Personal Injury

Unfortunately, Automobile Accidents can happen to anyone at any time. After an automobile accident, many people find themselves with more questions than answers. What are my rights? Who will pay my medical bills? Who will pay to have my car repaired? What happens if I have to lose time from work?

At the Law Office of Grant & Dozier, LLC, our experienced staff of attorneys will help answer all of these questions for you. We will investigate all possible sources of recovery. Sometimes, accidents are not caused by the fault of the other driver, but a defect in the automobile itself. If a car manufacturer creates a defective product, they can be liable for any injuries caused by that product defect. Our attorneys will use their decades of legal knowledge to ensure that you are fully compensated for your injuries, pain and suffering, lost wages, and many other areas of loss.

Our firm will make sure that all of your rights are protected so that you can concentrate on the most important thing: recovering from your injuries. We can also help you find the right doctors and medical specialists who will help you with your recovery. In many cases, we can make arrangements so that your doctors will wait for payment until your case is resolved.

If you were injured while you were a passenger in a vehicle involved in an accident you still have the right to receive compensation for your injuries. You may have claims against both the driver of the vehicle you were occupying as well as the drivers or owners of any other vehicles involved in the collision. No matter which vehicle you occupied, a passenger cannot be considered at fault for the accident unless you did something that specifically caused the accident.

What to Do After An Automobile Accident

After a motor vehicle accident, if you are seriously injured you should seek immediate medical attention. After the police have been contacted, you may try to take the following steps:

• If any of the drivers seem to be under the influence of alcohol or drugs, advise the police immediately.
• Write down the names of the other drivers, their addresses and the policy numbers of their automobile insurance.
• If there are any witnesses to the accident, ask for their names, addresses, and phone numbers.
• Write down the name and badge numbers of all police officers present.
• Take pictures of the scene of the accident and the automobiles involved particularly any areas of damage to the vehicles.
• Make note if any party makes statements indicating that they were at fault for the accident.
• Make note if any vehicle involved is a commercial vehicle or if any party states that they were working at the time of the accident.
• After leaving the scene of the accident, you should immediately contact an attorney who has experience addressing personal injury claims. At the Law Office of Grant & Dozier, LLC, you will consult directly with one of our experienced attorney at no charge to you.

Should I call the Insurance Companies?

It is likely that your auto insurance carrier requires you to promptly report any automobile accident even if the accident is not your fault. Your insurance company may request that provide a recorded statement regarding the accident. The Law Office of Grant & Dozier, LLC strongly recommends that you contact an attorney before you provide a recorded statement to any party.

You should NEVER give a statement (recorded or not) to the other driver’s insurance company without consulting an attorney.

Should I Consult with a Doctor?

If you are feeling pain or discomfort anywhere in your body, you should definitely consult with a doctor. Sometimes your pain and suffering may not start until several hours (or even days) after an automobile accident.

When you are reporting your injuries or pain to the police, paramedics, hospital staff, or doctors, be sure to identify each and every area of complaint no matter how small.

Follow the doctor’s advice to the best of your ability and be sure to attend each doctor’s appointment. If you fail to follow the doctor’s recommendations it may be used against you in court.

If you fall in someone else’s home, a business, or public area due to a hazardous, dangerous, or hidden condition, you may be able to recover for your injuries, pain, and suffering. All property owners (public and private) have a certain duty of care to make sure that their property is safe.

To be successful in a slip-and-fall case, you must be able to prove that the property owner created the hazardous condition that caused the accident or that he or she knew (or should have known) about the dangerous condition and failed to have it removed or repaired. 

Uneven steps, potholes, cracked sidewalks, unattended spills, torn or worn carpeting, or broken tiles can all create dangerous situations or conditions for visitors to a building. 

However, be aware that as a guest on someone else’s property, you have a duty to exercise reasonable judgment, care, and caution.

When a medical provider or medical facility fails to exercise proper care, skill, diligence, or to perform within the proper standard of medical care, it may result in Medical Malpractice or Medical Negligence. Each doctor or facility must perform their duties within the accepted practices and standards of similar doctors or facilities within the same field, in the same geographic area.

Be aware that just because your medical treatment has a bad result, it does not necessarily mean that medical malpractice has occurred. Even if a doctor performs all of the proper tests and follows the accepted protocols, a misdiagnosis or unsuccessful procedure can still occur. It only becomes medical malpractice when the misdiagnosis or unsuccessful procedure occurs due to a doctor or facility’s failure to get a proper medical history, order the appropriate tests, recognize observable symptoms, or follow acceptable medical standards.

When a person dies as a result of the reckless or negligent conduct of another, a wrongful death suit may arise. The suit is brought by the family members of the victim’s estate. The suit is brought to recover damages on behalf of the surviving family. A wrongful death suit is brought to provide relief (in the form of money damages) to the surviving family members for the emotional suffering and financial loss that flow from the death of a family member.

Dealing with the death of a close family member is difficult and tragic. At the Law Office of Grant & Dozier, LLC our skilled and experienced attorneys can help answer your questions and compassionately help guide you through the legal process. We will handle your claim so that you can focus on the more difficult aspects of grieving and coping with the loss of your family member.

As our population ages, more and more Florida residents have parents or other relatives in nursing homes. Unfortunately, nursing home abuse is becoming more and more common. The abuse may be ongoing or even a single event, which causes either physical or financial injury.

Federal law specifies that nursing homes are responsible for the health, well-being, and medical care of their residents.

In order to determine if abuse has occurred, the Law Office of Grant & Dozier, LLC’s team of attorneys will review medical records; interview family members, friends, and witness; and investigate whether state or federal authorities have received other complaints regarding the institution.

It is important to be able to distinguish the resident’s existing illness(es) from any negligence or abuse caused by the nursing home or its staff. It is also important to discover if the abuse is part of a pattern of neglect committed by the nursing home.

In the State of Florida, a dog owner is held strictly liable for the actions of his animal. Unlike automobile accidents, slip-and-falls, or medical malpractice you do not have to prove negligence. If you are bitten by a dog, the dog’s owner is always responsible for any injuries caused by the bite. However, the amount of recovery you receive can be reduced by any negligence on your part such as antagonizing the dog or pulling its tail.