You were injured in a car crash in Largo and you’ve suffered serious financial losses as a result. Though your insurance may have provided you with $10,000 in Personal Injury Protection (PIP) insurance, that wasn’t enough to cover all your medical expenses not to mention your lost wages.
If you’re considering suing the driver who was responsible for causing the accident, this article will explain how you can do this and the amount you can seek.
Filing a personal injury lawsuit after a car accident in Florida
When someone’s carelessness or recklessness causes you to suffer physical and/or psychological injuries, you can sometimes hold them financially liable for the expenses you have incurred or are likely to incur in the future in addition to your pain and suffering. You’ll need an experienced Largo, FL personal injury attorney who can guide you through the lawsuit process.
To begin the personal injury lawsuit process in Florida, you’ll need to decide who your case is against (the insurance company or the other driver) and file a complaint with your local court.
Florida Statute § 95.11 allows you to file a personal injury lawsuit against another party within four years from the date of your accident. This timeframe is referred to the statute of limitations and must be observed. Should you wait too long to sue, you risk losing valuable evidence and your right to take legal action.
Personal injury lawsuit caps in Florida
Florida generally doesn’t impose a cap on the damages you can recover in a personal injury case, though it does depend on the type of case you’re filing. Cases stemming from medical malpractice usually limit non-economic damages to $500,000.
If you’re seeking pain and suffering from a negligent driver, you can seek as much as you and your Largo, FL personal injury lawyer believe you deserve. Of course, the amount you sue for isn’t always the amount you recover.
In some personal injury cases, the plaintiff (i.e. the victim) might walk away with less than what they sued for or nothing at all. It all comes down to whether you have a viable case and if you provided evidence that supports your request for damages.
Some examples of the damages that are often awarded in personal injury cases include:
- Pain and suffering
- Lost wages
- Past and future medical expenses
- Loss of consortium
- Punitive damages
A Largo, FL personal injury attorney can determine if you have the grounds to file a personal injury lawsuit and how much your case is worth.
How long does it take for personal injury cases to settle?
If the parties involved in a personal injury case are eager to reach an agreement on how the case should be settled (i.e. how much should be paid in damages), it could potentially settle quickly. However, the standard timeline for personal injury cases is a few months or a few years.
If you’d like to discuss filing a personal injury lawsuit against a driver in Largo, the lawyers at Trevena | James, Attorneys At Law would be happy to address your questions or get your case started.
With its office based in Largo Florida, Trevena | James, Attorneys At Law primarily practices in Pinellas, Hillsborough, and Pasco County, and throughout the state of Florida.
Trevena | James, Attorneys At Law is located at:
801 W Bay Drive, Suite 509
Largo, FL 33770
Phone: 727-581-5813
Website: www.trevenajames.com
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