Panama City Beach edges the Gulf of Mexico, boasting miles of white sand and a vibrant downtown area for residents and tourists. It’s gorgeous. Strolling along Pier Park to shop or simply walking to enjoy the weather is a favorite pastime. However, the city’s popularity places pedestrians at risk from negligent drivers.
If a driver hit you and caused severe injuries, a Panama City Beach pedestrian accident lawyer with Ged Lawyers can help. You can partner with Panama City Beach personal injury lawyers who care about you and draw from decades of experience when fighting for the compensation you need and deserve during this trying time. Call our team today to schedule a free case consultation.
Our Client-Centric Law Firm in Panama City Beach Puts Your Needs First
Ged Lawyers has always put the client’s needs first since our founding in 1995. Throughout the entire process, you participate as much or as little as you like in planning your case, and we keep you fully informed during each phase. In addition:
- We make ourselves available for evening or weekend appointments for those who cannot meet on a weekday.
- If your injuries prevent you from traveling to us, we will come to you.
- We appreciate the diversity of our communities and make access to excellent legal representation easier by offering to conduct our meetings in English, Spanish, Arabic, Creole, Portuguese, Greek, Russian, or Turkish.
- We conduct mock trials to gauge a potential jury’s understanding of our strategy.
- In addition to a free case review, we will represent you on a contingency fee basis, meaning you pay no legal fees unless we recover a settlement or judgment. If we don’t win, you don’t pay.
Once we take your case, we will investigate the accident that caused your injuries independently from the police inquiry. This allows us to identify the negligent party and understand the scope of your losses.
Once we have our answers, we will assist you in filing a compensation claim that includes all your losses with the at-fault party’s insurance company. Our pedestrian accident attorney at Ged Lawyers in Panama City Beach then negotiates on your behalf for a full and fair compensation settlement—and if we can’t agree, we will pursue a personal injury lawsuit and seek the money you deserve.
Recovering Compensation for Your Pedestrian Accident in Panama City Beach, FL
You might be eligible for compensation for your losses if negligence caused the accident in which you suffered injuries. To prove negligence, we focus on four elements:
- The driver owed a duty of care to behave reasonably to keep others safe
- The driver breached the duty of care by acting in an unsafe manner
- The driver’s hazardous behavior caused the accident
- Your accident-related injuries caused you to suffer losses
Compensatory damages after a pedestrian accident may include:
- Medical expenses (e.g., ambulance transport, emergency department care, hospital stays, surgeries, rehab, physical therapy, diagnostics, medications, and medical appointments)
- Permanent disability
- Assisted living
- Lost income during recovery
- Reduced earning capacity
- Loss of quality of life
- Pain and suffering
- Mental anguish
- Out-of-pocket expenses (e.g., in-home assistance with daily chores or childcare)
- Repairing or replacing damaged or destroyed property
Speak to our pedestrian accident attorney at Ged Lawyers in Panama City Beach for clarity on the types of damages that you may recover.
You May Share Fault and Recover Compensation for a Pedestrian Accident in Panama City Beach, FL
Florida’s modified comparative negligence law explains who can recover compensation after a negligence-based accident. Suppose an insurance adjuster or jury determines that you contributed to the accident and your subsequent injuries, and you are 50% or less to blame. In that case, you remain eligible to receive compensation for your losses.
However, you cannot recover 100% of your compensation settlement or award. The percentage of fault attributed to you will be deducted from the total award, and you will receive the balance. For example, if a jury finds you were 10% at fault, you will receive 90% of the settlement or award. Moreover, you will not recover compensation for your losses if you are more than 50% at fault.
Statute of Limitations for Filing a Personal Injury Lawsuit in Panama City Beach, FL, After a Pedestrian Accident
Florida Statutes § 95.11(5)(a) allows you two years from the date of your pedestrian accident to file a personal injury lawsuit against the negligent party. Although this seems adequate time, you might face months of arduous therapy to recover.
Meanwhile, it could take equally as long to negotiate a compensation settlement with the insurance company—only to discover you cannot agree on a figure that fully compensates your current and future losses. No matter the reasons, if you don’t file within two years, the court might bar you from doing so, costing you the opportunity to recover compensation.
Exceptions to the two-year rule could allow you to pause the clock. They include:
- The victim was a minor at the time of the injury
- The victim was deemed incapacitated when the accident occurred
- The defendant cannot be found or is not in Florida
- The victim was not immediately aware of the injury
Our pedestrian accident attorney in Panama City Beach will review the two-year rule with you and explain its applicability to your case.
Contact Our Panama City Beach Pedestrian Accident Lawyer Today
Ged Lawyers is a law firm with a history of winning. Call our Panama City Beach office or visit us online today and schedule your free case review. We are tenacious in the fight and compassionate in our care for you and your family. We’re here for you.
