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Powell, Powell & Powell, P.A.

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Category: Personal Injury

Understanding Wrongful Death Claims in Florida

While most accidents result in only minor injuries, some accidents tragically result in death. For the family members and loved ones left behind, this can be emotionally devastating and present a financial crisis. While nothing can undo what has happened, there are steps that the surviving family members can take to protect their future. If you have lost a loved one in an accident, an experienced personal injury attorney can help you find a way forward.

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“How Am I Going to Pay My Bills?”

One of the biggest sources of anxiety for accident victims is how they are going to pay their bills. Not only do they face significant medical expenses and the cost of repairing or replacing their vehicle, but they may be unable to work due to their injuries. Unexpected, unbudgeted expenses plus a sudden loss of income can put most people into a financial crisis. If you have suffered a serious injury in an accident, pursuing a legal claim may be your only option for recovering the compensation you need. An experienced personal injury lawyer can help you rebuild your life and hold the responsible party accountable.

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Personal Injury Claims: What You Need to Know About Filing a Lawsuit

While it is true that most personal injury cases settle without going to trial, there are many claims where filing a lawsuit becomes necessary. This may be because the other party or their insurance company refuses to settle for a reasonable amount or because you need to protect your rights. Unfortunately, the prospect of going to court can be intimidating for many injured people. An experienced personal injury lawyer can guide you through the process and handle all of the heavy lifting required to get the compensation you deserve.

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Have You Been Injured by a Dangerous or Defective Product?

Sometimes it seems like product recalls are in the news every day, which has made it easy to tune them out. It is important, however, to consider the reality behind these recalls - these are products that are dangerous and likely to cause serious injuries and even death to consumers. Fortunately, consumers can hold manufacturers and others responsible for the harm they have caused and get the compensation they need to rebuild their lives. If you have been injured by a dangerous or defective product, a personal injury lawyer can help you assert your rights.

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Have You Been Injured in an Accident? Six Things You Need to Know

While it is true that accidents happen, many accidents are avoidable. In fact, many accidents are caused by negligence - the failure to take due care to avoid causing harm to others. Unfortunately, many people do not realize that they have important rights if they have been injured as a result of someone else’s negligence. As a result, they often find themselves with bills they can’t pay and no way to recover their losses. If you have been injured in any type of accident, an experienced personal injury attorney can review your case and discuss whether you can or should pursue a claim.

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Do You Have a Negligent Security Claim?

Premises liability is an area of law that holds negligent property owners accountable when they fail to maintain their property in a safe condition. The most common type of premises liability claim is when someone falls and is injured due to a hazardous condition. However, property owners can be held liable for a wide variety of accidents, including when guests or patrons are injured by someone else. If you have been injured as a result of negligent security, a knowledgeable premises liability attorney can assess your case and determine whether you may be entitled to compensation.

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Governor DeSantis Signs Major Tort Reform Bill

On March 24, 2023, Governor DeSantis signed HB 837 into law after passing in both the House and the Senate with significant majorities. Effective immediately, the law brings major changes to future accident and injury claims in the state of Florida. The impact of these changes is so significant that reportedly thousands of lawsuits were filed between the time the bill passed the Senate and it was signed into law by the Governor. As a result, if you have been injured, it is arguably more important than ever to contact a personal injury lawyer to discuss your rights and your options.

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What Happens When You Settle Your Case?

You may have heard it said that most personal injury cases settle before going to trial. While this is true, it’s important to understand what settlement entails so that you can make the right decision about whether the settlement is right for you. Whether you have been involved in a car accident or have been injured on someone else’s property, an experienced personal injury attorney can help you make a claim and decide whether you should accept a settlement.

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Your Personal Injury Case: From Start to Finish

Whether they have been bitten by a dog or injured in a motorcycle accident, one of the most urgent questions that clients have is, “what happens next?” If you have been injured in an accident, your entire life has been suddenly thrown into question. You may be unable to work and worried about your bills. You may be worried about whether you will ever be able to recover fully. These questions can be overwhelming without even considering whether you should pursue a claim.

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Proving Your Personal Injury Claim

If you have suffered an injury due to someone else’s negligence, you may be entitled to compensation. Even if you have health insurance, you may have significant out-of-pocket expenses such as copays and deductibles. You may also be entitled to compensation for any lost income as a result of being unable to work or having to miss work to go to doctor’s appointments or physical therapy. Finally, you may also be entitled to compensation for your pain and suffering. Altogether, the value of your claim can be significant.

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Injured? Four Big Reasons Why You Should Contact a Lawyer

Accidents happen every day. While the people involved often walk away unscathed, there are always accidents that result in serious injuries and sometimes even death. When people are injured as a result of someone else’s carelessness, they are entitled to be made whole under the law. This means that they deserve compensation for their medical expenses, lost income, and pain and suffering.

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Understanding Damages for Pain and Suffering

In every personal injury case, the plaintiff (the person who was injured and is making the claim) is seeking monetary compensation for their injuries and other losses. The legal term for this monetary compensation is “damages.” There are two main types of damages in a personal injury case: (1) economic and (2) non-economic. Economic damages or those losses that are represented by a specific dollar amount such as your medical bills. Pain and suffering fall under non-economic damages. Because they are not supported by documentation, they can be much harder to prove.

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Injured in a Pedestrian Accident? What You Need to Know

Pedestrians who are struck by motor vehicles typically suffer severe injuries, and tragically, many of these accidents result in death. Unfortunately, there is a great deal of misinformation that surrounds these accidents, particularly as to whether the pedestrian was at fault. If you or a loved one has been injured in a pedestrian accident, the best thing you can do is speak with a Crestview personal injury lawyer as soon as possible. They can review your case and help you understand your rights.

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What to Expect at Your Free Consultation

The initial consultation is an important step in choosing the right lawyer for your case. As a result, it is important to come to the meeting prepared to ensure you make the most of the meeting. It is also important to have a sense of what you can expect - while every lawyer will of course hope that you will retain them, there is certain information that you can expect to receive about your case when meeting with a Fort Walton personal injury lawyer from our firm.

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Bitten by a Dog? What You Need to Know

Despite the media’s coverage of vicious dog attacks, people often fail to recognize just how serious dog bites can be. Children and the elderly are especially vulnerable - children due to their size, the elderly because they are far more likely to be knocked down and suffer broken bones and other serious injuries. If you have been bitten by a dog, you may be entitled to compensation for your injuries. A Crestview personal injury lawyer can review your case and determine whether you have a claim.

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Why You Should Talk to a Fort Walton Personal Injury Lawyer if You Fell on Someone Else’s Property

Slip and fall accidents are often ridiculed but the reality is that they can result in serious injuries. These injuries can require extensive medical treatment and lead to lost income and other issues. In those situations, you may be entitled to compensation but, unfortunately, these cases can be much more difficult to pursue than many people expect. If you have been injured in a slip and fall accident on someone else’s property, a Fort Walton personal injury lawyer can help you navigate the claim process so that you can get the compensation you need.

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Three Reasons Why People Think They Don’t Need a Personal Injury Lawyer

If you have been seriously injured in an accident, you need to make a lot of decisions about how to move forward. One of those decisions is whether you should hire a Fort Walton personal injury lawyer to pursue a claim for compensation. Unfortunately, many people make the wrong decision based on the following false assumptions.

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Will I Have to Go to Court?

One of the most common questions that potential clients ask is whether they will have to go to court. Anxiety about court is completely understandable, but the good news is that court is rarely like anything you see on television or in the movies. Unless there is something unusual about your case, it is likely to be far less dramatic. That said, understanding why and when your case may have to go to court can be helpful in proceeding with your case. A Fort Walton personal injury lawyer can review your case and discuss the potential outcome you can expect.

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Understanding Comparative Negligence in Personal Injury Cases

After being injured in an accident, many people are shocked when the other party claims that the accident was at least partially their fault. This is often referred to as “contributory negligence,” meaning that the victim’s own negligence contributed to causing the accident or their injury. If the other party is saying that you are partially to blame for the accident, it’s important to understand that it doesn’t mean that you can’t pursue a claim. A Fort Walton personal injury lawyer can discuss your case with you and whether you are entitled to compensation.

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What Kind of Evidence Do You Need in a Personal Injury Case?

If you have been injured in an accident, you may be entitled to compensation for your injuries and other losses. In order to be successful, however, you will need to prove your case even if you don’t plan to go to court. This can be overwhelming for people who are suffering from serious injuries, leaving them unsure how to even begin. A Fort Walton personal injury lawyer can help you gather the evidence you need to successfully pursue a claim.

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Florida is Still a “No-Fault” State - What This Means For You

You may have already heard that Governor DeSantis recently vetoed Senate Bill 54, legislation that would repeal the mandate that Florida drivers purchase “personal injury protection” insurance or “PIP.” While this is big news in our state, many drivers remain confused about how exactly Florida law applies when they are injured in a car accident. And even though Florida is still a “no-fault” state, a Fort Walton car accident lawyer can help you navigate the claim process so that you can get the compensation you deserve.

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Do You Have a Premises Liability Claim?

Property owners have a legal obligation to ensure that their property is safe for guests and visitors. As a result, you may have a claim for compensation if you are injured on another person’s property. Unfortunately, successfully proving your claim involves more than the fact that you were injured. If you were injured on another person’s property, a Fort Walton personal injury lawyer can review your case and determine whether you have a claim.   

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If I Work With an Injury Lawyer, Will My Case Go to Trial?

Many people have reservations about hiring a lawyer after an accident. Among their concerns, many people believe that hiring a lawyer means that their case will go to trial. They are concerned that the process will be unnecessarily lengthy and expensive, and they think that they would rather “see what they can get” by dealing with the insurance companies on their own.

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Right of Way and Crosswalk Injuries in Florida

If you’ve been harmed in an accident due to another’s negligence, then Florida law entitles you to sue the defendant and obtain compensation for your losses.

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Personal Injury Damages Vary Depending on the Plaintiff

If you’ve been harmed in an accident due to another’s negligence, then Florida law entitles you to sue the defendant and obtain compensation for your losses.  But many would-be plaintiffs don’t understand how damages works — they may not understand why damages can be quite variable from plaintiff-to-plaintiff, or how they can maximize their own damage recovery.

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Senate Bill 54 and the Future of PIP in Florida

In Florida, the passage of Senate Bill 54 (SB54) has potentially changed insurance coverage for millions of drivers throughout the state and could have significant impacts on those drivers who are involved in car accidents.

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Understanding Wage Loss and Earning Capacity Damages

If you have been injured in an accident due to the fault of another party, then Florida law may entitle you to damages as compensation.  Comprehensive damage claims may involve several different “sub-categories” of damages, including wage loss and the loss of future earning capacity.

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Consequences of a No-Fault Repeal in Florida

The Florida Senate, with the support of the Florida Justice Association (FJA), has recently passed SB 54 in a party-line vote, which would replace no-fault insurance, also known as Personal Injury Protection (PIP), with Mandatory Bodily Injury (MBI) Insurance.

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How Do Attorney Contingency Fees Work?

If you’ve been injured in an accident in Florida, then you may have a right to sue and recover damages from the responsible parties.  Pursuing a lawsuit can be more challenging than you’d expect — as such, you’ll want to work with an experienced attorney who can navigate the dispute effectively and secure the maximum available compensation.

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Statute of Limitations and the Discovery Rule

If you’ve been injured due to the negligent, reckless, or intentional acts of another, then it’s important that you consult an attorney as soon as possible so that your claims can be pursued in a timely manner.

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Does It Matter That a Plaintiff is Fragile?

If you’ve been seriously injured in an accident, then Florida law may entitle you to sue and recover damages to cover your losses.  In many cases, the defendant may be surprised by the total damages liability: after all, you — the plaintiff — may have suffered injuries that are substantially more severe than that of a “normal” person in the same situation.

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