Driving around West Palm Beach and South Florida, shopping at a big box retail store, enjoying dinner at one of the area’s fine dining establishments, and swimming at the community pool are everyday activities that sometimes lead to preventable accidents and injuries.
Many do not suffer injuries, but sometimes people sustain severe and life-threatening injuries. Emergency treatment, associated medical costs, and lost wages lead to economic struggles for many people, creating added stress on top of the physical pain of their injuries.
If you have suffered injuries because of another person’s or a business’s actions, Florida law permits you to take legal action to seek compensation for damages from the negligent party responsible for your injuries. An experienced West Palm Beach personal injury lawyer from Dolman Law Group Accident Injury Lawyers, PA, can help.
We have advocated for victims of negligence since 2004 and understand the challenges you face after sustaining a severe injury. Contact us today to discuss the details of your injury, the viability of your claim, and the best path forward for your circumstances.
Table of Contents
- Why Choose Dolman Law Group for Your West Palm Beach Personal Injury Claim
- Compensation in West Palm Beach Personal Injury Claims
- Types of West Palm Beach Personal Injury Claims
- Types of Injuries in West Palm Beach Personal Injury Claims
- Fighting the Insurance Company After Suffering Harm
- What to Do After Suffering Injuries in West Palm Beach
- West Palm Beach Personal Injury FAQs
- Contact a West Palm Beach Personal Injury Lawyer Today
Why Choose Dolman Law Group for Your West Palm Beach Personal Injury Claim
Some personal injury claims are straightforward. In the simplest cases, injured people can file an insurance claim, get paid, and move on with life without bringing a lawsuit. Unfortunately, this is not always the case. Many personal injury claims are complex cases with various involved parties. Seeking damages is difficult and frustrating because of the games insurance companies like to play with claimants.
The skilled legal team at Dolman Law Group Accident Injury Lawyers, PA, has ample experience fighting for injured clients. The firm and its members have received national recognition for their professional excellence and client advocacy from prestigious organizations such as the Million Dollar Advocates Forum, the Multi-Million Dollar Advocates Forum, National Trial Lawyers, Super Lawyers, and Best Lawyers.
Our personal injury lawyers are committed to helping our clients seek justice and fight for the maximum compensation possible for their injuries.
While no guarantee of future success, examples of recent case results include:
- $6.7 million for a wrongful death claim
- $5 million for a car accident claim involving burn injuries
- $3.85 million for a truck accident claim involving a brain injury
- $3.2 million for a truck accident claim involving a brain injury
- $1.75 million for a truck accident claim involving a shoulder injury and brain injury
- $1.58 million for a truck accident claim involving a spinal column injury
- $1.4 million for a motorcycle accident claim involving multiple serious injuries
- $1 million for a wrongful death claim
- $300,000 for a slip and fall accident claim
Dolman Law Group has the resources and knowledge to help you seek compensation for damages after suffering injuries due to another party’s negligence. Our firm knows how to handle insurance companies, and we are not intimidated by their large legal teams. A skilled West Palm Beach personal injury lawyer can handle the details of your injury claim while you focus your energy on healing and recovering from your injuries.
West Palm Beach residents are less than 30 minutes from our Boca Raton office at 3200 North Federal Highway, only a few blocks south of NE Spanish River Boulevard. We love to meet our clients in person during a free consultation, but sometimes injured clients cannot travel. We also offer convenient virtual meetings when meeting in person doesn’t work. Call us for your free evaluation or submit your case information online.
Compensation in West Palm Beach Personal Injury Claims
If you suffer harm from someone else’s negligence or a negligent business caused your injuries, you can seek compensation for losses related to your injuries. Each personal injury claim has different facts that affect the amount and type of compensation someone could receive if they prevail in their claim.
Damages that are commonly awarded in jury verdicts and included in settlement agreements compensation victims of negligence for:
- Medical treatment costs include ambulance service, emergency room treatment, surgery, hospitalization, radiology, diagnostic testing, prescriptions, follow-up care, and transportation costs to and from the doctor and treating facility.
- Estimated future medical treatment costs when someone suffers a permanent injury requiring continued care and treatment, sometimes in a nursing home
- Rehabilitation expenses include specialized treatment like physical therapy, occupational therapy, speech therapy, behavioral therapy, and other treatment that helps injured patients face the physical and emotional aftermath of their injuries.
- Lost wages from missing work due to injuries and healing
- Estimated future lost wages, called lost earning capacity, for those who suffer permanent injuries that prevent them from returning to their job or working in the future.
- Physical pain and suffering.
- Emotional distress.
- Diminished quality of life.
- Loss of consortium with a spouse
- Scarring and disfigurement.
Factors that impact the amount and type of damages you might receive after suffering harm include:
Nature and Severity of Your Injuries
The most severe injuries typically result in more compensation because they provide grounds for victims of negligence to seek compensation for non-economic losses like loss of consortium and pain and suffering.
Total Economic Loss
The severity and nature of an injury are strongly related to the economic loss someone faces. The most severe injuries come with higher medical treatment costs because victims typically have a lengthy hospital stay, and many need one or more surgeries. Additionally, severe injuries require people to take more time away from work, and their lost wages pile up quickly.
Chances for a Full Recovery
Not all victims of negligence that suffer preventable injuries make a full recovery. Some face permanent injuries that drastically change their lives. This might even mean they cannot return to work. Victims of negligence who sustain permanent or catastrophic injuries receive far more compensation for their lifetime loss.
An experienced West Palm Beach personal injury lawyer from Dolman Law Group, can investigate your injuries, gather evidence, and consult with experts to place a monetary value on your personal injury claim and advise you on which damages apply to your case.
Types of West Palm Beach Personal Injury Claims
Various scenarios can lead to a West Palm Beach personal injury claim. Dolman Law Group Accident Injury Lawyers, PA, accepts all personal injury claims, but we see some more often than others.
Here are some examples of situations that commonly lead to West Palm Beach personal injury claims:
- Car accidents. West Palm Beach remains famous for its nice beaches, fine dining, and great shopping. Snowbirds, residents, and tourists drive everywhere, and high traffic translates to car accidents, even on clear, sunny days.
- Truck accidents. Florida draws pleasure and business travelers. The tourist industry and agricultural injury are especially responsible for having trucks all over the state, including West Palm Beach. Negligent truckers sometimes cause dangerous accidents.
- Motorcycle accidents. Motorcycle enthusiasts love cruising along the Atlantic. Whether residents of West Palm Beach or passing through, they risk accidents and injuries when others on the road do not drive safely.
- Defective product accidents. Product manufacturers are legally obligated to bring products to the market that are safe for consumption or public use. When defective products cause harm, victims have the right to sue the manufacturer for losses related to their injuries.
- Premises liability accidents. Slip and fall accidents are the most common premises liability accident, and they are the leading cause of injury for the elderly. However, any accident on someone else’s property can lead to a personal injury claim. Hotels, restaurants, theme parks, and other places of business open themselves to liability if they do not maintain safe premises for visitors.
- Nursing home negligence. Florida has more than 650 licensed nursing homes, with several in the West Palm Beach area. Family members who find the resident they love has been abused or neglected can take legal action on behalf of their loved one to recover damages related to injuries and changing facilities.
- Medical malpractice. Those who visit doctors or dentists in the West Palm Beach area can bring a medical malpractice lawsuit if the medical professional who treated them caused harm and acted outside of accepted standards within the medical community.
- Workplace accidents. Injured employees who have been denied workers comp benefits or might have grounds for action against a third party after a workplace accident frequently seek guidance from personal injury lawyers.
Types of Injuries in West Palm Beach Personal Injury Claims
Dolman Law Group Accident Injury Lawyers, PA, represents victims of negligence who have suffered various types of injuries.
Examples of injuries that commonly lead to personal injury claims include:
- Broken bones and multiple fractures, especially those that lead to corrective surgery
- Traumatic brain injuries and other injuries from head traumas
- Back and neck injuries, including herniated discs, broken vertebrae, and spinal cord injuries
- Amputations and dislocations
- Burns
- Internal injuries
- Symptoms and complications from toxic substance exposure
Fighting the Insurance Company After Suffering Harm
Insurance companies are bullies, and they use every tactic they can to avoid financial liability. Sometimes they outright deny claims, and other times they fight to devalue an injury claim. Depending on the circumstances that led to your harm, you might have to deal with auto, homeowners, or commercial business insurance carriers. Once you or the policyholder files a claim against a policy, the insurance provider will assign an adjuster or representative to investigate the claim and make an approval decision.
The insurance representative will gather as much information as possible, specifically looking for ways to reduce the amount they need to pay. Expect them to ask you for a recorded statement and to sign a release for your medical records.
A personal injury lawyer can protect you and the value of your claim by ensuring the insurance carrier gets no more information than what they need to process the claim. For example, you do not have to let them record your statement, so they can repeatedly comb through it and find a way to use your words against you to justify denying your devaluing claim.
Our West Palm Beach personal injury attorneys have experience dealing with tricky insurance companies. We know their strategies to intimidate claimants and avoid financial liability. Consult with one of Dolman Law Group’s team members to communicate with the insurance company and help you through the claims process.
What to Do After Suffering Injuries in West Palm Beach
After you suffer harm from someone else’s negligent actions or inaction, you need to protect the value of your claim.
The following tips can prevent insurance carriers from denying your claim and give you the best chance to receive full compensation for losses related to your injuries:
- Attend all medical appointments with your doctor and follow your medical treatment plan strictly. This includes going to physical therapy, occupational therapy, and other specialized therapy included in your plan.
- Keep meticulous records of your economic loss, including copies of medical bills, pay stubs, and receipts.
- If you suffered injuries in a West Palm Beach traffic accident, get a copy of the official crash report.
- Keep a journal to record your physical, mental, and financial challenges.
Provide everything you have saved and written to your lawyer during a free consultation. You should also provide your attorney with your contact information for witnesses and any photographic evidence that supports your claim. It’s always better to have too much information. Your attorney can sort through what you bring and advise you on what things apply to your claim.
West Palm Beach Personal Injury FAQs
Coping with injuries or illnesses because of another party’s negligence or intentional harm can be a life-changing event. Fortunately, many personal injuries heal quickly. Victims can return to their daily lives without continuous medical care, missing weeks or months of work, or bringing a lawsuit. However, severe injuries create chaos for victims and their families, often coming with a massive economic loss on top of the physical and emotional pain of injury.
If you have recently been harmed accidentally or intentionally because of others, you might feel angry, overwhelmed, and unsure about your next steps. You can begin your journey of holding the person or business responsible for your injuries accountable by consulting with an experienced West Palm Beach personal injury lawyer at Dolman Law Group Accident Injury Lawyers, PA. We can evaluate your West Palm Beach personal injury claim and advise you on your next steps.
Until you have the chance to meet with a member of our team, the following answers to frequently asked questions about personal injury lawyers and the legal process of seeking compensation for damages provide some introductory information.
Knowing the answer to this question is challenging, but it doesn’t cost you anything to meet with an attorney and let them evaluate your case. Minor injuries typically do not require a lawyer, especially if they occur in a traffic accident, and your mandatory personal injury protection (PIP) insurance coverage kicks in to cover a large portion of medical expenses and lost wages. The most severe injuries almost always warrant hiring a personal injury lawyer. Discerning what qualifies as minor and severe can be challenging when injuries fall somewhere in the middle.
Regardless of what others tell you, you probably do if you think you need a lawyer. Trust your instincts and consult with a lawyer who can review the details of your injuries and determine the viability of your claim.
As a general rule of thumb, these situations almost always serve as justification for taking legal action after an injury:
- Your injuries required doctors to hospitalize you, and you needed surgery for your injuries.
- You have missed weeks or months of work because of your injuries.
- In the case of a West Palm Beach traffic accident, you have exhausted your PIP policy limits.
- Your doctor has determined you will not make a full recovery from your illness or that you have suffered a permanent injury.
Every state has a time limit for those who want to sue another party for damages from negligence or intentional harm. Florida’s time limit, called a statute of limitations, is four years. In most cases, you must take legal action within four years of injury. If you do not meet Florida’s deadline for personal injury claims, the court will likely dismiss your case. No matter how strong your case is against the person, business, or another entity that harmed you, courts rarely hear them after the statute of limitations has expired.
However, the law allows for some exceptions in special situations. Certain scenarios give the court grounds to pause the time clock, referred to as tolling the statute of limitations. Although tolling typically occurs in rare situations, some exceptions occur more commonly than others. They include delayed discovery in product liability claims, child injuries, and sexual abuse.
Delayed Discovery in Product Liability Claims
Delayed discovery refers to a situation in which a victim of negligence discovers the injury after the date it occurred. Delayed discovery is often associated with medical malpractice claims, allowing victims to take legal action after discovering an injury from medical negligence.
This is not the case in Florida. Under Florida law, delayed discovery applies to personal injury claims stemming from defective products and fraud. Those who suffer injuries from a defective product can bring a claim after the four-year statute of limitations runs out. The four-year time clock begins when they discover their injury or when a court finds they should have discovered it.
Child Injuries
Children who suffer injuries due to negligence or intentional harm also have longer to take legal action or their parents to take action on their behalf. Under Florida law, those under age 18 have seven years from the date of their injury or until the end of the statute of limitations for their case to file a personal injury claim, whichever is longer.
Sexual Abuse
Some survivors of child sexual abuse suppress their memory because of the trauma. In other cases, children fear coming forward with their stories for multiple reasons. In 2020, Florida eliminated all statute limitations for those under age 16 who suffered child sexual abuse. Child sexual abuse survivors can hold their abusers accountable in civil court into adulthood.
Adult victims of sexual abuse must bring a lawsuit against their abuser within seven years. However, the law tolls the statute for delayed discovery and dependence. Adult sexual abuse survivors have four years to bring a lawsuit from the date they discover the link between their emotional and physical harm and the abuse they are suffering.
Yes. Wrongful death and medical malpractice claims have more stringent timelines under Florida law. West Palm Beach residents who have recently lost a loved one because of negligence have two years from the date of death to bring a wrongful death lawsuit against the person, business, or other entity responsible for the death of their family member.
In order to curb frivolous malpractice lawsuits, Florida changed the statute of limitations rules on medical malpractice cases. In most cases, victims of medical malpractice have two years to bring a lawsuit against the doctor or other medical professional responsible for their injury or condition. Limited delayed discovery can occur in malpractice cases, but malpractice victims have an absolute time limit of four years to take action even when they do not immediately discover their injury.
The law extends this absolute time limit—called a statute of repose—to seven years in malpractice cases that involve fraud, concealment, or intentional misrepresentation by a healthcare provider. No statute of limitations applies to child malpractice victims under age eight.
Regardless of the type of personal injury claim, an experienced personal injury lawyer from Dolman Law Group can review the facts of your case and advise you on which statute of limitations applies to ensure you meet all necessary deadlines. If you are concerned that your chance to seek compensation has passed, a team member can review your claim to see if you might qualify for an exception.
Yes, you can afford to hire a lawyer. Dolman Law Group, like other personal injury law firms, offers free consultations for potential clients to discuss the details of their cases and share how their injuries have impacted their lives with a member of the firm. During your initial meeting, your lawyer will evaluate your case and determine your eligibility to seek compensation for damages. Your free consultation also gives you the chance to ask any questions you might have about the legal process of recovering damages.
If you choose to hire Dolman Law Group and find you have a viable claim, we will accept your case on a contingent fee basis. We understand the economic aftermath of severe injuries, so we do not require upfront payments. Instead, a contingent fee agreement allows us to deduct attorney fees and other representation costs from any settlement or jury award you receive for your injuries on behalf of our efforts. Do not let concerns about cost prevent you from contacting a lawyer and potentially missing out on recovering compensation for your injuries.
The difference between financial liability and financial responsibility concerning medical bills are separate issues in West Palm Beach personal injury claims. Although another party might be financially liable for your medical treatment costs, you are responsible for paying them. Win your West Palm Beach personal injury claim. Reimbursement for the medical bills you have already paid will likely be part of the settlement or jury award. Any money you receive will also go towards paying unpaid medical bills.
Some negligence victims assume they do not have to pay their medical bills once they have filed a lawsuit against another party. This is not true, and it can hurt your credit. You will have to wait several months before seeing any money for your injuries. If you do not pay your medical bills while waiting for the outcome of your claim, you risk your healthcare providers sending your account to collections.
If you are financially struggling, it’s best to let your providers know what’s going on, so they can note your account. Some might put your account on hold or arrange a small monthly payment to keep your account current.
It’s hard to say until we evaluate your case. Every claim is different, and some types of personal injury claims settle before going to trial more often than others. For example, most traffic accident cases settle long before litigation. However, other cases might force a trial, especially when the other side has lied or vehemently disputes liability.
Regardless of how your injuries occurred, both sides of a personal injury lawsuit have the motivation to avoid going to trial. Litigation is expensive and does not always produce a better financial outcome than a settlement. However, negotiations do not always go well. Although you probably will not have to go to trial, you should be prepared for the possibility. Your lawyer will review the facts of your case and give you an idea of the likelihood of your claim going to trial.
Always consult a lawyer before accepting any settlement offer from an insurance company. Insurance companies are only concerned about their bottom line, so they avoid paying full compensation whenever they can.
One common strategy to avoid large payouts is making early settlement offers to victims of negligence, especially when they are fairly certain their policyholder is liable for injuries. Once you sign a settlement offer from an insurance company, you must waive your right to sue for additional compensation for the same injuries later down the road.
The largest issue with an early settlement offer is that you likely do not know the full extent of your injuries. Signing an early offer can leave you without the money you need for medical care and daily needs if you find out you have a permanent injury, need ongoing care, and cannot return to work. Early offers are often far less than a personal injury claim’s full or fair value. Insurance companies make these offers to avoid paying a large jury award later and hope claimants feel desperate enough to accept them.
You should know the full scope of your injuries and long-term prognosis and let a skilled West Palm Beach personal injury lawyer use a settlement offer as a jumping-off point for negotiations. In many cases, your attorney can negotiate a higher settlement than the initial offer and get you more compensation than you would get on your own.
Dolman Law Group Accident Injury Lawyers, PA, has extensive experience dealing with insurance companies. We can handle communications and negotiations with the insurance company and fight for maximum compensation for your injuries.
Contact a West Palm Beach Personal Injury Lawyer Today
If you suffered serious injuries because of someone else’s negligence, you need a West Palm Beach personal injury attorney to fight for you and give you the best chance of a positive outcome for your claim. Dolman Law Group keeps close relationships with our clients.
We have the compassion, passion, empathy, and resources to help you seek justice after suffering harm. Contact us today online to submit information about your case, or call us at 833-552-7274 (833-55-CRASH) for your free consultation to discuss the details of your claim and how your injuries have affected your life.
What Our Clients Have to Say:
“Chad Robinson always responded immediately whenever I had questions or concerns. He worked hard to make sure I received what I deserved.”
Rating: 5/5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Michelle Dorn
December 19
Client Testimonial
“AMAZING and understanding attorneys! Did great on my case and I highly recommend Dolman Law Group Accident Injury Lawyers, PA for anyone that has been injured in an accident!”
Rating: 5/5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Koralis R.
Jan 2020
Read more reviews on Google!