Personal injury lawyer in Hollywood

Victims who are injured in a Hollywood personal injury accident could have significant medical bills and lost wages. Many victims and their families may not know what the next steps may be after their accident and how to get the compensation that they need to cover their lost wages and medical bills. Some victims may even become frustrated and confused about how the process works especially when an insurance adjuster tries to minimize, underpay, or deny a valid claim. But during these difficult times, victims and their families in Hollywood, Florida can rely on Schlacter Law. We have dedicated our law firm to representing individuals who have been catastrophically injured or wrongfully killed due to the reckless, careless, and negligent conduct of another person, business, or government entity.

Here at Schlacter Law, our experienced personal injury lawyer understands how to build a claim for damages while establishing liability against a defendant. Our award-winning law firm and compassionate staff will work with your medical providers to gather your medical records, evaluate your condition, and determine what future needs you may have. While our lawyer may consult with liability experts such as engineers, accident reconstructionists, and other standard of care experts to establish liability against any party who may be at fault for your injuries. Our Hollywood personal injury lawyer has recovered millions of dollars for personal injury victims especially for Hollywood, Florida residents. If you or loved one were severely injured in any type of personal injury accident such as a car crash, slip and fall, dog bite, or medical malpractice, or if a loved one was wrongfully killed, call our bodily claim lawyers for a FREE consultation to learn how our Hollywood lawyer can protect your rights to compensation under the law.

Our personal injury law firm handles any type of intentional or unintentional harm resulting in serious, severe, catastrophic, disabling, or otherwise debilitating bodily injuries occurring here in Hollywood or anywhere else in Florida. This includes the following types of intentional or unintentional accidents or harmful conduct:

• Auto accidents
• Slip and falls or trip and falls
• Trucking wrecks
• Bicycle collisions
• Motorcycle crashes
• Construction site accidents including falls, falling debris, explosions, fires, electrocutions
• Medical malpractice, including birth injuries, failure to diagnose, surgical errors
• Pedestrians hit by a vehicle
• Animal attacks or dog bites
• Bus wrecks
• Water accidents including boating, cruise ship, jet ski, or other water incidents
• Swimming pool accidents
• Negligent security including breaking an entering to commit a bodily injury
• Intentional torts such as assault and battery, sexual offenses, kidnapping, and other physical harm
• Fatal accidents and wrongful deaths
• Any other incidents resulting in serious bodily harm that our lawyer may accept your case

If you or a loved one have been injured due to the negligent or intentional acts of another, you may be entitled to damages under Florida law. Damage is defined as the relief that a party may recover in a legal action. There are many different types of damages that depend on the type of case. In personal injury cases, the damages are compensatory for 1) your suffering, and 2) reimbursement for lost wages, medical bills, and related expenses. Your Hollywood lawyer may be able to obtain the following monetary compensation for your personal injury accident in Florida:

• Past pain and suffering: This is from the date of the incident to the date of the settlement or award issued by the court (jury or judge)
• Future pain and suffering: This is from the date of settlement or award (jury or judge), for the rest of the victim’s life expectancy as calculated by an actuary table and testified by a medical expert/treating physician
• Medical bills: Both past and reasonably calculated future medical bills including for the ambulance, emergency department, medications, types of therapy like physical or occupational, surgeries, and future surgeries
• Lost wages: Any lost wages from the incident, medical appointments, or due to disabling pain and suffering which keeps a victim out of work
• Lost future earnings: If a victim cannot work the same career and must take a lower-paying job, the victim can receive the difference in salary multiplied by the victim’s working years left (e.g., $70,000 minus $30,000 is $40,000 different a year, with ten working years left, that is a possible $400,000 lost future earnings claim, minus taxes and FICA)
• Modifications of a victim’s vehicle or residence (home or apartment): This includes costs for adding ramps, handrails, lifts, handles, bed cranes, or any other devices or structure modifications
• Medication costs: This includes reimbursement for past and payment for reasonably calculated future expenses
• Nursing care or assisted living care: This includes reimbursement for past expenses and payment for reasonably proven future expenses, especially for victims with catastrophic personal injuries that an around-the-clock nursing assistant is needed
• Ambulatory assistance devices and equipment: This includes any devices such as wheelchairs, canes, braces, or other mobility devices
• Loss of consortium: The law recognizes a loss of familial relationship known as society, protection, guidance, and services, including with spouses, children, parents, and other close family members
• Property damages
• Any other damages that the defendant was a substantial factor in causing to you or your family

If you have suffered any of these damages, even just one of them, due to the aggressive actions or negligence actions/inactions of another person, business, or government entity, ask our Hollywood personal injury lawyer for help today. You have rights under Florida law, and we are here to fight for them.

There are any common bodily injuries that could be caused by the intentional, negligent, and downright egregious actions of another. At Schlacter Law, we are committed to protecting the rights of all victims and their family members who suffered any type of injury, especially a catastrophic injury. Some of these severe and catastrophic injuries require surgery, including placement of painful hardware such as plates, rods, screws, pins, and other metal objects to stabilize an injured area. Other surgeries may require removal of bone chips, damaged discs, shredded tissue, and painful scar tissue. In most instances, a victim will always have some residual pain or discomfort, as well as a restricted range of motion or decreased function in the injury area.

Some of the most common types of bodily harm that our personal injury lawyer may be able to handle for you include the following:

• Traumatic brain injuries (TBIs): This is one of the most serious types of personal injuries that could have a permanent and long-lasting disability. The CDC defines a TBI “as a disruption in the normal function of the brain that can be caused by a bump, blow, or jolt to the head, or penetrating head injury.” ^[1] There are several different types of TBIs that depend on the mechanism of injury and how a person has been harmed. This includes a concussion (jolt to the head), diffuse axonal TBI (torn brain tissue), coup-contrecoup TBI (whiplash back-and-forth brain damage), brain bleed, hematoma (bruise), foreign debris (penetrating injury), and other types of TBIs. Call our lawyer for all types of TBIs, even if it is diagnosed as mild, because there is really no such thing as a mild TBI in the eyes of the law.
• Spinal cord injuries (SCIs): This is another devastating and destructive type of bodily harm that could result in permanent disability and affect a person’s entire life. Intentional and unintentional incidents are the most common cause of SCIs, with 92% of all SCIs due to personal injury accidents. ^[2] Always ask our Hollywood personal injury lawyer for help with any type of SCI such as paraplegia or quadriplegia.
• Amputations: The loss of a limb is catastrophic, irreversible, and devastating. Always get a lawyer for help.
• Broken bones or fractured bones: This is one of the most common types of bodily harm that could occur, and it can also be one of the most painful. Sometimes badly broken bones require one or two surgeries, sometimes even more, to repair the damage and properly set the bone.
• Organ injuries: Anytime an organ is injured, a lawyer should be contacted. Organ damage is a very tricky type of claim because function may only be decreased by a small percentage. However, our lawyer and medical experts know that this damage and decreased function will only continue to grow as a person ages. This may place a victim at risk for other damage or conditions. Any type of heart contusion, collapsed lung, bruised kidney, lacerated liver, perforated bowel, or any other type of organ damage should be reviewed by a lawyer.
• Burn injuries: Usually considered to be one of the most painful, burn injuries can also be some of the deadliest due to the higher risk of infection. This is especially true when a victim has a large percentage of his or her body covered in burns. Multiple surgeries are likely with any type of burn injury. Always ask our lawyer for help with any burn injury case due to the intentional or negligent actions of another.
• Back or neck injuries: While your spine is resilient, it is not impenetrable. Back and neck injuries are a common type of motor vehicle accident injury and they can be debilitating or permanent. Damage such as disc herniations, lower back pain, back sprains or strains, slipped discs, and other bodily harm could result in expensive and invasive surgery.
• Crushing damage: This is a high-triage injury due to the risk of internal bleeding and permanent damage. Any type of crushing damage must be immediately treated and aggressively monitored. Some severe crushing injury cases result in amputations or permanent loss of function in the limb damaged.
• Lacerations causing severe disfigurement: Victims who suffer severe disfigurement from any type of accident or intentional harm should ask our Hollywood personal injury lawyer for help.
• Loss of a sense: A victim who has a loss of vision, smell, hearing, taste, or any other sensation should contact our lawyer because these are major and devastating injuries.
• Any other injury: caused by the reckless, careless, or negligent actions or inactions of another, or due to the intentional harm of another. Our lawyer at Schlacter Law can review your case for FREE to determine if you may be entitled to compensation for your personal injury.

While no one plans to be in an accident or the victim of a crime, everyone should have a plan in case they are victimized. If you were just involved in an accident or if you were involved in an incident where someone intentionally harmed you, here are the steps that our lawyer recommends you to take to protect your rights:

1. Call for help immediately and get to safety, especially if you or someone is seriously injured, or if the source of your injury was a criminal attack. Call 911 and get law enforcement there quickly. If you fell at a store, get an employee’s attention immediately. Try to make an official report with the business or with a police officer. If you do not think the scene is safe, get to safety if you can. This includes in a motor vehicle accident if you need to get to the side of the roadway and away from a second collision. Or in the case of a criminal attack, you may need to hide and call for help until police respond.
2. Seek medical attention. Even if you do not think you are seriously injured, always get an EMS or healthcare provider at a hospital to evaluate your injuries. Some personal injuries can appear to be minor at first, but in the hours, days, or weeks later they could become devastating and require surgery. Some injuries such as a brain bleed could start as a mild headache and become fatal hours later. Always get evaluated.
3. Take photographs or videos of the scene, your injuries, and the other driver, criminal, or condition on the floor. The more photographic evidence you have, the better it will be to prove your case. Even if you think the evidence does not help your case, the law is complicated and oftentimes these photographs are helpful and can be used to prove other aspects of your claim that you—as a non-lawyer—may not be aware of.
4. Exchange information with the other parties and witnesses. Get a full record of everyone who was there, including the person/people who caused your injuries, first responders, medical providers, police, witnesses, shop owners, employees, and anyone else who may have any insight into what happened to your case.
5. Keep all documents safe including what the other party gave you, police, first responders, medical providers, the hospital, or anyone else involved with your claim. Not only are there legal requirements to turn over all relevant and possible evidence, but sometimes a shop owner in a slip and fall or a medical provider in a medical malpractice case may try to change documents or their story. If you have your originals, you can prove them wrong and damage their credibility at trial.
6. Keep a log or journal of your appointments (who, when, where, and for what), days off of work (when and why), and any activities that you could not do or were impaired from doing due to your injuries. This includes activities as simple as just showering, playing with the dog, or trying to go grocery shopping. Note any disabilities as you can.
7. Contact our lawyer at Schlacter Law for any accidents or incidents occurring in Hollywood, Florida. Refrain from giving statements to an insurance company until you have a lawyer on your side. This is because an insurance adjuster is trained to get you to admit to facts that might not have happened but seem plausible to diminish your claim. Other times an insurance adjuster will try to get you to agree your injuries are not as bad as they really are. Do not let this happen. Get our lawyer to protect your rights.

Families who have lost a loved one in a fatal accident such as a slip and fall/trip and fall, motor vehicle accident, medical malpractice case, boating wrecks, construction site accident, or any other type of accident or incident may be entitled to damages under Florida law. Some of the most common damages that a family may be entitled to in a wrongful death action include the following:

• Pain and suffering of their loved one
• Medical bills and expenses for the ambulance and emergency room
• Funeral costs
• Burial expenses
• Emotional distress
• Loss of income of their loved one
• Property damage
• Loss of society, affection, protection, guidance, and love of their loved one
• Punitive damages if the defendant’s conduct was egregious and outrageous
• Other damages related to the wrongful death of your loved one what our lawyer may be able to obtain for your family

Partial fault is a measure of damages not liability. This means victims may still be able to collect compensation against a defendant. However, that compensation may be reduced by the percentage of comparative fault that the victim had. This is because Florida is a comparative fault state which does not bar most claims solely due to comparative fault.

For example, a victim who is awarded $100,000 in a motor vehicle accident but the victim is 10% at fault for the wreck. A victim’s final award may be lowered to $90,000.

Comparative fault is an important concept because it is usually how a defense lawyer and insurance lawyer or adjuster will try to attack a victim’s claim. This is because the higher that a victim’s comparative fault is, the less money that a victim may be entitled to. This is why victims of any accident in Hollywood, Florida should ask our personal injury lawyer at Schlacter Law to fight back to protect their claim by advocating for the lowest amount of comparative fault—or none at all.

If you or a loved one were seriously injured or if a loved one was wrongfully killed in Hollywood, Florida, ask our experienced personal injury lawyer at Schlacter Law how we can fight back to protect your rights. Our compassionate team and award-winning law firm is ready for your call today. We offer FREE case evaluations, and there is no upfront cost to learn how we can start to help you and your family recover after the negligence or criminal actions of another person, business, or government entity. Call (305) 999-1111 for your FREE consultation to learn how our lawyer can start helping you fight back today.

How We Handle Cases

1. Investigation
   • Your attorney will aggressively investigate your case. Schlacter Law will compile all necessary evidence needed to maximize the value of your case. Which includes but is not limited to photographs, police reports, security camera footage, witness statements, medical bills and medical records.
   • You will remain in constant contact with Schlacter Law about the progression of your case.
2. Negotiation
   • Your attorney will present your case to the insurance company and will attempt to resolve your case before the case goes to court for maximum compensation.
   • Your attorney will make every effort possible to resolve the case as quickly as possible for the most amount of money you may be entitled to. You will be actively involved in the negotiation process with your attorney. Schlacter Law understands that this is your one opportunity to get justice for your loss.
3. Litigation
   • If settlement negotiations are unsuccessful, Schlacter Law will be fully prepared to bring your case to court to fight for the justice you deserve.
   • At no cost to you, Schlacter Law will hire any experts and professionals needed to maximize your recovery and present your case in the strongest form possible.