North Tampa Personal Injury Lawyer
When a serious personal injury, like a car crash, suddenly strikes, your family often gets caught in a downward spiral. The serious injuries these victims sustain are normally just the beginning. The inability to participate in everyday activities, along with the financial stress of mounting bills, leaves many victims feeling trapped. In these circumstances, it’s tempting to take the insurance company’s settlement offer and move on. But there is no way to tell if this offer is fair.
The dedicated North Tampa personal injury lawyers at the Rinaldo Law Group reverse this downward spiral. We immediately connect victims with doctors, mechanics, and other providers, so life gets back to normal as soon as possible. As you recover, we work hard to build a successful damages claim. In the end, we normally obtain results which exceed our clients’ expectations.
First Party Liability
Most car wrecks, falls, dog bites, and other personal injuries involve negligence, or a lack of care. The negligent party could be a property owner or another driver. If a breach of care causes injury, the victim could be entitled to compensation.
This compensation usually includes money for economic losses, such as medical bills, and noneconomic losses, such as pain and suffering. Additional punitive damages might be available in some cases as well.
All successful negligence claims depend on evidence. This evidence usually includes medical bills, witness statements, and the police accident report. Such proof is a lot like crayons in a box. An attorney must use this evidence to draw a picture for the jury. That’s the best way, and usually the only way, to obtain maximum compensation for your serious injuries.
This evidence must be strong enough to refute some common insurance company defenses. Comparative fault is a good example. This defense, in one form or another, is often a factor in injury claims. Basically, this legal doctrine shifts blame for the injury from the tortfeasor (negligent party) to the victim.
Third Party Liability
Although the tortfeasor is usually legally responsible for injuries, a third party might be financially responsible.
Assaults are a good example. Individuals must answer for their wrongful conduct in criminal court. But criminal convictions might not adequately compensate victims for their injuries. In civil court, the property owner could be responsible for such injuries, under a theory like negligent security.
Employer liability is even more common. Generally, employers are financially responsible for their employees’ negligence, if they were negligent during the course and scope of their employment. Florida law defines this legal doctrine, which is called respondeat superior, in broad, victim-friendly terms.
Vicarious liability is especially important in wrongful death or other catastrophic injury claims. Frequently, individuals do not have enough insurance coverage to provide fair compensation. For example, if an Uber driver causes a crash, that driver’s individual auto insurance policy might not pay for damages, since the driver was using the car for commercial purposes. The ridesharing company might be responsible for them, even though the driver was not technically an employee.
Frequently, the responsible third party is an out-of-state holding company. So, these claims are usually complex.
Contact an Experienced Hillsborough County Lawyer
Injury victims deserve fair compensation for their serious injuries. For a free consultation with an experienced North Tampa personal injury attorney, contact the Rinaldo Law Group. We do not charge upfront legal fees in these matters.
