Being injured in an accident can cause hardship for your entire family. Medical care, physical therapy, and other types of assistance can be expensive after a serious injury. And, while you’re watching those expenses pile up, you may be unable to work for an extended period of time. That can mean pain, physical limitations, financial stress and other issues all piling up at once.
The last thing you need is the stress of negotiating with insurance companies for the compensation you need to cover your medical expenses and help you rebuild. And, it’s easy to make costly mistakes when you’re talking to an insurance company representative whose job is to minimize your claim and save the company money. But, it has to be done.
That’s where we come in.
Your best resource after a car accident, slip and fall accident, or other injury is an experienced St. Augustine personal injury lawyer. Here are just some of the ways a local personal injury lawyer can help:
At Harrell & Harrell, our attorneys are experienced in handling a wide range of personal injury claims. Contact us right now at 904-251-1111 to schedule a consultation. There’s no charge and no obligation.
“Personal injury” takes in a broad range of case types. Some common examples include:
The key thing these cases have in common is that the claims are based on negligence. Under Florida personal injury law, negligence means that:
But, negligence alone isn’t enough to win a personal injury case. In addition, the injured party must prove that the negligence caused (at least in part) the accident and resulting injuries.
Many personal injury law firms, including ours, handle other closely-related case types. For instance, at Harrell & Harrell we also handle:
Unless your injury was very minor, it’s generally a good idea to consult a St. Augustine injury attorney before accepting. A settlement offer may sound good when all you’re hearing is a number–especially if you’ve been out of work and anxiously watching your medical bills add up. But, if you’re like most injury victims, you don’t know all of the types of compensation that may be available to you, or what’s considered a fair settlement for your situation.
Insurance companies know that most people who aren’t represented by an attorney don’t have all the information. And, some will take advantage of that by trying to steer you into a quick settlement before you learn the full extent of your damages. One risk of a quick settlement is that you may not yet know how much ongoing or future medical care you’ll need, or how much it will cost. If you settle your case and find out later that you’ll require another surgery or will be out of work for much longer than anticipated, you can’t go back for more.
You may be on your own paying for expensive medical treatments, or even find yourself unable to get the care you need because it’s too costly.
An experienced St. Augustine accident attorney like the ones on our team can help you avoid pitfalls like this. A seasoned injury lawyer will be familiar with insurance company tactics, and can help you weigh the benefit of receiving payment promptly against what you might be giving up.
Most injured people want to know what they can expect in a personal injury settlement or jury verdict. That’s understandable, but the answer isn’t as simple as those online calculators you’ve probably seen might suggest.
The value of a personal injury claim depends on many different factors, including:
We can’t tell you exactly what your case is worth–no personal injury attorney can. But, some of the damages that are commonly awarded in car accident cases and other personal injury cases include:
The choices you make and the actions you take can impact your St. Augustine personal injury case–from the moment after your accident. Some important steps you can take to preserve your claim include:
Your personal injury lawyer can explain why each of these items is important, and can provide specific guidance for you and your case.
At Harrell & Harrell, we want to make it as easy and stress-free as possible for you to get the help you need after an injury. We have offices conveniently located throughout the Jacksonville area, including in St. Augustine.
We know you need accurate, reliable information to make good decisions about your injury case. Your free consultation with one of our personal injury lawyers is your opportunity to learn more about:
But, that’s not the only benefit of scheduling a free consultation. You’ll have an opportunity to learn more about the firm and the personal injury attorney who would be handling your case. It’s important that you’re comfortable with your injury lawyer, and that you are confident in their knowledge and their concern for your well-being. During your initial consultation, pay attention to whether the attorney listens to your questions and concerns, and whether they explain things in a way that makes sense to you.
A St. Augustine personal injury case will typically take many months to resolve. If the case is high-value, the full extent of your injuries isn’t yet known, you’ll require significant future medical care, or the case is hotly contested, the case will likely go on even longer. So, you’ll want a personal injury attorney you can trust and communicate with.
If you’ve been injured in or around St. Augustine, help is available. To learn more about your rights, your options, and how Harrell & Harrell can help you pursue fair compensation, call 904-251-1111 right now.
The core of The Harrell Promise is simple: you come first. That means you always take more away from your settlement or jury award than we take in fees. But it’s more than that. We’re committed to not just representing you but also supporting you through every step of the process.
Some injury firms are so large that you become a case file number in a sea of other cases, and you may never see the person you initially consulted again. You may have a hard time getting responses and may feel like you don’t know what’s going on with your case. On the other hand, a very small firm may give you plenty of personal attention, but lack the resources to build the strongest possible case on your behalf.
We have multiple experienced personal injury attorneys and sufficient staff and resources to give you the best possible representation. But we’re not so big that you’ll ever get lost in the shuffle. When you hire a personal injury lawyer at Harrell & Harrell, you’ll never be just a case to us; we’ll get to know you and your goals and priorities so we can effectively fight for the outcome that’s best for you.
Our St. Augustine personal injury lawyers know an accident case isn’t just about compensation for you. The aftermath of a serious injury and the personal injury process can be frustrating, overwhelming, and sometimes frightening. We never forget that, or that clients may need more from us than simply getting the job done. We’ll get to know your needs and concerns and be available to help you move forward.
When you’re choosing a personal injury attorney in St. Augustine, experience counts. Here are a few of the ways our firm’s experience helps you:
30 years of experience across a wide range of practice areas is very different from 30 years of dedicated personal injury experience. That means we’ve encountered nearly every issue that may impact a personal injury case, and are prepared for insurance company tactics, technical requirements, gathering evidence, preparing witnesses, managing the procedural elements of the case and handling whatever arises during investigation, negotiation, trial preparation and in the courtroom.
As St. Johns County continues its streak as one of the fastest-growing counties in the nation, our roads and neighborhoods are changing daily. We aren’t an out-of-town firm handling cases from a distance; we live and work here. We know the unique traffic patterns and hazards of high-growth construction zones like SR-16 and CR-210, and we are familiar with the booming residential areas like SilverLeaf, RiverTown, Beachwalk, and Mill Creek Forest. That local blueprint allows us to understand the exact context of your accident.
Right after an accident, you’ll want to take these important steps:
Proving negligence means establishing that:
In most cases, the responsibility is general and not directly to you. For example, a driver on St. Augustine roads has a responsibility to operate their vehicle in a way that is reasonably safe for others on the road and their property.
Yes. Florida law allows a person to recover damages if they were partly responsible for the accident. However, Florida follows a modified comparative negligence rule.
If you are found to be more than 50% at fault for your own injuries, you cannot recover damages. If you are 50% or less at fault, you may still recover compensation, but your recovery will be reduced by your percentage of fault.
For example, if you were 25% responsible, you can only recover 75% of your damages.
*The rules are different if your injury occurred before 3/24/23. Talk to a personal injury lawyer for more information.
The cut-off for filing most personal injury cases in Florida is two years from the date of the injury. However, there are exceptions. For example, you may have longer to file your claim if the injured party is a child, and you may have different notice requirements if the responsible party is a governmental entity. The statute of limitations is also different for injuries that occurred before 3/24/23. The best way to find out exactly what deadlines apply in your case is to talk to an experienced personal injury attorney right away.
Economic damages are actual financial losses. Some of the most common types of economic damages include medical bills and lost wages due to the accident. These types of damages can be quantified by presenting medical bills, payroll records, receipts and similar documentation. Non-economic damages are awarded to compensate for losses you suffered that don’t involve actual dollars, such as pain and suffering and loss of quality of life.
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