the best compensation deal for you too.

You must try to take advantage of the resources you have. Never worry about other things. Your slip and fall injury lawyer will handle all of the rest. If you are trying to get recovery from a severe injury and you wish to take care of your legal issues, things are likely to get extremely tough. Your insurance adjuster will make sure to deal with wants to provide you a little amount of compensation for your injury. You can simply let your lawyer deal with the insurance adjuster. Meanwhile, you can just focus on your recovery stage.

Your lawyer knows the law well

A slip and fall injury attorney are one who is experienced in his/her field. They are specialized in dealing with various slip and fall cases on a daily basis. Most of them are familiar with all of the laws. These laws include handling issues such as reimbursing your personal health insurance etc. Thus, you will be able to rely on your lawyer since he/she will know exactly how to handle your situation. This is mainly based on certain previous slip and fall cases that he/she has taken on.

At the time of calling your health insurance to negotiate a settlement, you would not know the right things to say. You are not likely to have an idea as to which the right questions are that need to be asked. After all, you will not know enough about injury laws. Therefore, the insurance company may not wish to help you since they know that you are not familiar with the way things tend to work.

When you have the support of your own slip and fall injury lawyer, he/she will be able to fight the legal battles for you. He/she will be able to get you the compensation that you truly deserve.

You are more likely to get reimbursed

When you have a South Florida slip and fall lawyer, he/she will give you a good chance of getting reimbursed for your bills that are related to your injuries. Because your lawyer is aware of the laws and the industry, he/she will work hard to provide you a reimbursement. Also, health insurance is less likely to take advantage of your lack of knowledge. If you decide to hire a slip and fall injury attorney, your injury issue will be taken seriously. After all, it should be!

You can make the workplace a safe haven

If you slipped and fell and got yourself injured on someone’s property, it could be considered that a specific person’s fault for negligence. You will require a lawyer to help you prove the negligence of the property owner. Your case will also provide a good deal of attention to the property owner’s negligence plus the hazardous environment. This way the owner will be required to update the safety at the workplace.

Due to your case, the set of safety improvements will tend to prevent a good number of employees from getting injured. Hiring a South Florida Slip & Fall Lawyer for making a case about safety hazards is a good way to make a basic difference at your working place. Keep in mind that severe injuries can take place in the workplace. If this happens to you, you deserve proper compensation for your injury. In order to get the best settlement offer that you can, go ahead and hire a slip and fall lawyer.

How Do Police Officers Investigate Car Accidents In Florida?

When an accident causes injuries, police officers are dispatched to the accident scene, in usual. Police officers need to note a lot of things in the accident scene altogether.

Once an accident occurs and you are the victim, you need to provide a bunch of info to the dispatcher. The dispatcher should know your location with a description of the prominent landmarks. In the case of anyone else is injured, feeling sick, or if there are some dangers involved, you must call the police instantly.

Usually, police officers receive training in car accident investigation. When they get to the accident scene, they investigate the accident and its causes. In general, they do not create their official accident report at the scene. They use a worksheet and then prepare and file the official report.

Some of the common info that the police officer should gather are:

• Date, time, and location of the accident
• Personal information and statements provided by drivers, passengers, and witnesses
• Descriptions of injuries and fatalities
• Vehicle descriptions
• Weather and road conditions when the accident occurred
• Type of property damage to the vehicles and their contents; the extent of damage
• Certain factors that led to the accident like speeding
• Photographs of the scene and the vehicular damage

When alcohol or drugs are involved in any way, police conducts field sobriety tests. They may make arrests for DUI as well. However, it depends on the severity of the case. In case traffic laws have been violated, the officer issues tickets to one or both drivers.

The officer may call for a towing company if any of the cars are not driveable. Both drivers need to get the service number of the police report from the investigating officer. This service number comes into play at the time of requesting a copy of the final police accident report. In case you don’t have a service number, you will have to provide the accurate date and location of the crash. Also, you will have to provide your personal identification information in order to get a copy of the report.

Once the accident scene is cleared, the police may drive to the hospital to look into the serious injuries sustained by drivers or passengers, as the case may be. Once the follow-up is done, the officers will return to the station.

The accident report usually includes the officer’s written opinion of the details and causes of the accident. It also includes a description of the at-fault driver’s actions that gave way to the accident. Also, there will be a drawn diagram of the accident scene and the point of impact.

The police accident report needs to be complete with the few following days. There are certain jurisdictions that make crash reports available to the general public. In certain states, the access of crash reports is only provided to the involved drivers, the drivers’ representatives, and the drivers’ insurance companies.

What to know about Police Reports?

When you are involved in a car accident, call 911. You must never let the at-fault driver talk you into settling the accident without calling the police or insurance companies. This is because the other car can claim injuries and blame you at a later stage. You might have to deal with a huge financial risk if you do not inform your insurance company right on time.

In case you have hit an object, notify police. This is because the police report may help your insurance company defend you against a lawsuit or claim from the property owner. The police report can also support your claim for compensation from the property owner.

Keep in mind that uninsured motorist claims against phantom drivers are not that easy to establish when there is no police report. In short, call the police, no matter whatever is the nature of the Florida car accident that you are involved in.

Keep a copy of the Police Report

Keep in mind that your car accident paperwork is incomplete without a copy of the police accident report. The police report is a vital asset. It can have a huge impact on the outcome of your injury claim. So, make sure to carefully read the report. This way you can correct any errors.

Make sure to contact your own insurance company in order to ask for a copy of the police accident report. Once a claim is opened, the adjuster will request an official copy of the police report. In case the report is available, the claims adjuster should send you a copy for free.

You can certainly request a police report copy directly from the law enforcement agency who investigated your claim. You might have to pay a small amount. Many agencies handle accident report requests online. Else, you can contact the police department to get proper instructions. You might have to provide the service number from the investigating officer (if applicable), the accident location, the accident date and exact time, your identification, etc.

In case you do not know how to read police reports, you might not be able to understand the report. There are certain sections that might be shown as code numbers. In general, the forms and their details are pretty comprehensive. However, you will have to ask others about the codes.

Is the police report full of facts?

In the police report, the info contained in the police report can be a fact or an opinion. The facts include the date, time, and location of the collision. Opinions are those of the police officer. Even the insurance company will come to their own conclusion as to who is at fault, once it has conducted its own investigation. Certain times, the insurance company’s and police officer's opinions are different.

When a car accident claim is reported, the insurance company will conduct its own investigation. The insurance company asks for the police report right in the beginning. This is mainly because the report contains a good amount of information related to the car accident.

Personal Injury Attorneys and Legal Rights of Victims

PERSONAL INJURY LEGAL TEAM OF ATTORNEYS

We are dedicated to helping people who have been hurt or injured due to the negligence of others and those who have been wronged obtain justice. Our successful and respected team of personal injury attorneys represent more than 30 years of experience in difficult lawsuits and negotiating full and fair compensation for all kinds of personal injury cases involving but not limited to, auto accidents, construction accidents, electrical shock incidents, slip and falls, wrongful death accidents, general negligence cases, product liability and special negligence cases.


Legal Rights of a Personal Injury Victim in Case they are Not a Resident of Florida
 
You will definitely have legal rights to a financial recovery, but that would depend on the nature of your crash and the specifics and facts of your accident. Whether you are in an auto accident   down the street from your residence or a few miles away from your home, you should still be covered by your insurance policy. Most policies extend across the country to cover drivers even when they are in out-of-town accidents.
In order to know what your legal rights are after a car crash, you should review your accident and ask yourself some hard-hitting questions. Did your own negligence or distraction cause the accident? Was another driver at fault for the crash? If you were responsible for the accident, it is more than likely that you won’t have a claim against the other driver and his/her insurance company. But your own car insurance coverage will cover your damages and medical bills. If the other driver was at fault, you should have the same legal rights to compensation as Florida residents have. You can pursue a personal injury claim to make a financial recovery for your medical bills, loss of income, pain and suffering and other damages.
Regardless of who is a fault in the crash, it is important that you tend to your medical needs immediately, even while you’re visiting from out-of-town. If you fail to obtain medical attention, the insurance company will question the validity of your claim and will attempt to settle for a lower amount.

Defective Car Tire – Who is At Fault?
 
A tire blow-out while driving your car can be scary, especially if there are no visible signs as to why it happened. The tire may be in a bad condition, mangled or shredded with no other signs, which will make you believe that it was defective.

In worst cases, a tire blow out can make a vehicle lose control and cause serious injuries or even death to those in the car as well as others on the road. If the defective tire is the cause of the blow-out, it is important that you contact a personal injury lawyer who has the essential experience in handling defective tire cases and other car accident injury claims.

Have your tire inspected by a professional who can find out if the tire was defective. An inspection will ensure you are better equipped to pursue a claim.

If you find out your tire was defective after the inspection, a skilled personal injury attorney such as Mark Schiffrin P.A. will help you recover damages from the tire manufacturer, retailer or dealer who sold you the tire. Damages may include financial compensation if you were injured, loss of income, medical fees and more.

Choosing a Lawyer for Your Personal Injury Case
 
It can be a mind-boggling experience to try and choose the right lawyer for your case. In order to know if you are choosing the right person to handle your claim, the lawyer you speak to must meet with a series of questions. Asking questions will help you learn more about the lawyer and be able to determine if you think they’re suitable to deal with your case.

Questions you may ask your lawyer:
•    Do you currently handle cases which are like mine?
•    Which verdicts or settlements have you obtained in similar cases?
•    Are you representing me or passing on the case to someone else?
•    Since when have you been practicing personal injury law in Broward County?
•    Please describe your background in detail?
•    What is your experience as a trial attorney?
•    Will my case settle or go to trial?
•    Will you obtain my medical records from doctors/meds?
•    Do you visit the accident scene?
•    Do you take assistance from investigators and medical experts?
•    How much are the fees you charge? Do you accept cases on a contingency basis?
•    Who is my point of contact and how often will I hear from your law firm?

There are various questions you may ask a lawyer to find out how long he has been practicing law, if he has the experience to deal with your claim, the expertise you are seeking and if you are comfortable with him.

Time it takes to achieve a Successful Outcome for a Personal Injury Case
 
It really depends because a personal injury case for one person will not be the same for another person. There are many factors involved such as extent of injuries, disabilities and if a doctor has released you from medical care. If someone has been severely injured in a car accident, their case might take longer than someone with minor injuries.

Once an experienced South Florida accident attorney reviews your case and the particulars, speaks to your doctors, evaluates and studies medical records, he/she will be able to determine the length of how long your personal injury case should typically last.

Types of Personal Injury Claims that can be brought against an individual or entity include:
•    Road traffic accidents
•    Tripping accidents
•    Assault claims
•    Accidents at work
•    Accidents at home
•    Product defect accidents
•    Holiday accidents

Contact us for a free consultation today!
You can also chat with us online @ www.schiffrinpa.com  or additionally, can call us at 954-961-2082.
You can also email us at schiffrinlaw@bellsouth.net for more information or to discuss your case further.

What Should I Expect after Hiring a Fort Lauderdale PI Lawyer?

After you hire an experienced lawyer in Fort Lauderdale, you need to focus on lawyer communication, competence, ethics, fees and many other things!

Your Ft. Lauderdale personal injury lawyer should give you advice about your legal situation, keep you informed about your case, tell you what he thinks will happen in your case, allow you to make certain decisions regarding your case, provide you with an estimate about what your case should cost, notify you of any changes, or setbacks, give you the information you need to make good decisions etc.

Here are some of the basic things that you can expect after hiring a lawyer:

Lawyer Communication

Lawyer communication includes the correspondence and communication between a client and his attorney. In case you face a problem related to lawyer communication, it might force you to wonder whether you ended up hiring a bad attorney who is not diligent enough. The truth is that there are many states that have laws regarding when and how a lawyer must communicate with clients. Usually, you need to be able to expect to get a general overview of your case at the time when you request it from your lawyer.

Also, your Fort Lauderdale attorney must call you back or return your emails just in time. In case your hired lawyer does not respond within a business day, he should give you a reason why they failed to answer your question. This might happen if your lawyer is working on many cases. In such cases, your lawyer is likely to be burdened with court work.

If your personal injury lawyer does not communicate effectively, you are likely to worry. It is alarming if your attorney fails to keep you updated on what is happening with your case. Your repeated phone calls must be answered. If there is no response for over the course of a week, you must discuss your lawyer communication problem with your lawyer. In case your attorney does not show any sensitivity to your worries, you might need to go for another legal representative to help yourself.

Lawyer competency

The lawyer communication problems are the most common ones. However, apart from that, you may also have problems with the competency of your lawyer's work. Competency implies the core knowledge and expertise of a specialized PI lawyer in handling a client's legal issue. Lawyers are humans. You must not forget that! They might just make a mistake. There is nothing like flawless work! After your attorney passed your state's bar exam, he probably has not had to take a test. In fact, passing the bar exam does not really guarantee that your lawyer is competent to represent you in court! Sad but true!

There is a bunch of bar associations that claim that they deal with various issues regarding the competency of lawyers. However, you will not get any proper response if you complain about your attorney's work. This is mainly because the State bar associations are understaffed. Thus, they fail to lead proper investigation on whether attorney is working in a competent manner.

But, you may claim for legal malpractice if your attorney makes a mistake that no reasonable attorney would make, under normal circumstances. This error might cause you to lose money or even get harmed in some manner. In such cases, you can sue your attorney. You can go forward and claim that he did not act in a reasonably competent manner. These mistakes can be procedural in nature as well. These might include not filing your lawsuit on time. Some mistakes are ethical in nature. You must know that there are plenty of malpractice lawsuits that are pretty expensive to pursue. These might even be very hard to win. So, you cannot always blame the attorney for losing the case.

Ethics

Every state has their own bunch of ethical rules. By these rules, attorneys need to conduct their business.These usually have certain common themes that run throughout all of them. The lawyers are required to maintain the attorney-client privilege, perform their duties well, represent their client's interest with utmost loyalty and integrity, work within the bounds of the law, maintain separate bank accounts for client money, prioritizing their client's interests no matter what etc.

Every state has an agency that is responsible for disciplining attorneys and other legal professionals in Fort Lauderdale that sway away from the ethical rules and regulations. These disciplinary actions can give way to paying fines, returning stolen money, suspension from the practice of law, revocation of a law license etc.

Amount of fees

Most of the disputes related to attorneys' fees are the most common type of problem that arise. Fee disputes can come up due to multiple reasons. The most common reasons might include:

1. Complaints about bills that are regarded to be too costly
2.  Disagreements over what type of fees would be charged to the client
3.  Disagreements over whether an itemized bill would be provided
4. Concerns that a lawyer took a really long time to get done with an easy task
5. Argument that since an attorney did a job unsatisfactorily, the bill should be lowered
6. Billing at an attorney's rate for work done by a paralegal
7. Complaints associated with charging more for time given to a case

After you hire a good PI attorney in Fort Lauderdale, you need to make sure that you get the fee agreement in writing. This will help you to understand the cost factor. In case a term in the fee agreement is not that clear to you, do not shy away from asking the attorney to write it again in a way that is clear to you in every possible way. If your state does not require a written fee agreement, you should still have one. In case you do not want to have your fee dispute end up in court, you must ensure that a mandatory arbitration clause is included in the fee agreement. This way the dispute can take place in front of a neutral, third party in the most rightful manner.