In April 2014, my right hand lost it's strength. A disc is compressing my spinal cord. No issues with my left hand. Traction until September 2014. While riding my bike on 9/23, a car rushed past me to turn right into a community. He turned into me while in the bike lane, I went over his trunk chest first, severe bruising, destroyed my $12k custom bike. Impact aggravated existing condition, my left slowly hand lost all of it's strength. I could have avoided any surgery for my right hand but now, both hands being weak, I had no choice but to elect surgery which is on Feb 6, Cerv. Fusion. Hand strength measured prior the accident (left hand fine) but in December, my left was now weaker than my right! State Farm is the insurer. I have provided all medicals. They've have also violated 627.4137
State Farm has not complied with FS 627.4137, no insurance docs provided but requested several times. Adjuster says $250k policy, maybe excess. State Farm noted I had an injury in July 2012 and asked for medicals. I have provided ALL meds since that date up to 10/30/14, the day I had to elect surgery. They wanted to find out if I had any prior left hand issues, which I have not. Actually, the adjuster advised that I may want to file a claim with State Farm(my carrier too) as my claim may be worth over the policy limits. I found that to be a very interesting comment. I know they are going to jerk me around. The last thing the adjuster asked for last week was for my cervical surgery bills (about $65k) and hospital bills (around $30k) when I get them. So, even though I had a right hand strength issue, in now way, shape or form did I ever have a left hand strength issue until after the accident, period.
Cases like yours can vary wildly. Some lawyers build cases from the bottom up- meaning amount of bills and expenses or from the top down- meaning you start with those intangible losses you have suffered such as loss of enjoyment of life, mental anguish and pain. This is a 6 to 7 figure case and bad faith depends on the set-up and what the carrier has done or not done to this point.
Any Florida injury lawyer can help you- preferably one Board Certified in civil trial law. It is the Florida Bar's expert standard- it requires passing rigorous testing and peer review. You are paying the same whether you get steak or a cheeseburger, but people still choose those with high advertising budgets.
Insurance carriers try to negotiate every dollar they can, because every $100 means millions in the end to the Board of Directors. Even in soft tissue injuries, those tissues stretch and scar, or cause corresponding pressure on nerves in the spinal cord, leaving behind permanent problems for some. I have had clients need surgeries years later because of a bulging disk and have their entire world collapse for what seemed inconsequential at the time. Insurance companies want you to settle as soon as possible and treat as little as possible. Attorneys matter. They change their gameplan when a lawyer is involved. It seems like your injuries are more serious.
For that reason - and the misinformation by TV lawyers and referral services- is why people should consult lawyers who take the time like on sites like this. Because of the economy, more lawyers are jumping into personal injury and should stick to what they know. Personal injury law REQUIRES knowledge about medical science and biomechanics (the forces on a body in a wreck) far greater and more specific than you'd think. The other side has doctors and millions on their side to say nothing is wrong or fight the claim.
The more a law firm advertises, the less likely it is to give personal attention.
If you order a cheeseburger, you don't often meet the chef.
If you buy a shirt, you virtually never meet the designer.
But hiring a lawyer is different. A lawyer is your spokesperson. Unlike a burger or a shirt, it can be a relationship which will last a lifetime.
All lawyers are not the same. The ones who don't take the time to personally sit down with you and know your problems aren't worth your time. If they won't return your calls, it's a sign of disrespect. I'm always amazed what people put up with. Give one of us a call.
Could be a very significant claim. Sit down with your attorney. The best advise any of us can give is to be sure you have qualified counsel. Otherwise, your claim will not be viewed very significantly. Good luck.
I am sorry to hear about your situation. You may have a significant case and are facing major surgery with potentially life changing effects. My advice would be to focus now on your medical treatment and recovery and to not discuss your case any further on any on linevl service or social media because it could be obtained by the defense if litigation ensues. Immediately consult with a couple of experienced personal injury trial attorneys choosing the one you feel will best represent you. Good luck and I am happy to answer any other questions by phone if you wish.
Thats a crystal ball question honestly. Its all a matter of getting it together with the proper documentation and hitting it. You need a seasoned trial lawyer.
You need to hire an attorney today, if you don't have one already. If you do have an attorney, then you need to stay off all social media websites and discuss your case with your attorney, and only with your attorney. You have what is termed and "catastrophic injury," and you will not get the proper results without an attorney.
Retain an attorney immediately. My wife had an auto accident and required the same surgery due to same weakness in her left arm/hand. It is a serious condition. Permanent, and will require additional medical treatment in the future.
The value of your case could be significant but there are so many variables and you are still early in your medical treatment that there is really no way to accurately advise you of potential value. anyone who tells you a number that hasn't been intimately involved in your case and knows it backwards and forwards is doing you a disservice.
Use avvo and speak with a lawyers in your area specializing in injury claims. Good luck
Christian K. Lassen IIPersonal Injury LawyerPhiladelphia, PA ·
A plethora of factors go into putting a number on a case, so best bet is to have a local personal injury lawyer investigate and evaluate. has a great lawyer finder tool to locate an attorney close to your home. Good luck.
Scott Raymond DwyerPersonal Injury LawyerMerritt Island, FL ·
You need an experienced personal injury attorney, preferably one who has handled excess/bad faith claims. It is unusual that State Farm has not provided coverage disclosure assuming that a proper statutory disclosure request has been made. Statutory bad faith (ie violation of 627.4137) and common law bad faith are complicated areas of the law and you need good legal advise in this area. Good Luck.
Robert Vance GreenePersonal Injury LawyerCape Coral, FL ·
You have a lot of issues going on here. The worst thing you can do is try to handle this claim yourself. I strongly suggest you seek an experienced attorney to represent you in this matter, the sooner the better.
