Jacksonville Personal Injury Attorney

Have you or a member of your family been injured as a result of recklessness or neglect by an individual or a business? Are you unsure about what to do now, whether you need a lawyer, or even if you have a case? Contact our Jacksonville personal injury attorneys for help.

The experienced personal injury attorneys at Gillette Law, P.A. knows that these injuries — and especially the death of a loved one — are deeply traumatic events. And the struggle to get your life back to normal afterwards can be very stressful, both physically and emotionally. We believe you deserve a caring legal partner who is sensitive to how you feel and is committed to getting you justice and fair compensation for your personal injury.

If you’ve been injured, put your trust in us

For you to collect on a personal injury claim under Florida or Georgia law, the person or entity causing your injury must be found negligent. That is, you and your lawyer must establish that reasonable care was not exercised to prevent the injury. Because both states have comparative negligence laws, you may be able to collect some damages even if you shared some of the responsibility, as long as the other person or business was more negligent than you. Please contact Jacksonville personal injury attorney Charlie Gillette for advice on how the law applies in your particular case.

Do you have a case?

There are many types of personal injury cases that may be actionable — meaning that you may be able to recover money damages from the person or organization at fault. Motor vehicle accidents are the most frequent cause of personal injury actions, but Gillette Law, P.A. handles all types of physical and psychological injury cases.

Filing a wrongful death lawsuit cannot bring your loved one back to you. But it can give you some consolation to know that the person or company at fault took responsibility for the untimely death. It is also a way to get some financial compensation for the economic losses you have suffered as a result.

You may be able to recover damages for intangible losses as well as for financial ones:

Medical costs associated with the death
Funeral and burial or cremation costs
Loss of the deceased’s expected future earnings
Other lost income, such as retirement fund or pension
Loss of companionship, protection and care
Pain and suffering
Mental anguish
Punitive damages

Gillette Law, P.A. believes that your loved one’s wrongful death should be memorialized and that you should be awarded financial relief for your losses. When it comes to establishing liability for an accidental injury, Florida personal injury law is particularly complex. This is why it is so important to retain a local Jacksonville personal injury attorney who really knows how to apply state law to best support his clients. When you bring your legal issues to Gillette Law, P.A., you can be assured your concerns are handled by a dedicated advocate who knows the law and local issues that can affect your case.

Proving negligence in Florida personal injury law

Personal injury lawyers begin by determining all parties who may be responsible for the accident by proving they meet the state definition of negligence. In essence, the law states a party is negligent under the following conditions:

The individual who caused your injury owed you a duty not to injure you, but did not meet that duty.
The duty of the individual was connected to your injury.
You suffered damages as a result of the failure of the individual to meet the duty owed to you.

Determining degree of fault is critical in Florida personal injury cases

Under Florida comparative negligence law, if you share responsibility for an accident, the amount you can recover is reduced in proportion to your percentage of negligence. And the joint and several liability rules complicate who pays damages — and how much they may be required to pay. Jacksonville injury attorneys are held to these guidelines when you share responsibility for the accident:

Anyone who is 10 percent or less at fault is not considered responsible for paying economic damages.
Individuals responsible for more than 10 percent, but less than 25 percent, may pay damages up to a limit of $200,000.
Those found to be between 25 and 50 percent responsible may pay damages up to $500,000.
Even if responsibility is 50 percent or more, the maximum damages are $1,000,000.

Even if you do not share fault, the state imposes monetary limits on the amount paid by other responsible parties dependent on their percentage of responsibility.

Florida Personal Injury FAQs

Charlie Gillette of Gillette Law, P.A. has helped thousands of people in the Jacksonville, Florida and Brunswick, Georgia areas with their personal injury and wrongful death legal matters. Over the years, he’s used his vast experience and knowledge to bring clients the quality legal advice they should expect, and the dedication that their cases deserve. Below are answers to some of the questions he’s most frequently asked about personal injury:

Should I provide a statement to an insurance company without a lawyer’s help?

It is in your best interest to only provide your contact information to an insurance company until you consult with a lawyer. The more significant your injuries, the more imperative it becomes to seek legal counsel before providing any statement.

What determines the amount I might recover?

Every case addresses three issues:

Liability — establishing someone’s negligence
Damages — the amount that fairly and adequately compensates you for your injuries
Source of collection — insurance or other assets from which damages can be recovered

Will I have to go to trial to recover damages

About 95 percent of personal injury cases filed settle prior to reaching the trial phase.

What is considered pain and suffering?

Pain and suffering includes harm caused by physical injury and mental anguish experienced through avoiding activities you engaged in prior to your accident and the potential of surgery.

What do I do after the accident?

The most important thing you can do after a car or truck accident is to seek medical treatment for any injuries you might have sustained. A doctor’s diagnosis provides vital evidence in a settlement negotiation or trial. The second most important thing to do is to contact a lawyer. Personal injury attorneys regularly do the legal and investigative footwork needed to get clients compensated for their injuries.

What if the other driver is uninsured or underinsured?

Your own car insurance policy may contain a provision that covers your losses when you have been struck by an uninsured or uninsured motorist — this is often called a UM/UIM provision. Although your compensation in this case may be limited by your coverage limits, any amount in excess may be recovered directly from the uninsured/underinsured motorist by filing a lawsuit.

What do I do about getting my car repaired

In some cases, the at-fault driver may have a provision that pays for the cost of your rental car and the cost of repairs. However, problems can arise if the at-fault driver denies liability. In this happens, you may need an auto accident lawyer to intervene on your behalf to obtain the compensation to which you are entitled.

How do I know if I should file a wrongful death lawsuit?

When you believe that a person or company caused the untimely death of a loved one by failing to exercise a reasonable degree of skill, diligence, professionalism or competence when providing a product or service to your loved one, you have a potential claim for wrongful death. You may have a claim if the death resulted from any of the following:

Drunk driving deaths
Prescription drug errors
Improper roadway design
Construction accidents
Food contamination
Nursing home abuse
Medical malpractice
Products liability
Slip, trip and fall accidents

What types of damages can my family recover after a wrongful death?

Families may be compensated for the following losses:

Emotional distress
Funeral and burial expenses
Loss of benefits
Loss of inheritance for children
Loss of earning potential
Loss of future wages
Loss of love and protection
Pain and suffering
Punitive damages

Do you offer any free consultations? Are you licensed to practice law in both Florida and Georgia?

Yes, Charles J. Gillette, Jr. is licensed to practice law in both states and represents personal injury clients in Florida and Georgia and beyond. If you are unable to travel our offices, our friendly and professional staff will come to you.

Our fees for personal injury matters are contingent upon the recovery of compensation for the client and require no upfront expenditure from the client. We believe that clients should receive excellent value for superb legal representation.

If you have questions, contact Gillette Law, P.A. in Florida or Georgia today

Gillette Law, P.A. is centrally located to serve clients in Florida and Georgia. The helpful professional staff is available Monday through Friday from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. and at other times by appointment. If you are unable to visit one of our offices, we can meet with you in your home or hospital room. We offer a free initial consultation and work on a contingency fee basis, so you pay on a percentage basis only when we win your case.

Knowledgeable and experienced personal injury lawyer Charlie Gillette is prepared to represent you in all types of personal injury cases, including those involving auto accidents, catastrophic injuries and defective products. Let him support you in your case.

Get help from an experienced injury attorney in Jacksonville

No matter how you were injured — in an auto or car accident, from a slip on a wet store floor, due to a dog bite, or any other injury situation — you need the Jacksonville personal injury law firm of Gillette Law, P.A. to help you pursue fair compensation for your injuries. We have helped thousands of clients, and we offer a contingency fee structure so you pay on a percentage basis only when we win your case.

Gillette Law, P.A. is centrally located to serve clients in Florida and Georgia. The helpful professional staff is available Monday through Friday from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. and at other times by appointment. Contact us online or call us at 904-600-4758. If you are unable to visit one of our offices, we can meet with you in your home or hospital room. We offer a free initial consultation and work on a contingency fee basis, so you pay on a percentage basis only when we win your case. Our Jacksonville personal injury lawyers can help.

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