If you’ve been injured in an accident in Orlando due to another person’s carelessness or negligence, you can seek financial compensation through a personal injury claim. Personal injury law in Florida covers a wide range of potential claims, depending on the type of accident and injuries involved.
An experienced personal injury lawyer can help decide which type of personal injury case you might have, how to identify the responsible individuals and prove liability to collect damages. Before proceeding, it helps to know what types of cases a personal injury lawyer in Florida might handle.
Motor Vehicle Accidents
Almost all personal injury lawyers handle cases involving motor vehicle accidents.
Within this category are a wide variety of accidents that can cause injuries, such as:
- Car accidents
- Truck accidents
- Motorcycle accidents
- Boat accidents
- Bicycle accidents
- Pedestrian accidents
- Bus accidents
- Train accidents
A personal injury claim based on a motor vehicle accident can take different paths, depending on the type of vehicles involved, how the accident happened, and the injuries suffered by victims of the accident. The claim could involve investigations of the crash scene, hiring expert witnesses, and using digital evidence to reconstruct an accident. Some accidents, such as multi-vehicle crashes or truck accidents, can be more complex than others. All motor vehicle accident cases require proof of negligence by the at-fault motorist.
Premises Liability
Personal injury lawyers will normally take on premises liability cases, including slip and fall cases. Premises liability matters involve injuries that happen on someone else’s property due to the property owner’s negligence. For example, if a store customer falls over an object that the storeowner ignored and left on the floor, the customer might have a premises liability claim.
In Florida, property owners must use a duty of care to guests – both invited and uninvited. This means property owners have to make reasonable efforts to protect visitors from injury. However, they owe different levels of care to different types of visitors.
Under Florida law, invitees are owed a greater amount of care than others. Invitees include people allowed on the property for business purposes. Customers and clients fall into this category. For these people, property owners must keep the area in a reasonably safe condition and prevent hazards from remaining on the property.
Property owners also owe a duty of care to licensees. Florida categorizes licensees as those entering the property for social reasons – such as friends, family, or other social guests. For these people, the property owner must keep the land free from hazards but does not have to conduct regular safety inspections.
Some examples of premises liability cases include:
- Slips and falls
- Swimming pool accidents
- Exposure to harmful chemicals
- Construction site accidents
Trespassers, on the other hand, are owed a low level of care. In Florida, property owners are only required not to intentionally cause a risk of harm to trespassers.
Products Liability
Companies that sell goods to the public have a duty to ensure their products are designed and manufactured with safety in mind. When dangerous or defective products reach the market, their manufacturers can be held legally liable for any injuries that result.
Personal injury lawyers handle product liability lawsuits and often involve products such as:
- Toys
- Medical devices
- Pharmaceutical products
- Tools and machinery
- Auto parts
- Pesticides and other chemical products.
A successful product liability case starts with a personal injury attorney with specialized training and experience in product liability law.
Medical Malpractice and Negligence
Medical malpractice happens when a healthcare provider fails to act with the duty of care that another provider in their position would. For example, suppose a doctor prescribes the wrong medication. In that case, if a nurse administers an incorrect dosage of medication or a surgeon leaves a tool in a patient’s abdomen, it can be said they failed in their duty and should be liable for their actions.
Healthcare professionals are held to high standards, but medical malpractice cases can sometimes be difficult to prove. These cases often require a legal team with significant experience in this area. Lawyers with a track record in medical malpractice will often hire experts and obtain testimony from other providers about what could or should have been done.
Nursing Home Neglect
The same high standards are also held to professionals in nursing home settings. Disturbingly, about 80% of nursing home workers admit witnessing abuse and neglect at their facilities. If a beloved family member experiences neglect, abuse, or mistreatment at their care facility, families can pursue a claim for compensation from the nursing home facility.
Personal injury lawyers with experience in this area can explain what your legal options are and how to hold the provider liable in court.
Dog Bites
Florida is a strict liability state when it comes to dog bites. This means that if a dog bit you in a public place or when you were legally on the property of another, the dog owner is responsible for the damages you’ve suffered. The owner can be held legally liable for payment of your medical bills, rehabilitation, and any other costs due to the incident.
Under the rules of strict liability, a plaintiff does not need to show negligence on the dog owner’s part. The mere fact that it was their dog, you were attacked, and you were not trespassing on their property is typically enough to win your dog bite claim. Florida personal injury lawyers frequently handle dog bite cases, which happen more often than you would think.
Other Potential Personal Injury Claims
Some other categories of claims a personal injury lawyer can handle might include:
- Workers’ compensation
- Assault, including sexual assault
- Traumatic brain injuries
- Exposure to known carcinogens, such as asbestos
- Wrongful death
- Construction accidents.
As you can see, many different situations can lead to a claim your personal injury lawyer would handle in the Orlando, Florida, area.
Contact Our Orlando Personal Injury Law Group to Discuss Your Claim Today
Accidents happen, but you have legal options if you are injured due to someone else’s carelessness. Our experienced Orlando legal team is here to listen and help you move forward with your personal injury claim. To learn more, contact the Payer Personal Injury Lawyers at (407) 648-1510 to schedule your free consultation and take the next step forward.
