If you’ve suffered injuries or lost a close family member in an accident in Fort Walton Beach, Florida, it’s time to call Gross & Schuster Injury Lawyers As a victim; you have the ability to take legal action against the person (or parties) responsible for your injuries and suffering. However, the road to recovery is rarely easy. Our Fort Walton Beach personal injury lawyers can offer the experience and resources you’ll need to not only win your case but maximize your financial recovery.
Since 1981, our Fort Walton Beach attorneys have been tireless advocates for injury victims and families in Fort Walton Beach and throughout northwestern Florida. As recognized leaders in personal injury litigation, we’re known for taking on powerful corporations and not backing down until our clients have received the monetary justice they need to move forward with their lives. The results: millions of dollars in settlements and jury awards.
Benefit from a team of award-winning trial attorneys with over 75 years of combined experience by calling our Fort Walton Beach, FL, law office today at (850) 604-3844. There is no charge for your initial case evaluation.
How Gross & Schuster Injury Lawyers Helps Injury Victims and Families in Fort Walton Beach, FL
Insurance will typically be your first source of compensation after an accident in Fort Walton Beach, FL. However, you can’t trust the insurance company with your future.
Whether it’s your provider or a third party, they will not put your best interests front and center.
In fact, they’ll use every trick in the book to keep you from getting the compensation you deserve.
You can protect yourself and set the stage for success by trusting our Fort Walton Beach personal injury lawyers to fight for you.
At Gross & Schuster Injury Lawyers, we’re recognized as AV-Preeminent trial attorneys by Martindale-Hubbell, members of the Multi-Million Dollar Advocates Forum, and Board Certified by the Florida Bar. We appreciate how much is at stake for you right now, and we’re ready to invest the full force of our law firm’s experience and resources into your fight for compensation.
When you ask for our help, we’ll be ready to take charge of your personal injury case:
- Carefully investigate your accident and injuries so that we can fully appreciate what happened, how it could have potentially been avoided, and who’s at fault
- Evaluate evidence gathered during the discovery process, including medical records, police and accident reports, eyewitness statements, forensics reports, and video footage
- Work closely with respected experts in fields relevant to your specific case
- Assess your damages and determine what your personal injury claim is worth
- Ensure your claim satisfies applicable procedural requirements established by Florida state law
- Anticipate attempts to shift blame and derail your fight for compensation
- Force the insurance company to make you a significant settlement offer or take their chances against our top-rated trial attorneys in an Okaloosa County court
Don’t settle for less than you deserve. Let us put the full force of our personal injury law firm in Fort Walton Beach behind your fight for compensation.
We offer a free consultation. Call our Fort Walton Beach law personal injury lawyers to get started today.
Why Should I Hire a Personal Injury Attorney?
Insurance companies don’t want you to hire an attorney because they know you’re more likely to win your personal injury case. You also have better odds of walking away with a higher financial award when you’re represented by an attorney.
Here’s why:
- You force the insurance company to ditch their bad faith tactics and engage in productive settlement negotiations
- You put experts and specialists in your corner, which gives your case the support it needs to be successful
- Unsupported claims of contributory negligence won’t be successful
- You’ll be able to make informed decisions about whether to accept the insurance company’s settlement offer because you’ll know what your damages are worth
Hiring an attorney levels the playing field. Choosing Gross & Schuster Injury Lawyers as your law firm puts you in the position to get the top-dollar financial recovery you deserve.
Our Fort Walton Beach Personal Injury Practice Areas
At Gross & Schuster Injury Lawyers, we have decades of experience representing injury victims and families in all types of personal injury disputes, including:
Car Accidents
Whether you’re involved in a rollover collision, a rear-end crash, or a head-on collision, the consequences of an auto accident in Fort Walton Beach can be catastrophic. You have the right to seek compensation from an insurance company or a third party, but the road to recovery won’t be easy. Our Fort Walton Beach car accident lawyers will help you take on the insurance company and force them to pay the benefits you need to move forward with your life.
Truck Accidents
Even though trucks are subject to several state and federal safety regulations, accidents involving big rigs, semi-trucks, and other large commercial vehicles are all too common. Our Fort Walton Beach truck accident lawyers have decades of experience investigating truck crashes, gathering key pieces of evidence, and helping victims recover life-changing awards from negligent truckers.
Bus Accidents
Buses can be a great way to navigate a bustling city like Fort Walton Beach, but they’re not always the safest form of transportation. Bus accidents can happen when drivers become distracted, lack necessary safety training, or drive unsafe vehicles. Our bus accident lawyers in Fort Walton Beach can help you hold the bus driver and/or the bus company fully accountable when their negligence causes an accident.
Dog Bites
When a dog attacks, it can cause puncture wounds, broken bones, and other serious physical injuries. Many dog bites are even fatal. In Florida, dog owners can be held strictly liable if the animal attacks another person. In some situations, our Fort Walton Beach dog bite attorneys can help victims seek compensation from other parties, including property owners, where the dog attack happened.
Wrongful Death
When an accident is fatal, the victim’s surviving family members may reserve the right to seek compensation from a negligent motorist, an insurance company, a vehicle manufacturer, or another liable party. Our Fort Walton Beach wrongful death lawyers provide the level of support families need during these difficult times.
How Much Does it Cost to Hire a Personal Injury Attorney?
Accidents are expensive enough without the added cost of an attorney. Fortunately, you can get the legal assistance you need without extra financial stress and pressure. When you choose Gross & Schuster Injury Lawyers, you’ll pay absolutely nothing unless our personal injury attorneys in Fort Walton Beach win compensation for you.
We are so confident we can have an impact on your fight for compensation that we’re willing to stake our fees on the results. We’ll front the costs of litigation, too.
When we win your personal injury claim, our firm will recover a set percentage of your financial recovery. Typically, this is anywhere between one-third and 40 percent, less any case-related expenses.
At the end of the day, it means you get the help you need without paying anything out-of-pocket.
Contact our Fort Walton Beach law office to discuss your personal injury case today. Your initial case evaluation is free.
What Types of Damages Can Be Awarded to Fort Walton Beach Accident Victims?
While there are some exceptions, plaintiffs in Florida personal injury disputes can generally seek compensatory damages from an insurer or another liable party.
Compensatory damages fall into two categories: economic and non-economic.
Economic damages help you deal with the realized or projected financial costs you experience as a victim, which might include:
- Current medical bills
- Future medical expenses
- Rehabilitation
- Disability
- Lost wages
- Diminished earning capacity
- Out-of-pocket expenses
- Nursing care
- Property damage
- Costs of a funeral
Non-economic damages aim to offset the more difficult-to-value struggles associated with accidents, such as:
- Pain and suffering
- Mental anguish
- Loss of consortium
- Reduced quality of life
- Embarrassment
- Physical disfigurement and scarring
- Chronic physical pain
Our personal injury lawyers in Fort Walton Beach won’t let the defense downplay your injuries, minimize your suffering, or use underhanded tactics to limit your financial recovery. We’ll bring in expert witnesses to help us investigate your case, evaluate key pieces of evidence, and ultimately build a legal claim that helps you get every cent you deserve.
How Much Is My Personal Injury Case Worth?
There is no standard value for personal injury cases. Every case is wildly different. At the end of the day, the things that make your situation unique are what will drive how much your personal injury claim might be worth.
Some key elements in valuation include:
- How you suffered your injuries
- What type of physical injuries you’ve sustained
- The part(s) of your body that’s been affected
- Permanent and/or temporary disability
- Changes in your earning capacity or income
- Contributory negligence
- Your age and life expectancy
- Available insurance benefits and applicable policy limits
- Attempts to mitigate damages
It’s important to have a sense of how much money your personal injury case might be worth. That way, you’ll know whether an insurance company is trying to lowball you or if their settlement offer is fair.
Call Gross & Schuster Injury Lawyers, and we can help you not only realize the value of your claim but fight for the full recovery you deserve.
Can Shared Fault Adversely Affect My Florida Personal Injury Settlement?
Yes. Florida’s modified comparative negligence statute applies to most personal injury disputes. As a result, sharing blame for your accident (or resulting injuries) can limit or potentially prevent a financial recovery.
Damages are prohibited when your share of the blame exceeds 50 percent. You can receive a reduced monetary award when your liability is equal to or less than half.
The reduction in damages is proportionate to fault. The more fault you share, the less compensation you can get from an insurance company or a negligent third party.
Our Florida personal injury attorneys in Fort Walton Beach will be prepared to challenge victim-blaming tactics and claims of contributory fault.
Personal Injury FAQ
What is the Statute of Limitations For Personal Injury Lawsuits in Florida?
The vast majority of personal injury lawsuits are subject to a strict two-year statute of limitations. This gives you until the second anniversary of your accident or family member’s wrongful death to seek damages for your costs, injuries, and trauma.
Once the statute of limitations runs out, you will no longer have the ability to demand accountability from a negligent party or an insurance company.
What’s Negligence and How Can I Prove It?
Negligence is the most common cause of action for personal injury claims in Florida. Essentially, it means one party’s unreasonable actions caused another person’s injury or death.
Proving negligence will be essential to the success of your personal injury case.
You must establish the following elements:
- Duty: the defendant owed you a duty of care (e.g., to drive safely and in accordance with local traffic laws)
- Breach: the defendant’s unreasonable actions resulted in a breach of the duty owed to you (e.g., they were texting and driving)
- Causation: the defendant’s actions caused an accident in which you were injured or suffered the death of a family member (e.g., they didn’t see the light had turned red and caused a collision in the intersection)
- Damages: you’ve suffered identifiable damages, such as medical expenses, lost income, and emotional distress
Your goal is to demonstrate that you would not have gotten hurt if the defendant had acted with appropriate caution.
You’ll need evidence to prove your negligence case.
Depending on the underlying circumstances of your injuries, helpful evidence might include:
- Medical records
- Accident reports
- Maintenance and inspection reports
- Witness statements
- Forensics reports
- Photographs
- Video footage
- Cell phone records
- Hiring and training policies
Don’t stress about how to prove negligence or what evidence will best support your claim. Our personal injury lawyers in FWB, FL, have decades of collective experience building successful negligence actions. Call our law office to find out how we can help you prove negligence in your personal injury case, too.
What Are Florida Personal Injury Laws?
In Florida, personal injury laws protect individuals who are injured or experience the tragic death of family members in avoidable accidents and acts of violence. As a victim, you can bring a tort action against another party to recover compensation for your damages, which might include medical bills, lost wages, and emotional distress.
Most tort actions are based on negligence, strict liability, or intentional misconduct. Regardless of the cause of action, Florida law requires a plaintiff (the person who was injured) to prove their case by a preponderance of the evidence. Simply put, the plaintiff’s case has to be more likely true than not when supported by facts and evidence.
Plaintiffs are entitled to damages unless they share most of the blame for their injuries. Under Florida’s comparative negligence law, financial recovery is disallowed when liability is equal to or greater than 51 percent.
While most personal injury lawsuits settle privately, Florida gives victims the right to a jury trial if a settlement can’t be reached. When personal injury disputes go to trial, a jury can award compensatory damages and punitive damages if they’re warranted. Punitive awards are reserved for the most serious situations, typically involving intentionally harmful actions or gross negligence.
Will My Personal Injury Case Go to Trial?
It’s possible. Roughly four to five percent of personal injury cases end up in front of a jury.
Several factors can influence whether or not your personal injury lawsuit is likely to go to trial:
- How strong is the evidence supporting your case?
- Is the insurance company willing to negotiate the terms of a settlement agreement?
- How far apart are the parties in terms of valuation?
- Are you represented by a personal injury attorney in Fort Walton Beach?
Believe it or not, one of the best ways to force meaningful settlement talks and decrease the chances of going to court is by hiring an experienced Florida trial attorney to represent you. When the insurance company sees an award-winning litigator on the other side, they’ll think twice before handling your claim in bad faith or attempting to stand between you and the money you deserve. Instead, they’ll be inclined to negotiate with your attorney to end the claim and avoid the cost, expense, and stress of a trial.
How Long Will My Personal Injury Lawsuit Take?
It depends. When a personal injury case settles, it can resolve in anywhere from a few weeks to a few months. Expect a longer turnaround when you bring your case to trial. When a jury decides your case, expect to wait a year or longer for a resolution.
The best way to accelerate the claims process and achieve the results you need is by putting an experienced personal injury lawyer in your corner. Your attorney will be your biggest advocate and apply the pressure that’s needed to resolve your dispute and secure a life-changing monetary award on your behalf.
What Should I Do After an Accident in Fort Walton Beach, FL?
The decisions you make after an accident in Fort Walton Beach, Florida, will impact everything from your health to your future to your ability to recover compensation through a personal injury claim.
Set the stage for success by keeping these dos and don’ts in mind after you get hurt:
- Report the accident to the appropriate party, which might include the policy, the property owner, and/or an employer
- Seek prompt medical attention for your injuries, even if you don’t think you’ve been badly hurt
- Document the scene of the accident to the best of your ability by taking pictures and recording video footage
- Get the names and numbers of witnesses and other parties
- Refuse to take the blame for the accident, even if you think you might be at fault
- Resist accepting the insurance company’s first settlement offer, especially if you haven’t consulted an attorney
The sooner you call an experienced Fort Walton Beach personal injury attorney for help, the better. At Gross & Schuster Injury Lawyers, we know that accidents are inconvenient and stressful. You deserve help whenever it happens – morning, noon, or night. That’s why our team is always available to help. Contact our Fort Walton Beach law office to discuss your personal injury case today.
Contact Our Experienced Fort Walton Beach Personal Injury Lawyers For Help Today
Someone else was careless, and now you’re struggling with painful injuries and stressing over your financial situation. Don’t let the person who caused your injuries to walk away without consequence. Call Gross & Schuster Injury Lawyers, and trust our Fort Walton Beach personal injury lawyers to hold them accountable for the full extent of the harm they’ve caused.
We’re award-winning Florida litigators with over 75 years of experience. We’ve dedicated our careers to helping everyday people stand up to powerful insurance companies when things go wrong. The results: millions of dollars in monetary awards.
Now, our top-rated legal team is here to help you make the most of your fight for compensation. Contact us today at our law office in Fort Walton Beach, FL, to set a time for a free case evaluation now.