How Many Florida Personal Injury Suits Go to Trial?
Any type of negligence that another party or entity engages in has the potential to cause others harm. For example, if you are traveling in your car and another driver decides to speed and hits your car as a result of driving faster than the speed limit, you may be harmed. Depending on how severely you are injured, you could not only file a claim with your own insurance, but you may also be able to file a claim against the driver who hit you.
Likewise, if you go food shopping and the floor is wet and slick and hasn’t been cleaned up, it can cause you to slip. In this situation, you may also have a case to make for the injuries you suffered as a result of the dangerous conditions in the store.
Florida Personal Injury Cases Filed in Florida
Each year, thousands of personal injury cases are filed in Florida. It was recently reported that just under 30,000 personal injury cases were filed in federal courts, and statistically, 127.41 personal injury cases were filed for every 100,000 Floridians. When compared to the national average for personal injury cases filed each year, Florida’s personal injury cases are filed 1,237% more than the national average. In other words, personal injury cases are extremely prevalent in the Sunshine State.
Anyone who has been injured and started the claims process may wonder what to expect. Thinking about going to litigation can be overwhelming, especially when there are serious injuries to tend to. When a personal injury suit goes to court, the time it takes to get to a verdict can be lengthened, the cost of litigation can be expensive, and the outcome is unpredictable.
While there are some situations where litigation makes sense as the best way to handle a personal injury case, many times, personal injury cases never make it to trial; in fact, only 3-5% of the cases that are filed are determined through the courts. The reality is that most cases, as high as 97%, settle outside of court with negotiations.
When a case does go to trial, the rate of success tends to vary depending on the type of case that is filed. For instance, medical malpractice cases have a 19% success rate for a claimant, while car accident cases have a 61% success rate for claimants.
It is never clear how a personal injury case will go when the process first starts. The goal is always to recover fair and full compensation, whether that is through productive negotiations or by way of going to court.
Call Fulgencio Law Today
Having an attorney’s assistance can be helpful when filing a personal injury claim. An attorney will know how to assess a case, value it, strategically negotiate, and, if necessary, be prepared to litigate at trial. An attorney acts as an advocate for claimants whose goal is to see that a claimant’s best interests are met.
For help with your personal injury case, please call Fulgencio Law at (813) 463-0123 to schedule a free consultation with a Tampa personal injury attorney.