If you or a family member has been injured or if you’ve lost a loved one in an accident in Miami, Florida, you may be aware that you can seek compensation from the at-fault party. However, you may not know how many different kinds of cases personal injury lawyers handle.
Although personal injury covers a wide range of cases, that doesn’t mean that all Miami personal injury lawyers are experienced in every kind of case. It’s important to ensure that the attorney you choose has handled your specific type of case.
Table of Contents
Vehicle Accidents
Whether you were the driver or a passenger, you may need a personal injury lawyer if you were involved in a traffic accident in Miami, FL.
Vehicle crashes can include:
- Car accidents
- Truck accidents
- Uber and Lyft accidents
- Bicycle accidents
- Pedestrian accidents
- Bus accidents
- Motorcycle accidents
Navigating Florida’s complex no-fault insurance rules can be tricky. A good personal injury lawyer can help you file insurance claims and determine whether you can recover additional compensation by filing a lawsuit.
Premises Liability Claims
A premises liability case arises when you’re injured on someone else’s property. Property owners have a duty to keep the premises safe for visitors. They can be held liable for injuries caused when they fail to do so.
Premises liability claims can include:
- Slip, trip, and fall accidents
- Assault caused by negligent security or supervision
- Swimming pool accidents
- Airport accidents
- Hotel accidents
- Daycare accidents
- Cruise ship accidents
- Amusement park accidents
- Dog bites
Any accident that occurs on someone else’s property could potentially involve a premises liability claim. These cases can be complex if there is a property manager or tenant that is separate from the owner. Or, they can also be combined with a product liability claim if a contributing cause of the accident was faulty machinery or equipment.
Medical Malpractice
If you suffered an injury or illness due to negligent treatment or care by a medical provider, you could have a medical malpractice claim.
While it is a type of personal injury case, medical malpractice cases in Florida have specific requirements.
Medical malpractice cases can include:
- Surgical errors
- Birth injuries
- Anesthesia mistakes
- Wrong diagnosis
- Chart errors
- Delayed diagnosis
- Medication errors
The statute of limitations for medical malpractice lawsuits in Florida is two years. They will usually need to be filed within two years of your injury.
Workplace Accidents
If you are injured at work, you will likely be covered by workers’ compensation. Sometimes, workers’ comp benefits will be the only compensation you are eligible to receive. But, if a third party was responsible for your accident, you may be able to file a third-party lawsuit to recover additional damages.
Workplace accidents can happen at any worksite, but frequently involve:
- Construction accidents
- Factory accidents
- Manufacturing accidents
- Warehouse or dock accidents
- Mining accidents
- Airport tarmac accidents
Even if you qualify for workers’ compensation, an experienced personal injury attorney can help monitor your claim and ensure that it covers the expenses you are entitled to. They can also file an appeal for denied claims.
Product Liability Claims
If you were injured by a malfunctioning or unsafe product, you may have a product liability claim. Manufacturers are required to design and manufacture products that are safe for consumers to use. They must also ensure that consumers receive proper instructions and warnings for using the products.
Product liability claims generally involve:
Design Defect
This happens when the product is dangerous as designed. Maybe it is missing a critical safety guard or overheats under typical use. The product can cause harm just by the way it is made.
Manufacturing Defect
Sometimes the product is safe by design, but it becomes unsafe during the manufacturing process. For example, this can happen if substandard components are used. It may also happen if quality control measures aren’t followed. A manufacturing defect may occur on just a few products or entire batches.
Marketing Defect
A marketing defect occurs when proper warnings or instructions are not included with the product. The manufacturer should take into account all typical or anticipated uses of the product when developing warnings and instructions.
Product liability claims may involve one or more of the above defects. Because different companies or contractors are often involved in making a product, these cases are often complicated and require thorough investigations.
Boating Accidents
Many accidents could fall into multiple personal injury categories. For example, an accident on a boat or commercial ship could also be a workplace accident.
Boating accidents can include:
- Charter boats
- Personal watercraft
- Commercial shipping boats
- Cruise ships
- Fishing boats
- Kayaks and canoes
- Jet boats
- Airboats
Boating accidents are often complex and may involve state, federal, and maritime laws. So, they are a bit different than a typical injury case. If you’re injured on the water, you’ll want to look for a personal injury lawyer who is familiar with boating accidents.
Nursing Home Abuse
If your loved one is in a nursing home or assisted living facility, you trust that they are treated with care and respect. Unfortunately, nursing home abuse and neglect are all too common.
Nursing home abuse can include:
- Physical abuse
- Emotional abuse
- Financial exploitation
- Sexual abuse
In addition to intentional abuse, injuries, illness, or death can be caused by:
- Negligent supervision or hiring
- Understaffing
- Overworked or fatigued caregivers
- Medication mistakes
- Malnutrition
- Dehydration
Nursing home abuse cases might involve a combination of premises liability claims or even medical negligence, depending on the circumstances.
Wrongful Death
If a loved one is fatally injured in an accident, a personal injury attorney can file a wrongful death lawsuit to hold the responsible party accountable and recover compensation. There are usually several different claims filed in a wrongful death lawsuit. Some are to recover compensation for medical expenses, burial expenses, and the pain and suffering your loved one endured prior to death. Other claims seek to recover compensation for the effect that your loved one’s death has on you and your family – such as the grief of losing a spouse or parent and loss of family income.
Personal Injury Cases Cover All Types of Injuries
No matter what type of personal injury case you have, a Miami personal injury attorney will seek to recover compensation for all of the injuries you sustained in your accident.
Common injuries include:
- Traumatic brain injuries
- Broken bones
- Spinal cord injuries
- Amputations
- Soft tissue injuries
- Crushing injuries
- Internal organ damage
- Lacerations
- Back and neck injuries
- And more
Your lawyer will calculate damages based on expenses related to your physical injuries, but most personal injury cases also seek compensation for lost wages and pain and suffering related to your accident.