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The coastal community of Miramar Beach has always stood by its neighbors. Emmanuel Sheppard & Condon, Attorneys at Law, shares that philosophy. We provide personal injury legal expertise in Miramar Beach any time a local resident or visitor finds themselves hurt through no fault of their own.

If you have been hurt in Miramar Beach and don’t know where to turn to pay for your medical bills and other related expenses, we want to be there for you. You can obtain a Miramar Beach personal injury lawyer who will care about your best interests and seek all available legal remedies to provide you with the compensation you deserve.

When you work with one of our personal injury attorneys, you can know with confidence that they will fight for your case aggressively. Whether you have been hurt in a car accident, a boating accident, an accident in a hotel or golf course, a pedestrian accident, or any number of other injury incidents, we will explore all of your legal options for obtaining the maximum amount of compensation from all available parties.

Experience Matters: Emmanuel Sheppard & Condon Has It

For more than a century, our law offices have represented injured clients in the Panhandle area. Our Miramar Beach office provides this same level of experience and extensive resources with a local touch. We provide these services to better serve clients and better represent cases with jurisdiction in the Destin and Okaloosa County areas.

Many of the attorneys at Emmanuel Sheppard & Condon have been practicing personal injury law for decades. These skilled professionals are well versed in Florida personal injury law. Our attorneys are ready to fight to get you the best possible compensation.

Why Hiring a Personal Injury Attorney Is Important and When to Do So

Hiring an attorney can help you get the compensation you deserve after an injury. A personal injury attorney will know how to use evidence to prove that you were not at fault. Having an attorney also provides leverage to help you negotiate a more beneficial settlement. If the at-fault party knows that you are working with an experienced personal injury lawyer, they will be less likely to offer you a settlement that is too low or try to convince you that you do not have a claim.

Hiring a personal injury attorney is especially important after a car accident. It is tempting to file an insurance claim and assume that your insurance adjuster will get you the optimal compensation. However, insurance adjusters actually use a number of tactics to decrease your settlement and save the insurance company money. Skilled attorneys are aware of these tactics. Working with a personal injury lawyer can help you get a better result from your insurance claim.

If you were injured in an accident, you should hire a personal injury attorney as soon as possible. If you delay in hiring an attorney, you could miss filing deadlines or the opportunity to access certain evidence that supports your claim.

Personal Injury Cases We Handle

Emmanuel Sheppard & Condon is ready to handle most types of accident cases in Miramar Beach, Florida.

Automobile Accidents

Each year, there are hundreds of thousands of automobile accidents in Florida. Many of these accidents result in injury, death, or property damage. The attorneys at Emmanuel Sheppard & Condon have over 100 years of combined experience handling auto and other vehicle accidents including:

  • Car accidents,
  • Bus accidents,
  • Motorcycle accidents,
  • Truck accidents,
  • Boating accidents, and
  • Airplane accidents.

If you were injured by a negligent vehicle operator, our law firm can help you recover for your injuries.

Premises Liability

Poorly maintained property presents hazards that can result in serious injuries. Premises liability cases arise in many different situations. In Florida, property owners have a legal duty to maintain reasonably safe conditions on their premises. The personal injury team at Emmanuel Sheppard & Condon is familiar with situations when a property owner has neglected this duty and can help you recover for injuries you sustained in an accident on private property.

Workers’ Compensation

Getting injured on the job can be stressful. A workers’ compensation insurance carrier may try to limit your compensation to save money for themselves and your employer. You deserve adequate compensation for any injuries you sustain in the course of your employment, especially if your injuries cause you to miss work.

There are strict deadlines for reporting an accident and filing a workers’ compensation claim. Hiring a workers’ compensation attorney as soon as possible after an injury on the job can help ensure that you meet the Florida deadlines, giving you a better chance at recovery.

Other Personal Injury Cases

Emmanuel Sheppard & Condon also handles:

  • Dog bite injuries;
  • Industrial injuries;
  • Product liability claims;
  • Wrongful death claims; and
  • Social security disability cases.

Our Miramar Beach personal injury attorneys are ready to answer your questions about these and other accident types.

What You Should and Should Not Do After an Accident

There are several things to keep in mind after an accident if you want to file a personal injury claim.

What Should You Do?

One of the first things you should do is seek medical attention for any injuries. Immediate treatment can prevent minor injuries from turning into bigger problems. Seeing a medical professional right away can also help you detect injuries you might not have noticed at first. A doctor will also keep medical records of your injuries and treatment, and these documents can be useful when you are filing an insurance claim or a lawsuit.

After an accident, you should also document useful information. The information you will need varies according to the type of accident, but some important things to note may be:

  • The date, time, and location of the accident;
  • The names and contact information of any witnesses at the scene; and
  • Personal information for any other parties involved in the accident, such as another driver in a car accident.

You should try to write out a description of what happened as soon as possible after the accident. Details can fade from your memory with time, and you never know what details could be important to your claim.

As we mentioned, you should contact a lawyer shortly after an accident if you have been injured. A lawyer can advise you on what steps you should take if you plan on filing a claim.

What Shouldn’t You Do?

Try to avoid talking or posting about your accident on social media. An insurance company or at-fault party can take your posts out of context and use them to downplay your injuries and reduce your recovery.

You should also not talk to the opposing side’s lawyer or insurance company without your own lawyer. Especially with a car accident, the other driver’s insurance company may try to get you to make a statement immediately after the accident. You may not be fully aware of your injuries at this point, so your statement can be used to lower the value of your claim. You should talk to an attorney before making any statements about your accident.

Will My Personal Injury Case Go to Court?

Only four or five percent of personal injury cases go to trial. The vast majority of personal injury claims are resolved through settlement agreements before the case goes to court. Settlement often allows an injured person to recover damages sooner than a trial. If medical bills are due and you are missing work because of an injury, receiving compensation as soon as possible can make a difference.

However, settlement offers can be used strategically by a responsible party to pay less than the full value of your damages. Settlement and trial both have advantages and disadvantages, and the right choice for you depends on your specific situation.

An ethical personal injury attorney will keep your best interests in mind when it comes to advising you on whether to accept a settlement offer.

What Is the Timeline for Personal Injury Cases?

The timeline for personal injury cases varies widely depending on the type of case, the specific facts of the situation, and what your goals are as the injured person. However, once you hire a lawyer, there are a few phases that are common to most, if not all, types of personal injury cases. These phases do not necessarily occur in the order they are listed here.

Beginning the Case

The preparations leading up to filing your claim can include initial discussions with your attorney and notifying the other party or parties that you intend to file suit.

Discovery

Discovery is the process of collecting and analyzing the facts of your accident. This may include compiling medical records, investigating disputed facts, and gathering evidence such as witness statements and security footage. Discovery can take anywhere from 6 months to a year or more, depending on how easy it is to obtain the necessary information, how many facts are disputed, etc.

Settlement Negotiations

Most personal injury cases settle out of court. Settlement occurs when the injured party agrees, without court involvement, to accept a specified damages amount from the other party as compensation for their injuries. You and the other party may attempt to reach a settlement by negotiating directly or with the help of a mediator. You may also engage in arbitration, in which a neutral panel will decide the case after hearing evidence from both sides.

Trial

If you and the other party do not reach an agreement, you will each present your arguments to a judge or a jury at trial. The judge or jury will then determine whether the other party owes you damages and how much damages you should receive. Preparing for trial can take several months, but once the trial has started it will typically last somewhere between a few days to a week, although it can take longer.

Get Your Accident and Injury Questions Answered

Emmanuel Sheppard & Condon is ready to answer your questions about all types of Miramar Beach personal injury cases.

How Long Do I Have to File a Claim?

In Florida, most personal injury cases have a four-year statute of limitations. This means you have four years from the date of the accident to file a claim. Missing the filing deadline could mean the court will dismiss your claim, so it is important to talk to a Miramar Beach personal injury attorney as soon as you can if you are considering a lawsuit.

How Much Does It Cost to Hire a Personal Injury Lawyer?

Usually, you will not have to pay your attorney up front. Most personal injury attorneys are paid on a contingency fee basis, meaning they are paid a percentage of any damages award that you receive.

What Kind of Damages Can I Receive?

Your personal injury settlement or damages award may include compensation for medical bills you paid. You may also be able to recover income that you lost as a result of your accident or injuries. Florida law allows you to recover damages for pain and suffering that you endured during the accident or while recovering from your injuries as well.

Contact a Miramar Beach Personal Injury Attorney Today

The law firm of Emmanuel Sheppard & Condon is ready to answer all of these questions and more. Our firm offers you our Client Priority Promise, because we care about your case results and want to treat you like a priority. Contact our office today to start discussing your personal injury claim with a highly experienced Miramar Beach personal injury lawyer.