Port Charlotte Personal Injury Attorney

At Garvin Injury Law, our Port Charlotte personal injury lawyers have been committed the last four decades to ensuring adequate compensation for those injured accidents involving motor vehicles, boats, dangerous walking surfaces and poor quality health care. Those with the privilege of driving a car, operating a boat, running a business or operating with a medical license owe a duty to use reasonable care. Failure to do so is negligence, the grounds upon which we can assert a demand for just compensation.

Personal injury isn’t foremost on the minds of those who flock here, but it’s a reality that sometimes arises, primarily due to the negligence of one or more parties. Port Charlotte car accidents are the most common incidents giving rise to civil injury claims, but we also see steady numbers of motorcycle accidents, boating accidents, slip-and-fall injuries, and nursing home neglect.

Set up a free case review at (239) 277-0005.

How Can a Port Charlotte Personal Injury Attorney Help?

Most personal injury cases involve going up against an insurance company to recover the compensation you need and deserve. These are for-profit businesses that will do whatever they can to minimize the value of your claim or try and deny it altogether. Hiring an attorney will allow you to level the playing field with the opposing party and set you up for a successful outcome.

If you hire our personal injury lawyers in Port Charlotte to help you with your case, we’ll be able to:

• Investigate the accident and determine who is at fault
• Collect and preserve evidence to support your claim
• Work with medical professionals and other experts as necessary
• Calculate the full value of your economic and non-economic damages
• Handle all communications with the insurance company on your behalf
• Negotiate for a settlement that reflects what your case is actually worth
• File a lawsuit and take your case to court if the other side won’t cooperate

Get in touch with us today to schedule a free consultation and learn more about your best path forward. We can answer any questions you may have about your case at that time as well as provide you with some initial legal advice.

Damages You Can Recover in a Port Charlotte Personal Injury Claim

If you’ve been involved in an accident in Port Charlotte, FL, you may be eligible to pursue both economic and non-economic damages from the at-fault party. Together, these are called “compensatory damages” and aim to make you whole again as best as the law can.

Economic damages cover the financial toll of your injuries, including things like:

• Medical bills 
• Future medical care
• Lost wages from time missed at work
• Reduced earning capacity
• Rehabilitation costs
• Out-of-pocket expenses tied to the accident

Non-economic damages address the personal impact on your life, such as:

• Pain and suffering
• Emotional distress
• Loss of enjoyment of life
• Scarring and disfigurement
• Trauma 
• Loss of consortium

In cases involving particularly egregious misconduct from the at-fault party, punitive damages may also be available. These are designed to punish the at-fault party rather than compensate you as the victim, however, and are only awarded in rare circumstances. 

Types Of Personal Injury Claims In Port Charlotte

Personal injury can take many forms in Port Charlotte, FL. Understanding different types of claims and cases from any injuries you have sustained will allow you to be more prepared when you actually pursue compensation. Here are the most common personal injury claims:

Auto Accidents

The Charlotte County Sheriff’s Office, responsible for patrolling unincorporated areas of the county – including Port Charlotte – reports more than 2,100 total crashes in a single year, resulting in approximately 1,100 injuries. There were also dozens of pedestrian accidents and bicycle accidents, as well as more than 300 commercial vehicle accidents involving large or oversized trucks, buses and vans.

Frequently reported car accident injuries include neck and chest injuries (whiplash, vocal cord paralysis, collapsed lungs, etc.), head and back injuries (concussions, traumatic brain injuries, spinal cord injuries, herniated discs), broken bones and ligament damage (such as a torn ACL). These injuries can leave you laid up in the hospital for a long stretch, followed by rehabilitation and possibly follow-up surgery. Medical bills mount and people usually miss at least some time from work. You don’t have to handle the financial burden on your own. Our personal injury lawyers in Port Charlotte will negotiate with insurers, and won’t hesitate to take a case to trial if it’s in the client’s best interests.

Those injured in Port Charlotte crashes caused by negligent drivers may be entitled to collect compensation for:

• Medical bills
• Lost wages
• Pain and suffering
• Mental / emotional suffering

Family members may be entitled to seek damages for loss of consortium in instances involving catastrophic injuries or wrongful death of a loved one. These are known as “compensatory damages,” meaning the intention is to make the victim whole again (or as whole as possible) via monetary compensation.

In rare cases (mostly involving drunk drivers or profit-motivated trucking carriers), your injury attorney may ask the court for permission to pursue punitive damages, which per F.S. 768.73 are intended to punish a tortfeasor (wrongdoer) and serve as a deterrent to others. In most cases, punitive damages in Florida are limited to three times compensatory damages or $500,000 (whichever is greater), though in cases where tortfeasor was motivated by profit, it can be up to four times the amount of compensatory damages or $2 million (whichever is greater).

Contacting an experienced Port Charlotte car accident attorney as soon as possible after a crash can help you understand your legal options – and ensure you don’t miss any key notice or statute of limitations deadlines, as established by F.S. 95.11.

Slip-and-Falls

Another common cause of personal injuries in Port Charlotte are slip-and-fall accidents. The Florida Department of Health reports unintentional falls are the No. 1 cause of death among Floridians over age 65, and the fourth-leading cause of injury deaths overall. An estimated 2,500 people die and another 63,000 are hospitalized after falls.

Total admission charges for these injuries is $3.6 billion annually statewide. When slip-and-fall injuries are the result of property owner negligence, a civil personal injury claim in Port Charlotte may help victims recover damages.

We recognize the aftermath of a serious injury is a confusing and stressful time. We can ease some of those burdens by handling all insurance adjuster contacts, helping you estimate what is fair compensation for your case and fighting to get it for you. Our injury attorneys in Charlotte County have a reputation for being not only skilled and knowledgeable, but also transparent, honest and compassionate legal advocates for our clients.

How Long Do You Have To File Your Port Charlotte Personal Injury Lawsuit?

Florida’s statute of limitations typically gives you two years from the date of your accident to file a personal injury lawsuit. If you don’t take the appropriate steps before that deadline passes, you may lose the right to pursue compensation entirely.

There are limited exceptions to this two-year rule, but they only apply in rare situations. For instance, claims where the defendant has fled the state might have a longer time limit. The same is potentially true for cases involving minors. 

It’s best to begin working on your claim as soon as possible with this complexity in mind. Contact our Port Charlotte personal injury lawyers today for a free consultation so we can help you get your claim started on the right foot.

Reach Out To Us

Contact The Garvin Injury Law personal injury attorneys in Port Charlotte today at (239) 277-0005 or online for a free case review.