Maximize Your Florida Personal Injury Case With Us
Hiring a personal injury attorney after you have been injured is an important step toward getting back on your feet both physically and financially after a car accident or a slip and fall. Call us to schedule your free consultation to discuss your injury lawsuit and its potential value with a Lakeland personal injury lawyer today.
Common Injuries From Accidents
Injuries that frequently occur in accidents include:
- spinal cord injuries
- bulging or herniated discs
- pinched nerves or nerve damage
- broken bones (arm, hip, knee, leg, ankle) or torn ligaments (knee and shoulder)
- blunt force trauma or crush injuries
- head injury or traumatic brain injury
- injuries to internal organs or internal bleeding
- soft tissue sprains and strains
- rotator cuff tears
- tissue inflammation or swelling
- muscle injury
- burn injuries from fires or explosions
Emergency Medical Care
When you have an injury from an accident, the first thing you should do is get the appropriate emergency medical care that you need. If you have a life threatening condition, a hospital with an emergency department is required by federal (EMTALA) and Florida law (section 395.1041, Fla. Stat.) to provide you with treatment regardless of the ability to pay for care or how difficult or expensive to treat. You may need emergency surgery or medication that could save your life. You should not hesitate to get emergency care that you need.
Where Should I Get Medical Treatment For My Injury?
You should choose where to go based on the severity of your injury. If your injury is serious and life threatening, you should go to a certified trauma center such as Lakeland Regional Health Medical Center (Level II trauma) if possible. A hospital that is not a certified trauma center may not have the ability to adequately treat you for a serious condition and may cost valuable time in a transfer to a qualified hospital where you can be properly diagnosed and treated. The closest Level I trauma centers are located at Tampa General Hospital and Orlando Regional Medical Center. If your injury or illness is serious enough, you will be transferred from a Level II trauma center to Tampa or Orlando for specialized care.
If your injury is not life threatening but you are in severe pain, an urgent care clinic of your choice is probably the best choice for immediate relief with follow-up care with a specialist. Finally, if nothing is broken and your injury is a sprain or strain type injury, then you may want to just make an appointment to see an outpatient medical clinic or chiropractor during their business hours.
Getting Advanced Care From A Specialist
- mechanical spinal traction
- cortisone injections
- epidural steroid injections
- advanced imaging such as MRI or CT scans
- EEG or nerve conduction studies
- medial branch nerve blocks and radio-frequency ablation or laser neurotomy
- electrical muscle stimulation
- arthroscopy and ligament repair
- neck or back surgery, including discectomy, laminectomy, disc replacement, and fusion
Compensation For Your Medical Bills
After receiving medical care, you may be left with significant balances to pay even after car insurance, health insurance, Medicare, or Medicaid have all paid their portions. Hiring a Lakeland personal injury attorney can help you recoup these expenses as well as obtain compensation for:
- pain and suffering
- inconvenience
- missed time from work and loss of future earning capacity
- disability in the past and future
- loss of capacity for the enjoyment of life
- damages to your marriage (consortium)
Move Your Personal Injury Case Forward With Legal Counsel
Hiring an injury attorney will get your case started and moving forward. After you have received medical treatment, you know that the bill is coming and you know that you are going to have to do something about it. A personal injury attorney can help you determine whether you can pay it and how you can pay it. This is also the time to begin the investigation into your case and preserve critical evidence if need be. The attorney that you hire will contact the responsible parties or insurance companies to place them on notice of your claim and request applicable policy information under Florida law. This information will be critical in putting together an appropriate strategy for your case.
As a Lakeland personal injury lawyer, I have handled many different cases that involve car accidents, truck accidents, motorcycle accidents, slip and fall or trip and fall injuries on dangerous conditions, product liability, burn or scalding injuries, dog bites, and injuries to children at daycare. Each different type of case should be investigated appropriately to preserve evidence for your case. In some cases, the first thing your attorney will often do is visit the scene of the accident to look for crucial evidence even while you are still in the hospital. You may also need someone to get photographs while the condition that hurt you still exists or before the other vehicle involved in the collision has been disposed of.
All of this can be a lot to organize and handle. When you work with a personal injury attorney in Lakeland, Florida, we help you with these things and create value within your case.
Our firm, for example, has a team of professionals who will help manage this entire process for you so that you can focus on what’s important, which is recovering from your serious injuries. While it may be possible for you to deal with things at this point, one unfortunate truth of the matter is that any mistakes made at this juncture can prove to be incredibly costly. An experienced personal injury lawyer in Lakeland, FL knows how to avoid any missteps. You should act to preserve your legal rights and options.
Read more to learn more about specific terms used in Florida personal injury cases.
Contact a Lakeland Personal Injury Attorney for a Free Case Review Today
Working with a personal injury attorney in Lakeland, FL to review your case will provide you with a foundation of knowledge on which you can base your decision regarding how to move forward.
You have absolutely nothing to risk by meeting with our firm. It’s time to do what’s necessary, which is to allow a personal injury lawyer in Lakeland, FL to provide you with the advice you need so you can get back to life as it should be.
If you or a family member has suffered a personal injury, please contact Russo Law to discuss the merits of your case with a personal injury attorney. The facts and circumstances of every personal injury case are unique. A consultation with a Lakeland personal injury lawyer is free. Representing you is our privilege.
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Quick Answers to Common Personal Injury Questions
☑ Should I go to the ER?Yes-if you are hurting and think that something might be broken or something is causing serious pain, you should go to the ER for treatment. The ER cannot turn you away even if you don’t have any health insurance and can’t pay the bill.
The answer to this question depends on a number of factors including how the accident happened, how severe the injury is, and whether there is a “deep pocket” to collect from.
More information on the value of a personal injury case in Florida
For a personal injury case in Florida, you generally have 4 years from the date of your injury to file a lawsuit.
Traditional medicine typically recommends only medication or surgery (sometimes both). On the other hand, chiropractic is a “holistic” approach to healing. A chiropractor will attempt adjustments on your body and will try in-house physical therapy to help you regain your stride after an injury.
Insurance companies deny claims in hopes that people will just go away. Even if there was some degree of comparative fault to your case, your injury happened for a reason and may not have happened at all if proper precaution had been taken to prevent injuries from happening in the first place.
Yes. Florida recognizes a cause of action for making an existing injury worse.
Maybe. In general, a personal injury plaintiff cannot recover attorney fees, however, you may get your attorney fees and costs paid if you filed a proposal for settlement (or offer of judgment) and the jury verdict was at least 25% greater than what was proposed.
Read Our Blog For More
For recent legal topics, please see our personal injury blog or see our FAQ page. We are here to assist clients with personal injury matters in Polk County including Lakeland and Winter Haven, Florida.