Most people have no idea how much it costs to hire a Coral Springs workers comp attorney. Most people realize that they don’t pay anything upfront in a regular personal injury case. It’s hard to watch television today without seeing half a dozen attorney commercials an hour. However, things are not as clear when it comes to workers compensation cases. When our Coral Springs workers comp attorneys meet with a client for the first time, they’re shocked that we don’t charge them for the initial consultation. They are so afraid that it’ll cost them thousands of dollars to hire one of our Florida injury lawyers, they don’t ask how much it will cost if they decide to hire us.
If we review your case and feel that your claim has merit, we may be willing to represent you. It’s important to point out that if you’re only looking to challenge a couple of weeks you weren’t paid for, we would not be able to help. There simply is not enough at stake for us to intervene. However, if you believe you’re entitled to permanent disability compensation, we may be able to help. All you have to do is call our office and schedule your free, initial consultation. We’ll do everything we can to help you get the compensation you deserve.
Workers Compensation Cases Are Different from Regular Personal Injury Cases
In regular personal injury cases, we sue on behalf of our client and demand that the defendant pay our client damages. In those cases, we typically demand compensation for medical bills, lost wages, and pain and suffering. Sadly, you are only entitled to two of these three things. Every state, including Florida, provides injured workers with the same benefits. You’ll receive medical care for your workplace injuries and you’ll receive weekly checks until you return to work. Furthermore, you don’t even get paid your full wages. They only pay you 2/3 of your average weekly wages. Of course, since these payments are not taxed, it ends up being a little more than 2/3.
When we are able to demand damages on behalf of our client, we know there will be a reasonable settlement made. These settlements tend to be at least several thousands of dollars. It is usually much more than that. When our Florida injury lawyers take a percentage of that settlement, it is considered their payment.
With workers’ compensation, there are no damages to demand. And, the only cases that settle are those involving serious injuries or disabilities. This means that many of the cases we handle fall into that category. When we do ultimately settle your claim, we will take our contingency fee out of those proceeds. The percentage can range anywhere from 33% to 40% depending on the case.
Not as Many Workers Compensation Cases Settle
As briefly stated above, not all workers compensation cases settle. With personal injury, more than 95% of all lawsuits filed are settled before trial. Out of the remaining 5%, some are default judgments where the defendant didn’t bother to file a response. Others ended up settling during or toward the end of trial. With workers compensation cases, only a certain percentage of them are settled. These are typically cases involving very serious injuries. If a person’s injuries are minor enough that they’ll be back to work within a year, there would not be the need for a settlement. The same is true for people who go back to work on light duty or accept an alternate position.
The cases that our Coral Springs workers comp attorneys settle involve some of the following:
- Traumatic brain injuries
- Spinal cord injuries
- Partial or total paralysis
- Blindness
- Deafness
- Loss of a limb
- Cancer or Mesothelioma
- Carpal Tunnel Syndrome
People who suffer these injuries tend to take a lot longer to recover. Many of them certainly take more than 2 years to settle. That is how long the State of Florida will allow you to collect benefits for. Some states, like Georgia, are much more generous. Georgia allows you to collect workers compensation benefits for 400 weeks. That is just shy of 8 years. Now, there is no reason for a case to go on that long. If you aren’t healed in 104 weeks, you won’t be sufficiently recovered to go to work after three.
If you’ve suffered a serious injury such as those listed above, you may be entitled to permanent disability benefits. Make sure you contact our office today so you can meet with a seasoned Florida workers comp attorney.
Your Best Option is to Meet with a Seasoned Florida Injury Lawyer
If you’ve been injured at work, there’s a good chance you’ll be entitled to workers compensation benefits. It all depends on whether you meet the criteria for workers comp. It also depends on whether you can prove you were hurt. Our Florida injury lawyers do their best to get their clients the benefits they deserve. The good thing for you is that our attorneys work on a contingency basis. As explained briefly above, this means that we aren’t paid until we settle or resolve your claim.
The major difference between this type of case and a personal injury lawyer is that you aren’t asking for damages. All you’re asking for are workers’ comp benefits. Your Coral Springs workers comp attorney won’t receive a portion of your weekly benefits. Nor do we receive anything for the medical care you receive. The only way our associates are paid is if your case settles. If that happens, we do receive a portion of the settlement proceeds.
As far as you’re concerned, you don’t have to pay anything upfront to retain our services. Your Coral Springs workers comp attorney will even cover most of the costs associated with your case. We suggest you call and schedule your free, initial consultation with one of our Florida injury lawyers today. Since there is no charge to meet with one of our seasoned attorneys, it’s something you should definitely take advantage of.
