Personal injury lawsuits are legal disputes that occur when an individual suffers an injury from an accident, and another party may be held legally responsible for that harm. In many cases, the liable party’s insurance company will pay a settlement or a jury award to cover the victim’s medical bills, pain and suffering, and lost wages.
There are many different types of personal injury legal actions, including trip/slip and falls, motor vehicle accidents, construction mishaps, medical malpractice, workplace injuries, and actions for injuries suffered from defective products and warnings. However, in Florida, these are among the most common personal injury claims.
Car Accidents
The Florida Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles Department states that there are about 200,000 automobile accidents in Florida each year (an average of 650 crashes per day across the state). These statistics make car accidents the most common type of personal injury action in Florida. Car accidents frequently occur when one or more drivers are not devoting their full attention to the road. A driver may be texting while driving; under the influence of alcohol, drugs, or medication; or they may be fatigued after a long day of work. A driver may also be driving carelessly, aggressively, speeding, or without paying attention to traffic signs, controls, or signals.
Medical Malpractice
Between 3,000 and 5,000 Floridians die each year from medical malpractice. Research shows that Florida is at the bottom of the list for revoking medical licenses when serious mistakes occur. As a result, there may be some doctors and surgeons in practice who probably shouldn’t be. A medical malpractice injury happens when a doctor or other healthcare professional’s conduct fails to meet the standard of acceptable care. Some of the most common medical malpractice personal injury claims include misdiagnosis or delayed diagnosis, failure to treat, surgical procedure errors, and injury during childbirth.
Slip-and-Fall Cases
Slip-and-fall cases make up more than one million emergency room visits in Florida each year, which accounts for 12% of total falls. The Florida Department of Health says that falls are the leading cause of injury for Florida residents ages 65 years and older and the fourth leading cause of injury overall. These types of cases occur when a property owner doesn’t keep their premises safe and free of hazards. It may be a private homeowner, a store, or a public location. A common example is a retail store or car dealership that fails to clean up a puddle of water or oil and doesn’t put up caution signs until the spill can be cleaned up. A patron may unknowingly walk into the puddle, slip, and fall, and injure themselves. The store will be faced with a personal injury claim for its failure to address the issue properly.
Animal Attacks
The Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission explains that even though the state has about seven unprovoked alligator attacks per year from its population of a million gators, the likelihood of being seriously injured in a random attack is about one in 2.4 million. However, other animal attacks make this a top-ranked type of personal injury claim in Florida. In Florida, the most common animal-related deaths and serious injuries come from large mammals, like cattle or horses, as well as Florida’s own subspecies of a black bear. In the water, there are sharks and jellyfish that can harm swimmers. However, a very common type of animal attack is that of the neighborhood dog. From 2005 to 2017, 29 people were killed by dogs in Florida. While pit bulls are most often involved in fatal attacks, the tiny chihuahua is most often involved in dog bite incidents. Even a five-pound chihuahua can bite a person that requires him or her to seek medical treatment. A serious dog bite may require stitches and antibiotics. A dog bite may result in rabies or serious infection. This could mean missing work or being unable to use a limb temporarily. A dog bite victim may be seriously injured and want to claim compensation from the animal’s owner.
If you or a loved one suffers injuries in an accident or injury, Miller Trial Law can help you. Please call us today at (305) 697-8312 for a free, no-risk consultation. We look forward to serving you!