The Villages Personal Injury Lawyer
The Villages is known for its appeal to Florida retirees due to the lifestyle it offers, with gorgeous coastlines and neighborhoods you can navigate via golf carts. However, it is also known for the large number of accidents that have happened there. Far too often, residents, workers, and visitors to this charming community end up injured through no fault of their own.
If you’ve been injured in a golf cart collision, a car accident, or any other type of accident that was caused by someone else’s negligence, the team at Meldon Law can help. Our personal injury lawyers in The Villages are ready to fight for the compensation you are entitled to according to Florida law.
Call us at (352) 373-8000 or fill out our online contact form to learn more about how Meldon Law will protect your rights after an accident in The Villages. Our compassionate team is dedicated to getting maximum compensation for you.
Can You File a Personal Injury Claim for an Accident that Happened in The Villages?
Yes, you can file a personal injury claim if you or a loved one was injured in an accident in The Villages retirement community, as long as the accident was caused by another party’s negligence.
Florida law allows accident victims to take legal action against responsible parties – like reckless drivers, property owners, businesses, government entities, and more – as long as their negligence caused or contributed to an accident.
Our personal injury attorneys can build your case by conducting a comprehensive investigation to determine what caused your accident and injuries.
What Damages Can You Claim in a Personal Injury Case in The Villages?
Here are some of the main damages that you can pursue in a personal injury claim stemming from an accident or incident in The Villages:
- Medical expenses – Bills for hospitalization, surgeries, rehabilitation therapy, medications, home health aids, mobility devices, and more related to treating severe injuries
- Household assistance costs – Compensation for hiring help to take over cleaning, laundry, shopping, if injuries now prevent these activities
- Property damage – Repair or replacement expenses for items damaged in incident – golf carts, bicycles, etc.
- Pain and suffering – Financial damages accounting for emotional trauma, grief, diminished life activities, and loss of enjoyment resulting
- Loss of consortium – Compensation for the effect your injuries have had on marital relations
Our personal injury attorneys will assess all of the effects of the accident, including your economic damages and the impact your injuries have had on your quality of life. This is an important step in making sure you don’t settle for less than you are entitled to. Call us at (352) 373-8000 to learn more about your claim’s value.
How to Determine How Much Your Personal Injury Claim in The Villages Is Worth
The insurance company will likely offer you a settlement soon after your injury. Many people accept a settlement for much less than they deserve because they don’t know the damages they can recover. Our team will investigate your accident and injury to identify every recoverable damage. This may involve:
- Tabulating all medical bills related to accident injuries to quantify actual expenses already incurred for treatments
- Estimating probable future medical costs
- Assessing property loss expenses (e.g., automotive repair invoices or household assistance services)
- Retaining finance experts to calculate lifetime costs victims face
- Establishing how the accident has affected your life and will continue to do so
We combine evidence with expert analysis to determine how much compensation you will need to move forward from your injuries, now and in the future. Then we go to bat for you with the at-fault party’s insurance company so we can present a case for your compensation.
Why You Want a Lawyer If You Are Injured in The Villages
You can handle an injury case alone. However, you don’t want to. A successful injury case often hinges on your understanding of law and legal jargon, your ability to prove negligence, and your willingness to stand toe-to-toe with insurers. This is difficult for the average person—even more so if you are dealing with severe injuries. Our personal injury lawyers are standing by, ready to fight for every dollar you deserve. Some of the things we’ll handle in your case include:
- Determining all liable parties
- Gathering evidence
- Establishing a fair value for your case
- Protecting you from any other parties who want to trick you out of getting what you deserve
- Negotiating with insurance companies for what you deserve
Having a personal injury lawyer on your side can make the claims process for you and your loved ones so your focus can stay where it matters – on prioritizing your health. And you know that you’re in good hands when you work with the Meldon Law team. We Won’t Back Down.
Types of Accidents Our Personal Injury Lawyers in The Villages Represent
We can help you with any type of accident that was caused by someone else’s carelessness or intentional act in The Villages. These are some of the common types of accidents our Florida injury lawyers can represent:
Golf Cart Accidents
Golf carts are an extremely popular mode of transportation in The Villages, but unfortunately, when a collision happens between a golf cart and a larger vehicle, the driver and passengers in the golf cart often sustain severe or catastrophic injuries. This is due to the lack of protection the golf cart offers and its smaller size and weight relative to a car or truck.
There have also been instances where the golf cart driver’s mistake caused the wreck. This can cause serious injuries to other golf cart operators and the drivers of other vehicles in the event of a crash.
Vehicle Accidents
Vehicle accidents in The Villages happen for a variety of reasons, ranging from speeding to acts of aggression. Victims of collisions involving trucks, cars, or SUVs are often left with injuries like whiplash, bone fractures, spinal cord injuries, and traumatic brain injuries. They are often typically left with a mountain of medical bills. The at-fault party is responsible for covering these in Florida.
We also help victims of pedestrian accidents, bicycle crashes, and motorcycle accidents.
Slip and Fall Accidents
In The Villages, there are seemingly endless shopping and dining options. A serious slip and fall can occur anywhere—in any poorly maintained sidewalk, clubhouse, or restaurant. According to Florida Statute § 768.0755, you must prove that the establishment knew or should have known of the dangerous condition that caused your injuries.
Dog Bites
The Villages is a pet-friendly community, but not all pets are friendly. There have been dog attacks in The Villages before, and as long as there are negligent owners around, there will be more dog bite injury claims in the future. According to Florida Statute § 767.04, the owner of any dog that bites someone is liable for damages, even if they didn’t know it would bite.
Nursing Home Abuse
Nursing home neglect and abuse is, unfortunately, all too common in The Villages. If your parent or spouse suffered abuse or neglect in The Villages, we’ll fight for compensation and justice.
Wrongful Death
Unfortunately, not everyone survives accidents in The Villages. If you lost a loved one due to their injuries, our team can file a wrongful death claim on their behalf, seeking justice and compensation.
Why So Many Accidents Happen in The Villages
According to the Law Enforcement Quarterly Update from Lieutenant Siemer of the Sumter County Sheriff’s Office (SCSO), as reported in the minutes of a Village Community Development District No. 8 meeting, in the previous quarter before the January 20, 2023 meeting alone, The Villages saw:
- 290 vehicle accidents
- 54 golf cart accidents
The Lieutenant stated that many of these accidents were caused by speed or distracted driving. Dealing with the aftermath of an injury accident while you try to heal can be a frustrating experience. Knowing that the accident never would have happened if the at-fault driver was careful can make it even more so.
How Long Do You Have to File a Personal Injury Lawsuit in The Villages?
Under Florida personal injury law, accident victims generally have two years to take legal action for an accident in The Villages retirement community. If you do not file a lawsuit within this time period, you may forfeit your right to compensation.
The best way to make sure your evidence is prepared while the scene of the injury can still be documented and eyewitness memories are still fresh is to call an injury lawyer sooner rather than later.
Talk to a Personal Injury Lawyer in The Villages for Free
Our team helps with all kinds of accident claims in The Villages. We are ready to determine the viability of your claim, conduct an investigation, gather evidence, and negotiate for you. And you can be sure that when you work with Meldon Law, you get a team that CARES about you and your family. We are Compassionate, hold ourselves Accountable, value Reliability, strive for Excellence, and are Success-driven.
The first step toward seeing justice served is understanding your rights. To learn more about your rights as an accident victim, reach out to the team at Meldon Law by calling (352) 373-8000. Get the team that CARES today.
