An accident can destroy your life in a moment. The injuries you suffer can cause you to miss out on your favorite activities and leave you with physical and mental scars. When an accident happens due to the negligence of another, you may have the option of pursuing compensation for medical bills, lost wages, and other expenses related to the incident.
The team of personal injury lawyers at Nessler & Associates can assist you with filing a claim to seek a settlement for your injuries. We have more than 40 years of combined experience with personal injury cases, helping victims navigate the claims process and representing them at trial.
Our lawyers aggressively pursue a settlement on your behalf if you were injured in an accident. Learn the common causes of personal injury cases we represent, what damages you can seek, and how a personal injury lawyer can help.
What are the Common Causes of Personal Injury?
The legal team at Nessler & Associates helps accident victims collect damages from negligent parties. Causes of injuries that often involve negligence or misconduct include car accidents, slip-and-fall accidents, drowning, medical malpractice, and dog bites.
Vehicle Accidents
Auto accidents frequently cause severe injuries. In 2020, Florida averaged 933 vehicle crashes per day. These accidents resulted in 3,332 deaths and 15,614 incapacitating injuries, like spinal cord injuries, traumatic brain injuries, broken bones, and disfigurement.
Auto accidents involving motorcycles and commercial trucks can lead to more severe injuries than passenger cars. Multiple parties, such as the driver, trucking company, or parts manufacturers, are often liable in truck accidents, making these cases more complex.
At Nessler & Associates, our personal injury attorneys have years of experience handling car accident cases in Florida. We can help you understand your rights after an injury collision and how to seek compensation.
For example, we can help you file a claim with your personal injury protection (PIP) insurance and seek an additional settlement with the other driver’s insurance if your medical expenses exceed the $10,000 PIP limit.
Slip-and-Fall
Slip-and-fall accidents can injure your brain, spinal cord, bones, and joints. These accidents occur when you slip on wet floors, icy sidewalks, or loose rugs. In Florida, premises liabilities laws require property owners to reasonably prevent these issues and warn visitors of known hazards.
If dangerous conditions on public or private property caused your accident, you might be able to seek compensation for your injuries with the help of Nessler & Associates.
Defective Product
Products can have design flaws or suffer defects in manufacturing. Some of these defects can cause significant injury or illness for users. For example, people exposed to the weed-killer Roundup have suffered abdominal pain, dizziness, and kidney failure. When the product maker knows of the problem but fails to warn consumers, it may be grounds for a product liability lawsuit.
Florida personal injury law allows you to seek compensation from these negligent manufacturers. Nessler & Associates has represented clients in the following product liability cases and can work with you if you suffered injury or a loved one dies because of faulty or dangerous products:
- 3M earplugs
- Hernia mesh
- talcum/baby powder
- Roundup exposure
- Phillips CPAP
- Zantac
- Mesothelioma and asbestos
Medical Malpractice
Medical malpractice occurs when a medical provider’s negligent care results in a personal injury. Common medical malpractice cases involve a birth injury to a mother or her child, surgical mistakes, and medication errors that cause life-long damage and high recovery costs.
The medical malpractice attorneys from Nessler & Associates can investigate your claim. We can help you obtain a letter from a medical expert with relevant experience to show your provider acted negligently and help you pursue compensation for yourself, your child or another loved one.
Dog Bites
Dog bites can damage skin, muscle, connective tissue, and bone. This damage can affect your ability to use your hands, arms, or legs and leave disfiguring scars on your body. Florida makes dog owners liable for all bite injuries to people legally on the dog owner’s property or in public. The state makes an exception for the owner’s property when the owner posts a “Bad Dog” sign.
The dedicated team at Nessler & Associates can help you seek a settlement for damages incurred due to a dog attack. We can help you recoup the cost of medical treatment and lost wages and earn compensation for non-quantifiable damages like emotional distress or anxiety caused by your experience.
What Kinds of Damages Can You Collect?
A Nessler & Associates personal injury lawyer can help you collect economic and non-economic damages for your personal injury accident. Typically, we will pursue compensation through an insurance company settlement.
If the insurance company refuses to settle for a fair amount or denies your claim, we can also help you seek damages in a personal injury lawsuit. Damages you can seek in Florida include economic, non-economic, and pursue punitive damages.
Economic Damages
Economic damages provide compensation for calculable costs related to the accident. These costs might include:
- Medical bills
- Ongoing medical treatment
- Lost wages
- Assistive devices
- Attendant care
- Long-term care
- Medication
- Loss of income if you cannot return to work
Non-Economic Damages
Non-economic damages provide for the intangible losses your injury causes. These losses can affect your relationships, mental health, or ability to enjoy your life. Non-economic damages include:
- Physical pain and suffering
- Mental anguish
- Emotional distress
- Loss of ability to participate in your usual activities
- The inconvenience of a debilitating injury
- Your family’s loss of parental guidance, love, care, affection, and help around the house
Punitive Damages
Punitive damages, sometimes called exemplary damages, are intended to punish a malicious or willfully negligent party. They are rare in personal injury cases; however, you might seek punitive damages if you are hit by a drunk driver or suffer injuries from a dangerous product. The state of Florida limits punitive damages to $500,000 in most cases.
The personal injury team with Nessler & Associates fights to get fair financial awards for our clients. We always seek to maximize your insurance settlement. We also use our considerable trial experience and resources to obtain favorable jury verdicts.
How Can a Florida Personal Injury Attorney Help Win Your Case?
A Florida personal injury lawyer with Nessler & Associates can help you get the compensation you deserve. We can investigate your injury, determine your damages, negotiate with the insurance company, and represent you in court.
We Investigate the Circumstances Surrounding Your Injury
Our legal team assembles evidence of the accident that injured you. In some cases, the defendant’s insurance company starts investigating within hours of the accident. You need a skilled team of investigators in your corner. The evidence we look for might include:
- Video of the accident
- Interviews with you and other people involved
- Witness interviews
- Photos of the accident site, injuries, and property damage
- Medical records
- Receipts for all of your expenses related to the accident
- Results of an independent medical exam
We Calculate the Damages You Suffered
We use the evidence we collect to determine what constitutes a fair settlement. We use receipts, pay stubs, and medical reports to calculate economic damages. We factor the severity of your injury and the length of time it will affect you into the intangible losses.
Florida uses pure comparative negligence to decide damage awards. This law reduces the amount of damages you collect by the proportion of fault you bear for the accident. For example, if you were speeding and got into an accident in which the other driver was drunk, you may be 20% at fault. In this case, any compensation you win would be reduced by 20%.
We Negotiate with Insurance Companies
We have extensive experience negotiating with insurance companies. Our lawyers make sure to file all paperwork promptly. Florida law allows four years from the date of the injury to file most personal injury claims.
The state would allow more time if the at-fault party concealed information regarding your injury. We know tactics they use to deny claims or reduce settlement amounts and can usually agree on a settlement outside of court.
We Represent You in Court
If the insurance company refuses to accept a fair settlement offer, we can appear in court on your behalf. We can hire expert witnesses to support your case. These witnesses include medical and financial experts, accident reconstructionists, and experts in product liability.
We will help the jury see how this injury has impacted your life. We will challenge defense witnesses who try to discredit your claim and fight for your right to a fair verdict.
Connect with Experienced Florida Personal Injury Lawyers at Nessler & Associates
If you were injured in Florida due to someone else’s negligence, you may be entitled to compensation. A personal injury case can be a lengthy process but may be worth the compensation you recover.
The personal injury law firm of Nessler & Associates has years of experience helping victims of careless actions. We know how the harm you suffered can impact your physical and mental health and affects your ability to provide financially for yourself and your family.
Nessler & Associates offers representation to accident victims without upfront fees, and you don’t pay until we win a judgment or settlement in your case. We have a successful track record, winning millions for our clients. National organizations have recognized our award-winning attorneys for outstanding work. You can take advantage of our experience for your claim.
Contact us online or at (800) 727-8010 to schedule a free consultation. We can tell you which options you have for proceeding with your case.