Personal injuries and accidents can have devastating consequences for innocent victims in Dunedin, FL. Their lives can be turned upside down for months or years. Some victims face lifelong impairments and disabilities because of another party’s negligence or wrongdoing.
For over 25 years in terms of combined experience, our Dunedin personal injury lawyers have protected the rights of injured victims and their families. We have earned top awards for client satisfaction because of our personalized attention and diligence in seeking top awards for personal injury claims. At Lopez Accident Injury Attorneys, we can handle the entirety of your case while you focus on your recovery.
Experience matters when you hire a lawyer. Our top-rated Dunedin personal injury lawyers have received numerous awards and recognition, including:
- Best Personal Injury Lawyers in St. Petersburg by Expertise.com
- 10.0 Rating from Avvo
- The American Trial Lawyers Association
- Top 40 Under 40 in Personal Injury Law
- America’s top Attorneys
Our Dunedin personal injury attorneys accept cases for a contingency fee. You will not pay us for our legal services unless and until after we recover money for your injury claim.
Contact Lopez Accident Injury Attorneys to schedule your free consultation with a Dunedin personal injury lawyer or call (727) 933-0015.
How Lopez Accident Injury Attorneys Can Help After an Accident in Dunedin
Hiring an experienced Florida personal injury lawyer evens the playing field with insurance companies, large corporations, and defense firms. At Lopez, we have extensive resources to handle even the most complicated personal injury cases. Armed with a customized legal strategy for your case, our legal team aggressively pursues all parties responsible for your damages.
Our Dunedin personal injury attorneys have earned a reputation as aggressive advocates for our clients. We have won millions of dollars for our clients through negotiated settlements and jury awards. Our legal team has extensive experience handling all types of personal injury cases.
When you hire our award-winning personal injury attorneys, you can trust that we will:
- Conduct a comprehensive investigation to determine how you were injured and who is responsible
- Collect evidence that builds a solid case for causation and fault
- Work with leading experts in numerous fields to strengthen the evidence supporting your claim
- File insurance claims and handle all matters with the insurance company
- Document the extent of your damages and aggressively pursue a settlement for the total value of your damages
- File a personal injury lawsuit and take your case to a jury, if necessary
We are here to help you when you need honest, straightforward legal advice about a personal injury claim. Call now for a free case evaluation from an experienced personal injury lawyer in Dunedin, Florida.
Types of Personal Injury Cases Our Dunedin Injury Lawyers Handle
With more than 25 years of combined legal experience in personal injury law, our attorneys have extensive experience handling a wide variety of cases. Our practice areas include:
- Car accidents
- Workers’ compensation
- Bicycle accidents
- Dog bites
- Pedestrian accidents
- Boating accidents
- Slip and fall accidents
- Motorcycle accidents
- Birth injury
- Truck accidents
- Assault and intentional torts
- Workplace accidents
- Nursing home abuse
- Construction accidents
- Medical malpractice
- Product liability
- Premises liability
When fighting for fair compensation for your accident claim, you need a top-rated Dunedin personal injury law firm handling your case. Give Lopez Accident Injury Attorneys a call to learn more about how we can help you with your claim. We are available 24/7 to talk with you.
What Types of Damages Can I Receive for a Dunedin Personal Injury Claim?
Florida personal injury laws provide for economic and non-economic damages. Generally, an injured victim can recover both types of damages.
Financial losses can be substantial after an accident. We seek full compensation for all economic damages, including:
- Past and future medical bills
- Out-of-pocket expenses
- Past and future lost wages and benefits
- Rehabilitation and physical therapy
- Property damage
- Household services and personal care
- Long-term nursing care
- Reduced earning capacity
The injuries you sustain also result in pain and suffering. You can recover compensation for this and other non-economic damages, including:
- Loss of consortium
- Physical discomfort
- Emotional distress
- Loss of enjoyment of life
- Mental anguish
- Scarring and disfigurement
- Diminished quality of life
- Disabling conditions and permanent impairments
In addition to compensatory damages, a jury might decide to award punitive damages. You must prove by clear and convincing evidence that the defendant acted with gross negligence or intentionally to cause your injuries. Even though punitive damages are intended to “punish” the defendant for the conduct, the injured party receives the money.
Common Injuries Caused by Accidents and Other Incidents
We handle claims involving all types of injuries. Common injuries our lawyers are familiar with include:
- Traumatic brain injury
- Broken bones and fractures
- Internal organ injury
- Chest injuries
- Soft tissue injury
- Spinal cord injuries
- Neck injuries and whiplash
- Nerve damage
- Amputations and loss of limbs
- Paralysis
- Back injuries
- Seatbelt syndrome
- Airbag injuries
- Catastrophic injury
- Birth injuries
Always seek prompt medical care after an injury or accident. You can count on the insurance adjuster to downplay your injuries and damages. Delays in medical treatment give them additional reasons to question your claim.
Florida Comparative Negligence Laws Can Affect Your Dunedin Personal Injury Settlement
Blaming the victim is a common tactic insurance companies and at-fault parties use to avoid liability for damages. The reason they blame the injured party is comparative negligence.
Under comparative negligence, a victim’s compensation is reduced by their level of fault for causing their injuries. For example, if a jury determines you were 25% to blame for causing a motorcycle accident, your compensation is reduced by 25%.
Florida recently changed its comparative fault laws to a modified comparative negligence system. There is now a 51% bar to recovery. If your fault for causing your injuries is 51% or higher, you cannot receive compensation from the other party.
Insurance companies use contributory fault to avoid paying valid injury claims. You can protect yourself by allowing an attorney to handle all communications with the insurance company. Insurance adjusters are trained to get victims to talk and say things that could imply fault.
What Is Florida’s Statute of Limitations for Dunedin Personal Injury Cases?
Florida also recently amended its statute of limitations for most general negligence claims. The filing deadline is now two years from the injury or accident date – unless your accident took place before March 24, 2023, in which case you may have four years instead. Wrongful death claims also have a two-year statute of limitations, while other types of claims (such as those based on intentional torts) have a four-year deadline.
Exceptions and the facts of the case could change the deadline. For instance, some exceptions toll or pause the statute of limitations. And if you are suing the government, your deadline to file a claim is extremely short.
If you fail to file a lawsuit before the statute of limitations expires, the judge will dismiss the lawsuit. Even if you have a valid claim, missing the filing deadline could allow the at-fault party to escape liability.
The best way to avoid missing the deadline to file a personal injury case is to talk with an experienced Dunedin personal injury attorney promptly after an injury or accident.
How Do You Win a Dunedin Personal Injury Lawsuit?
Injury victims have the burden of proof in a personal injury case. They must prove their case by a preponderance of the evidence. That level of proof requires the jury to believe there is a more than 50% chance your version of the facts is what happened.
Most personal injury cases are based on negligence. A person is negligent when their failure to exercise reasonable care results in another person’s death.
Proving negligence requires that the evidence demonstrates the following:
- The defendant (at-fault party) owed you a duty of care
- The defendant’s conduct breached their duty of care
- The actions or inactions of the defendant were the direct and proximate cause of your injury
- You suffered injuries and damages as a result
Our Dunedin personal injury lawyers are seasoned trial lawyers. We understand how to present evidence to create a compelling argument to convince jurors our client is telling the trust. Call now to talk with us about your case so you can benefit from our experience.
What Is a Contingency Fee in a Floria Personal Injury Case?
It is understandable if you are concerned about the cost of hiring a personal injury lawyer. You may have been out of work for some time recovering from your injuries.
At Lopez Accident Injury Attorneys, we do not want our clients to worry about how to pay our legal fees. We believe injured victims deserve competent legal representation regardless of their financial situation.
We work for a contingency fee. Instead of paying a retainer fee when you hire our law firm, you agree to pay our attorneys a percentage of what we recover for your claim. Therefore, our lawyers are not paid until you are paid.
Schedule a Free Consultation With Our Dunedin Personal Injury Lawyers
You and your family deserve to be compensated for the pain, suffering, and monetary losses caused by another party’s wrongful acts and negligence. Our legal team at Lopez Accident Injury Attorneys protects your rights and bests interests. Call us today to schedule a free case review with an experienced Dunedin personal injury attorney.
