Orlando Personal Injury Attorneys

Overview of Orlando Personal Injury Causes and Types

There are countless ways you could find yourself injured. By far, the most likely cause of an unexpected injury (statistically speaking) is a car accident. Florida Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles put together 2017 statistics showing over 40 percent of all car accidents in Florida resulted in injury.

Of course, car accidents aren’t the only incidents leading to injury and loss.

Other causes of personal injury include:

Airplane Accidents

Many things could cause serious injuries in airplane accidents. These include faulty equipment, pilot errors, including rapid deceleration or a collision, issues with the airplane’s design, violations of FAA regulations, as well as negligence of flight attendants, air traffic controllers, ground controllers, or flight service station workers. In some cases, multiple parties may be held liable for airplane accidents.

Bicycle Accidents

Pedestrians and cyclists usually sustain severe injuries in crashes and collisions that involve motorists. According to a recent report by the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles (DHSMV), 142 cyclists in the state lost their lives due to bicycle accidents in 2019. The causes of these bicycle accidents are usually distracted drivers.

Boat Accidents

Florida is famous for its spectacular waterways, which are great for boating and water sports. Boating accidents are, unfortunately, very common and could occur for various reasons. These include speeding, lack of proper equipment or maintenance, operators who are distracted, inexperienced, or under the influence of alcohol and/or drugs, water surges, adverse weather conditions, or failure to observe navigational rules.

Car Accidents

The majority of personal injury claims filed in the U.S. involve car accidents. When car accidents occur, it’s usually because drivers didn’t follow the road rules or were not as careful as they should have been. These drivers are typically held liable for injuries caused by their reckless driving behavior.

Dog Bites

You can hold the owners of dogs that bite you liable for the injuries you sustained. This applies regardless of where the dog bite took place, whether in a dog owner’s property, a private place, or a public place.

Insurance Disputes

When you suffer injuries in an accident and have medical bills and related expenses to pay, you expect your insurance company to swoop in and release you from your financial burden. Sadly, this doesn’t always happen. You may have to file a claim against your insurance provider when they deny your claim, offers you an unfairly low payment, or drags out the claims process. If we can’t reach a fair settlement with your insurance company, litigation may be necessary.

Medical Malpractice

You have all the right to expect that doctors and other medical professionals will provide you with appropriate medical treatment. But, sometimes, people’s symptoms worsen, or worse, they actually get injured while undergoing medical treatment. When this happens, injured patients can claim compensation for their damages.

Motorcycle Accidents

Severe, sometimes fatal, injuries are common in motorcycle accidents since the rider doesn’t have the same protection as a driver in an enclosed vehicle. Plenty of motorcycle crashes result from another driver’s negligent actions, which can include failing to see the motorcycle on the road, cutting off the motorcyclist while in traffic, or not following right of way rules.

Nursing Home Abuse

The elderly are one of the most vulnerable and defenseless members of society, especially when they’re in living situations that make it very hard for them to speak up or defend themselves. Fortunately, they have the legal right, guaranteed under state laws, to fight elder abuse. Residents of nursing homes or their representatives can recover compensation from any individual or institution that allows or fails to prevent elder abuse in nursing homes.

Premises Liability

If a property owner was negligent, injuries that occurred on the property could lead to a premises liability claim. Common accidents involved in premises liability claims include slip and falls on slippery or wet floors, trip and falls due to poor lighting or uneven walking surfaces, dog bites, swimming pool accidents, elevator and escalator accidents, and assaults due to inadequate security measures.

Product Liability

Despite safety standards and careful use or operation, various products, including prescription medication, toys, power tools, and motor vehicles are, defective. Any product with a defect, whether it’s the design, lack of safety warnings, or the construction, the manufacturers and other people involved in the creation and distribution of the defective product may be liable for any injuries the product caused.

Sinkholes

Florida houses the most sinkholes in all of the U.S. They typically cause property damage, environmental damage, and personal injuries. Depending on the exact circumstances of your accident, you may seek compensation for injuries caused by a sinkhole accident.

Slip and Fall

These are the most common accidents behind personal injury claims. Property owners or those who rent a property are legally obligated to keep their premises free of hazards to ensure reasonable safety so that individuals on the property don’t get injured.

Truck Accidents

Truck accident cases are usually complex and often involve several potentially liable parties. Most truck accidents result from negligent truck drivers and trucking companies, from unsafe driving practices to truck driver fatigue. But they can also be caused by improper truck maintenance and truck equipment failure, especially problems with the brakes.

Whistleblower Claims

A whistleblower is an individual who has spoken out against injustice or wrongdoings in the workplace in a manner that guarantees legal protection for the individual. If you’re a whistleblower who suffered consequences because of your disclosure, you can claim compensation for damages, which can include termination, unfair treatment, or harassment by your coworkers or employer.

Worker’s Compensation

The law requires all employers to cover their employees’ expenses for workplace-related injuries. They should have Worker’s Compensation Insurance to cover all your medical treatment bills, lose income, and expenses related to the injury. This compensation system is great for employees because it covers workplace injury-related costs without having to prove fault. However, for employees to gain access to worker’s comp benefits, they should follow all the guidelines and very time-sensitive rules. Otherwise, you might receive a claim denial or reduced benefits.

Wrongful Death

A loved one’s unexpected death is never easy for the surviving family. But, the grief and pain of losing a loved one due to someone else’s recklessness or negligence can be particularly more intense. While all the money in the world could bring back your loved one, a fair wrongful death verdict and settlement could help you and your family move on with your lives.

Scooter Accidents

Electric scooters can play a role in automobile accidents and pedestrian accidents. The problem is that states don’t have clear regulations about electric scooters because they’re a relatively new form of transportation. In general, however, the concept of negligence will come into play when determining who should be held liable for a scooter accident and the resulting injuries.

ATV Accidents

Although ATVs or all-terrain vehicles can be really fun, they can be equally dangerous too. If you were in an ATV accident and got injured, you may file a claim for personal injury to seek compensation for the damages you suffered from the accident.

Even airbags, which are supposed to keep you safe, can cause serious injuries if defective.

Depending on what happened, we see victims with injuries ranging from mild to severe. These injuries include:

Cuts and Bruises

Cuts, tears, gashes, and lacerations pierce the skin and affect fat tissue. Bruises form when blunt objects place sudden pressure on the skin, damaging blood vessels and cause bleeding into the skin. Severe bruising, persistent bleeding, and deep cuts to the neck, head, stomach, or chest will require immediate medical attention.

Concussions and Other Traumatic Brain Injuries

Concussions and other types of traumatic brain injuries (TBIs) occur when the brain sustains damage due to sudden shaking or impact, oxygen deprivation, or a penetrating head injury. Some brain injuries could lead to extremely severe injuries or death, including brain edema, brain hemorrhage, brain hematoma, skull fracture, anoxic brain injury, and diffuse axonal injury.

Survivors of brain injuries usually suffer from severe physical disabilities, cognitive deficits, and even permanent states of semi-consciousness or total unconsciousness. Brain injury treatment will require extensive medication, hospitalization, and rehabilitation that will cost a lot of money.

Broken Bones

When your bone breaks or fractures, it will automatically change the bone’s shape. Breaks or fractures can occur straight across or along the length of the bone and can leave the bone in multiple pieces or split it in half. A broken bone requires urgent medical treatment.

Spinal Cord Injuries

A penetrating injury or forceful blow to the spine can cause damage to the structures and passageways that the brain utilizes for communicating with the body. Severe spinal cord injuries could lead to total or partial paralysis.

Paralysis

Paralysis occurs when an individual loses muscle function and sensation. In personal injury claims, paralysis usually stems from severe spinal injuries. Paralysis can be partial or complete, occur on one side or both sides of the body, and in just one body area or widespread.

Amputation

In violent accidents and those that involve trucks, machinery, or heavy objects, people’s limbs could get crushed, or worse, severed. These terrible accidents permanently alter people’s lives and often leave them with chronic and debilitating pain.

Death

Loss of life, in the context of personal injury claims, can result from medical malpractice, motor vehicle accidents, product defects, and workplace accidents, among other things.

At The Law Office of Michael T. Gibson, P.A., Auto Justice Attorney, clients come to us after all sorts of incidents leave them injured or grieving the loss of a loved one. If you suffered injuries in any of these situations, you deserve to have an aggressive Orlando personal injury lawyer guiding you through the process of seeking compensation. There is never any guarantee that a claim will succeed, but our clients can rest assured they have a lawyer on their side who will leave no stone unturned in the pursuit of justice. Read more here about what our clients have to say about our services.