Nassau County Negligent Security Attorney

Common Negligent Security Claim Mistakes

There are several mistakes people can make that slow down or devalue negligent security claims. Please read through them all to avoid making the same errors.

Not Getting Medical Attention

People with negligent security injuries often don’t seek medical treatment when they should. There are two primary reasons for this. One is physiological and one is psychological. When we experience trauma, the body produces a surge of stress hormones or adrenaline to help us survive. This gives people a burst of strength and the energy to fight or flee. It also gives them a heightened pain threshold, enabling the body to fight or flee even when injured. These hormones can remain in the body for hours, even until the day after the traumatic event. As a result, many people who’ve been seriously injured in negligent security incidents don’t actually realize the extent of their injuries, and don’t get themselves to a doctor. The other reason people injured in negligent security incidents are often hesitant to seek medical attention is psychological. Depending upon the type of assault or injury they have sustained, they may be ashamed or embarrassed. They may even believe on some level that the incident was their fault. No matter what may be tempting you to skip a medical exam, it’s important to get checked. It will protect your physical wellbeing and help medical professionals assess any psychological or emotional support that will help you as well. Getting medical attention will also protect your negligent security claim by establishing a medical record of your injuries. This record will coincide with the timeline of the incident, creating further proof of who bears responsibility for your claim. Without proof of your injuries from medical professionals, the insurance provider for the liable party has an opening to try and minimize or even deny responsibility. Don’t give them this opportunity. Get medical treatment right away.

Not Following Doctor’s orders

Unfortunately, it’s not uncommon for people to disregard or forget their doctor’s treatment plan after they’ve left their office. This is a big mistake. The more serious your injury, the longer it will probably take to recover. This makes your participation even more vital in keeping your recovery on track. You need to do everything you can to heal, whether it’s taking prescribed medication correctly without skipping doses, keeping physical therapy or counseling appointments, or something else your doctor has asked of you. It may also be not doing something, such as avoiding strenuous exercise while healing from a concussion. Mandatory rest can be the hardest treatment plan to follow. It’s important to remember that just as getting medical attention after your injury creates a record to help legitimize your claim, not following doctor’s orders can create proof the insurance company can use to say you weren’t that badly injured after all.

Giving the Insurance Company a Recorded Statement

One of the big mistakes we see people make is allowing insurance companies to convince (or intimidate) them into giving recorded statements. You can be polite about it, but we do recommend you tell the insurance adjuster you are not willing to speak to them and hang up before they can try to change your mind. Insurance adjusters are well trained in the art of conversation, so it’s best not to stay on the phone. It’s important to know that not only are you not obligated to provide a recorded statement, but you are also not required to speak to the insurance company at all. In fact, this is a great chore to delegate to your Nassau County negligent security attorney.

Waiting to Call a Lawyer

A lot of people make this mistake. They get wrapped up in the aftermath of their negligent security incident, focused on their injuries and getting back to work, and they put off making a call to a lawyer. It’s also not uncommon for people to put off calling an attorney because they find that the statute of limitations on filing is two or more years, and they feel like they have plenty of time. No matter how long the statute of limitations is on filing, it’s crucial to remember that evidence doesn’t stick around forever, including witness testimony. If you’re lucky enough to have a witness, you’ll want your attorney to get their testimony recorded before they forget key details, or their contact information changes. Sure, these days people have cell phones, but even cell numbers change. It’s very important to take the step of contacting an attorney to get your questions answered about your negligent security case as quickly as possible after the incident.

Related Videos

Choosing the wrong lawyer

One of the biggest mistakes you can make in your negligent security claim is handing it over to the wrong lawyer. A lot of people assume all lawyers have the same ability to handle their case. This is false. Just as there are doctors with specializations, there are lawyers with specializations. When it really counts, most of us seek out a doctor who specializes in the area of medicine we need help in, and rightly so. If you had a choice between a general surgeon and a neurosurgeon, who would you call for brain surgery? It’s the same with lawyers. Your best chance for compensation in a negligent security claim is with a personal injury attorney who has successfully handled negligent security cases. To take it a step further, it’s very important that this attorney is also an experienced trial lawyer. Many negligent security claims are settled before reaching the courtroom, but some are not. If your case goes all the way to trial, you want someone with a solid track record of winning negligent security cases before a jury.

Nassau County Negligent Security Client Story

The story that follows will give you a better idea of what to expect in a negligent security claim. The names and details have been changed to protect the identity of our client. Please read to the end to learn as much as possible about your claim. Then, please give us a call so we can answer the questions you have about your specific claim in a free consultation. A few years ago, Staci Lewis headed west on the 295 to her favorite shopping mall in Jacksonville to pick up a stand for her artificial Christmas tree. She had just moved in with her college roommate, Jenna, having graduated from Jacksonville University a few months prior. She couldn’t wait to decorate for the holidays. It was her favorite time of year. She knew her chances of a white Christmas were slim, but still, a dusting was possible. She loved Florida but missed the winter wonderland of her Midwest childhood. Looking around at the palm trees, it was hard to fathom December through March without a heavy blanket of snow that seemed as if it would never melt. Still, the 68° days were nice. She decided buying a beautiful fake tree would be a good compromise. Even if it didn’t snow in Jacksonville, she could have a Christmas wonderland inside. She made sure to check with her roommate, who happily pitched in, suggesting Staci pick out the tree. Staci ended up finding the perfect tree online, and was pleased to find it came with free shipping. It was a green spruce with flocking to imitate snow. She’d told herself she wouldn’t go there, because flocking was known to make a mess. This tree, though, looked so real. Staci read every review and was delighted to find most of them raving about the flocking staying right where it was supposed to. It was almost 5:00 p.m. when the tree arrived on the Saturday afternoon before Thanksgiving. Elated, Staci hurriedly opened the package to get a look at it. Her excitement changed to concern as she took everything out of the box. The tree stand was missing. She knew the company would ship one after a quick call to customer service when they opened on Monday, but she wanted to be absolutely sure the tree was up in time for Thanksgiving. Staci would be hosting Thanksgiving dinner at the apartment for her mom, stepdad, and brother. Jenna had left that morning to drive home to Alabama for Thanksgiving with her family, so all the preparations would fall to Staci. It was a challenge, but she was organized and up for the task. With work and all the cooking Staci had ahead of her before their flight arrived on Wednesday evening, she needed the tree up and decorated by Tuesday night. Staci remembered seeing tree stands in the seasonal section of her favorite store. She knew it would be open late for the holidays and jumped in her car on a mission. As she expected, the parking lot was packed as people picked up supplies for Thanksgiving. Staci didn’t mind, though, happy to get some steps in. She parked in a far corner of the lot and made the trek into the store. Staci found what she needed and then took her time roaming the aisles, grabbing a few Christmas presents and enjoying the smell of cinnamon from the big sack of scented pinecones she’d tossed into her cart.  It was just getting dark when the manager announced the store would be closing in fifteen minutes. Staci navigated through the decked-out store and grabbed a spot in the line to the register. It was dark out when Staci left the store. She was glad she’d snapped a picture of the aisle number she’d parked in, because the lot was still almost full from people still inside other stores in the shopping center. As she trudged to the far end of the lot, she found the area around her car was also dark, with several broken lights. Staci popped the hatch of her Honda and was loading her bags into the car when the hair on the back of her neck prickled. Someone was behind her, and way too close. She spun just as her field of vision exploded into white stars before she tumbled into a black void. Staci woke up on the ground, with a patrol officer crouched beside her, shining a flashlight in her face. Seeing Staci blink her eyes open, the officer lowered her flashlight. Several faces floated above the officer’s shoulder as Staci struggled to make sense of what was happening. She tried to sit up, but the officer’s strong hand on her shoulder held her where she was. “Don’t get up, help is on the way.” Five minutes later, Staci was lifted onto a gurney to go the emergency room. As she was loaded backward into the ambulance, she could see that her parking space was empty. Her car was gone. Staci suffered a serious concussion, a broken wrist, and a bruised tailbone from the fall. Her mother, Joanne, flew in on a red eye and brought her home to her apartment early the next afternoon. “Looks like you’re going to have to accept help cooking this Thanksgiving, honey,” her mom said as she pulled the rental car into the driveway of the duplex Staci and Jenna lived in. “Don’t worry, you can fly in early and help me with Christmas dinner to get more practice next month.” Joanne went around the car and helped her daughter up the steps into the apartment. It would be a while before the extent of the injury from Staci’s concussion was known. So far, though, it was clear she was suffering from vertigo and blurred vision. Staci slept the rest of the afternoon on the couch. She woke up in the early evening to the smell of home cooked chicken parmesan — her favorite. As she slowly sat up, she was alarmed to again see stars. “Well? What do you think?” Joanne asked, her arms spread wide. Staci blinked several times, trying to clear her vision, to discover the stars were the lights on her beautiful Christmas tree. While she’d slept, her mom had bought another tree stand and helped herself to the lights that were sitting in a box with Christmas decorations on the carpet. “I left the ornaments for tonight. You can help, as much as you feel able, and Jason and Charlie can help finish it Wednesday night when they arrive.” “It’s beautiful, Mom, thanks.” On Wednesday, Joanne brought Staci to our office before heading to the airport to pick up the rest of the family. She’d called on Tuesday morning and set up the appointment after telling us they had three main concerns: how much it would cost to hire us, how much Staci’s case might be worth, and how long the case might take.

How Much Will It Cost to Hire an Attorney?

As we settled in, Joanne asked warily, “So, how much would it cost to hire you?” We explained that we don’t charge anything upfront, and that we work on a contingency basis. This would mean we’d cover the costs of the entire case. In the end, we would only get paid if we brought Staci’s case to a successful resolution. This answer satisfied them both.

How Much is My Negligent Security Case Worth?

Staci then asked, “How much do you think my case is worth?” “That’s difficult to accurately estimate this early in the case,” we told her. “In order to know the value of your case, we’ll need to conduct an investigation, gathering evidence and witness statements. We will also begin to build your case as if it’s going to trial.

Frequently Asked Negligent Security Questions