JACKSONVILLE Injuries to Minors & Children

Every year millions of children are injured or killed due to negligence, accidents, defective products, and fires. In most cases, anyone under the age of 18 is not eligible to file a complaint. This means that when a child is injured or killed, it is a parent, adult, or guardian, who generally must seek legal assistance on behalf of the child. If you are the parent or guardian of a child who has been injured or killed, you are the person who can often obtain amendments or assistance for that child. You will need a qualified Florida attorney who can help you and represent you in court.

Children and adolescents, unfortunately, are at a higher risk of injury from traffic accidents, related to swimming pools and fireworks. Part of the problem is that the size of children can make them vulnerable to certain injuries. For example, the shorter stature of many children means that when attacked by a dog, it can attack their face and head. Similarly, the smaller size of a child can mean that they will be shaken with greater force in a boat or car involved in an accident, which can lead to more accidents.

Present yourself to a doctor and document your injuries. Not only does it benefit your health, but insurance companies and your attorneys always consider the time it took to get to your first doctor’s appointment and the injuries you did or did not complain about. Go to the doctor, be honest and detailed.

Fill out any accident reports or police reports. Ask for a copy. Then call your insurance company and file a claim. Be careful what you say. Too often, injury victims say they are “fine” or “not so bad” or something similar that will harm them in the future if their condition worsens. The hospital will only tell you if you have broken bones or serious problems but it is in your best interest to go and be honest. Emergency rooms tend to leave bulging discs, herniated discs, shoulder tears, and the like for doctors to treat later.

Many of our clients are suffering, struggling, and hoping to start improving, but they do get better. You have only one chance to recover. Lawyers have to make sure that insurance companies are acting fairly. John worked for eight years defending these claims for insurance companies and large corporations. He could write a book about the ways they use their desire to be fair and reasonable against you. Today, our firm only works for injury victims like you.

John is a Board Certified attorney. The certification is the highest level of recognition by The Bar Association of the competence and experience of attorneys in the area by the Supreme Court of Florida. It also means that the attorney is known to juries – pushing past low offers by defendants, that he was approved by his peers and that he passed a difficult exam. Most cases do not go to trial, but it benefits you to have an attorney with all the tools in your arsenal.

Insurance companies try to negotiate every dollar they can, because every $100 means millions in the end for their Board of Directors. Lawyers matter. Defendants and their insurance companies change their tactic when an experienced attorney is involved. For that reason – and the lack of information by lawyers advertised on television and referral services – is why you should carefully select your lawyer. Also, make sure it is the attorney meeting with you and not a mere investigator. You are hiring an attorney and you deserve your time. Also, ask for a sample of closing costs. Some attorneys charge faxes, phone calls, scanning, stamps, “home messenger,” and even interest on these charges.

Due to the economy, more attorneys are trying to represent personal injury victims and must stick to what they know. Personal injury law requires much greater and more specific knowledge of medical science and biomechanics (the forces that act on a body in an accident or fall) than it might appear. The defense has doctors and millions of dollars on its side. Make sure you have the attorney who will get you the recovery you deserve.