From car accidents to slip and fall injuries, personal injury law in Florida covers a wide variety of cases. For Florida residents who have been hurt in an accident stemming from the negligence or malicious conduct of another person, it is critical to understand how the laws that govern personal injury cases can affect the compensation that they can receive.
Want to learn more about personal injury law in Florida? Here are three facts you might not know.
The Statute of Limitations Is Relatively Long
Every state has a statute of limitations that determines how long victims can wait before filing a personal injury claim. In some states, you must file a lawsuit within one year of your injury before the statute of limitations runs out, while in others, you have up to six years to file.
In Florida, the statute of limitations is four years, which means that from the date of your injury, you have four years to try to get the compensation you need to cover your medical bills, diminished quality of life, and expenses that arise from disability.
Even though you have a relatively long time to file a suit, it’s critical to contact an attorney as soon as possible. Why? Because you don’t want to risk missing out on the compensation you deserve. Your injuries can also take a long time to fully heal, which means that your case might take a while to build.
More Than One Person Can Be Financially Responsible for Your Injuries
Florida’s liability laws are structured in such a way to allow you to file lawsuits against more than one party for your injuries. For instance, if the courts find that one party is between 10% and 25% responsible for your injuries and another party is more than 50% responsible, they could be on the hook for up to $500,000 and $2 million for your injuries, respectively.
The Compensation You Are Entitled to Could Have Limits
In some cases, though, the amount of compensation you can collect from the responsible party could have limits. Specifically, in cases that involve punitive damages (damages meant to punish the responsible party to prevent future occurrences), your compensation could be capped at $500,000.
Most Florida personal injury cases, however, do not involve punitive damages, reserving them for the most serious cases of negligence and malicious conduct.
Personal Injury Law in Florida Can Be Complicated
Whatever your situation, if you were injured and want to get the compensation you need to pay your bills, it’s critical to get help from a professional who has experience in such matters. Want to discuss your case to see what you might be entitled to? Get in touch with our attorneys today. Pacin Levine Attorneys at Law is committed to helping you get the justice you deserve. We are standing by to help. Contact us now.
