What Kind of Settlement Can a Florida Personal Injury Attorney Help You Secure?

Settlements and verdicts in personal injury cases can cover multiple kinds of costs and losses you’ve suffered, including:

Medical Bills

The high cost of healthcare in the United States can bankrupt families and put individuals into inescapable debt. When you are injured by someone else’s negligence, you have the right to sue for the cost of:

• Emergency transportation in an ambulance
• Hospital stays of any duration
• Surgeries needed to save your life or repair injuries
• All medications and other costs billed (bandages, IVs, hospital gowns and socks)
• Any necessary follow-up treatment, physical therapy, and the cost of transportation to these appointments

You should not incur medical debt as the result of someone else’s actions. A lawsuit can place the responsibility of payment on the liable party, instead of on you and your loved ones.

Lost Wages

An injury that interrupts your income can compound financial worries at a time when you need to focus on healing. A Florida personal injury lawsuit can help cover job-related losses like:

• Lost wages from work missed or sick/vacation time used up
• Unemployment or demotion if the injury makes you incapable of performing your job temporarily or permanently
• Loss of benefits like health insurance coverage, retirement contributions, and bonuses

If an injury derails your career, that can represent both an economic loss in your earning capacity, as well as a psychological loss when your purpose or identity in the work you do is lost. See the next section for other types of non-economic, emotional losses.

Pain & Suffering

For losses that don’t come with receipts like hospital bills or W-2 employment forms, your Florida personal injury lawyer from Osborne & Francis can help your recover for:

• “Invisible” medical conditions like PTSD, depression, and anxiety
• The loss of marriage health (known legally as consortium) or stability for your children
• Profound emotional harm like grief, anguish, and anger over what has been done to your health and your life

The law recognizes psychological harm as real and deserving of compensation. You need a lawyer who is experienced in translating these unseen damages into financial figures the court can award.

Additional Compensation

In some instances when cases go to trial, a judge or jury has the discretion to issue punitive damages. Also known as “punishment” damages, these fees are meant to penalize the defendant for gross negligence, extreme recklessness, or other outrageous conduct. In personal injury cases, this may be done for extreme circumstances like:

• A repeat DUI offender who crashed into your car while drunk driving
• A malicious attack or a clear choice to ignore cries for help
• Hiding information you needed in order to conceal wrongdoing, as may be done in medical malpractice cases to avoid consequences after making a mistake

Most personal injury cases settle before a full trial is needed, which often means a faster resolution for your family. However, for cases that do go to trial, additional compensation like punitive damages can increase the amount of your award and help provide greater financial security.

Wrongful Death Damages

An injury that causes or contributes to a person’s untimely death is considered wrongful death under the law. The death of a loved one as the result of negligence is a particularly traumatic experience. Legal treatment of such an event attempts to compensate for:

• The loss of companionship and the anguish experienced by surviving family members 
• The loss of economic support, especially in cases where the deceased was the sole or main breadwinner for a household
• Burial, funeral, and estate closure costs associated with the person’s Will or property

At Osborne & Francis, we work diligently to guide our clients through the legal system with compassion and respect after the death of a loved one.