Yes. After being injured in an accident, personal injury victims can negotiate an increased settlement amount with an attorney by their side. A personal injury lawyer with legal insights and strong representation skills can help you get the maximum compensation from the insurer.
The scenario goes like this.
You got injured in an accident. Now an insurance adjuster calls you to offer a settlement for your injuries and losses. Should you accept it in the very first go? Or should you consult a lawyer first? This is the dilemma almost every injured victim in Central Florida goes through. And the answer is backed by decades of data and proof. Always consult an attorney before you talk to the insurance adjuster.
At Abercrombie, P.A., the expert team of personal injury lawyer Winter Park has been fighting for victims’ personal injury rights for decades, ensuring they receive a fair settlement for their injuries and losses.
Numbers Don’t Lie
Insurance companies track the cases closely. As per the Insurance Research Council, victims with attorneys by their side are more likely to recover 3.5 times more than those who don’t. This is no assumption.
According to legal researchers, claimants with legal representation have received average payouts of around $77,600. On the contrary, the unrepresented victims got compensation closer to $17,600. The gap exists even after the lawyer receives the fee.
A person without a personal injury lawyer Winter Park can’t usually build a solid claim. They can’t question the insurer as an attorney does, backed by proof and information. And the offer reflects the reality. A victim without an attorney is stressed, exhausted, and overwhelmed. The victim just wants to get over the process. The insurer understands that and plans the proposal accordingly. The offer is sometimes so early, in the middle of nowhere, the victim’s party accepts it even without giving it a second thought. A lawyer changes the calculation from the first phone call.
Florida Law Made this More Complicated
In 2023, Florida amended its comparative negligence law.
The modification came through House Bill 837, and it rewrote Florida Statute § 768.81. Under the modified law, if the accident victim is found more than 50% at fault for an accident, the victim can recover no compensation.
When the share of fault is 50% or below, the payout just gets reduced in proportion to the degree of fault. In case you have gone one percentage over the line, you lose the chance.
Before 2023, the fights happened over how much you would recover. Now, the fight is about whether you can recover or not.
The same law has also cut the deadline short. Injured people used to have four years to file a personal injury case. Now, the timeline has been reduced to 2 years. According to the amended version of Florida Statute § 95.11, if you wait too long, the door closes.
At this point, you don’t want to face the situation alone, with a pile of medical bills and no legal background. An experienced personal injury attorney guides you to cross the legal maze successfully.
What an Attorney Actually Does for You
An attorney calculates the potential settlement value. Medical bills are easy to calculate. Pain and suffering isn’t. Insurers know which point to talk about. Most victims in an overwhelmed state accept whatever number they’ve been offered.
A personal injury lawyer Winter Park knows how to calculate the price based on your injuries in the long term, not just the bills of the present time.
An attorney handles the PIP right. Florida operates on a no-fault system. Before you approach your at-fault driver, your PIP benefits must be right on point. If this is messed up, the rest of the process can shrink or delay.
The clock acts as a key tool. Time changes the patterns of behaviour.
Insurance companies negotiate differently based on the potential and certainty of the lawsuits. Fighting your insurance company while you’re sick can be extremely exhausting. Consulting an attorney is a wise move at this point.
The Law Game is the Same Everywhere
The game is the same everywhere, be it in Winter Park or Winter Haven.
Insurers evaluate your claim based on the risk. A represented victim is a courtroom risk while a person without representation is an easy bargain.
Knowledge of local law is a key advantage. Attorneys know how insurers act. The legal professionals also know where you are from. A personal injury lawyer with experience in Central Florida cases usually observes the behavioral traits of insurance adjusters that an attorney from a different town or area may not see.
What About the Attorney Fee?
The attorney fee is something victims worry about the most. After an accident, the victim’s party suffers a financial crisis followed by treatment costs, physical pain and suffering, property damage, and loss of income and earning capacity, among other losses and damages. At this point, the attorney fee seems to be an extra burden. The Florida law is different. But it requires the assistance of an attorney to be aware of the law. In most cases, the victims, even without knowing the law, make mistakes like not consulting an attorney. But the reality is different.
Even after a standard contingency fee, represented victims still tend to get more than what unrepresented claimants receive. The attorney fee doesn’t reduce the advantage. It only takes a slice of a much bigger chunk. Therefore, it’s advised to contact an attorney when claiming compensation for injuries and losses caused by a personal injury accident.
Bottom Line
An attorney not only files the claim but can change the entire negotiation, from the very beginning. If you’re injured in an accident across Central Florida, don’t guess your claim’s worth. Get a free consultation at Abercrombie, P.A.; pay only after you win. With the help of an attorney, find out what your settlement is actually worth.
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