Suffering a knee injury can put a tremendous strain on your mobility. This can make doing simple tasks a lot more difficult. As the knee is such a complex joint, there is a major risk of injury. Minor knee injuries can make life difficult for a few weeks. However, a severe injury can put you out of action for a couple of months or even years sometimes.
Regardless of how small your knee injury is, it is vital that you get it seen by a medical professional as soon as possible. A serious knee injury can cause significant problems down the line if not treated correctly. If your injury was caused by the negligence of another party, speak with an Orlando knee injury lawyer straight away. They can help you recover damages to cover medical costs, lost wages, and other expenses related to your injuries.
The personal injury attorneys at The Law Place are ready to help you fight for compensation for your knee injuries. Our law firm has significant experience with personal injury law and handling personal injury lawsuits. Our lawyers have the skills necessary to ensure that you get the compensation you deserve and the other party is held accountable for their actions.
Our law firm offers a free consultation for you to receive legal advice about your case with no strings attached. We work on a contingency basis so you will never lose out on money and we will only deduct our legal fees from your settlement if successful.
Call our law offices today for a free consultation at (941)-444-4444.
Most Common Knee Injuries in Orlando
The knee is an important and complex joint that helps us walk, run, climb stairs, and play sports. It absorbs the pressure and impact from our daily activities and helps us be mobile. Because it is so complex, it is susceptible to damage and injuries.
Some knee injuries can be treated at home with physical therapy however, other injuries can require significant treatment and long-term care.
The most common types of knee injuries in Orlando include:
- Fracture or dislocation – A knee fracture or dislocation can happen from a high-impact incident, such as a car crash or severe slip and fall.
- Ligament injuries – A torn anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) is a common sport injury, resulting from a knee twisting the wrong way or landing too quickly after a jump. A posterior cruciate ligament injury happens when there is an impact to the front of the knee, such as a car accident.
- Meniscus injury – It is common to tear the cartilage or cushion between your thighbone and shinbone. This can happen through a sporting accident, a slip and fall, or through knee deterioration with age. An older person is more likely to suffer a meniscus injury from a slip and fall.
If you experience serious pain following a knee injury, it is vital that you seek medical help as soon as possible. Failure to get treatment by a medical professional can lead to long-lasting damage.
Symptoms of Knee Injuries in Orlando
Knee injuries, like all personal injuries, can cause people a significant amount of pain and inconvenience. Depending on the severity of the injury, you may be unable to walk, exercise, or carry out daily tasks because of the injuries. The most common symptoms of knee injuries include:
- Inability to bend or stretch the knee completely.
- Swelling and inflammation around the injured area.
- Inability to walk properly without a limp.
- Instability in the knee area.
- Popping sound at the time of the injury.
- Inability to move the knee at the time of the injury happening.
If you experience these knee injury symptoms, it is important to seek medical attention straight away. Ensure to keep all medical records and documents relating to your injury. The more evidence you have, the better chance you have at recovering compensation for your injuries.
Your personal injury lawyer can use this evidence to increase the compensation you recover from your injury claim.
Causes of Knee Injuries in Orlando
Most citizens in Orlando use their knees every day, whether through walking, playing sports, cycling, exercising, or working. Any of these activities can lead to a knee injury happening, particularly with sports.
However, there are some unpredictable accidents that can happen through the fault of another person. When these accidents cause you to suffer a knee injury, you could file a claim against them to recover compensation.
Car Accident
Car accidents are a common cause of knee injuries in Orlando. In 2022, there were over 20,000 motor vehicle accidents resulting in injuries in Orange County. In the entire state of Florida, there were almost 250,000 crashes resulting in injuries and over 3,000 fatalities. This number is staggering and proves that we still have a major problem with reckless drivers in the state.
Usually, knee injuries sustained in car accidents are quite severe. The knee is at risk in a car accident because of the position behind the steering wheel or dashboard. Car accident victims may suffer a serious fracture or dislocation of their knee, “dashboard knee” or an MCL injury, meniscus injury, or a knee sprain. Some severe car accident knee injuries can lead to paralysis or permanent disability.
If you suffer from a knee injury in a car accident, you, unfortunately, have to deal with insurance companies. Whether it is your own insurance company or that of the negligent drivers, you must prove that you suffered injuries and provide documentation, including medical records and images of the injuries.
Dealing with insurance companies can be extremely challenging. Our firm recommends you seek help from an experienced personal injury lawyer who can speak with an insurance company on your behalf.
Slip and Fall Accidents
Many knee injuries happen in slip-and-fall accidents. This type of accident occurs when a person slips, falls, and injures themselves on another person’s property. The accident can occur on private property, public property, or in an establishment such as a shopping mall.
The most common type of slip-and-fall accidents involve wet floors, uneven ground, or dangerous stairs. It is easy to injure your knee from a slip and fall accident. ACL injuries often occur because of a serious fall, including torn ligaments, fractures, and knee dislocations. These injuries can be severe and require extensive medical treatment, depending on the severity.
If you fell because of the negligence of the property owner, you must file a premises liability claim against them. Like car accidents, you must prove using evidence that you sustained a knee injury because of the negligent actions or inactions of the property owner, and provide evidence proving the extent of your injuries.
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Personal Injury Cases for Knee Injuries in Orlando
Like all personal injury cases in Orlando, you must file a claim against the negligent party responsible for your injuries to recover compensation. Depending on your situation, this could be a claim against the insurance company of the driver responsible for the car accident, or a personal injury lawsuit against the person or party responsible for your injuries.
Insurance Companies
Suppose you suffered a knee injury in an auto accident, which could be a car accident, motorcycle accident, or pedestrian accident. In that case, you can file a claim with an insurance company. Because Florida is a no-fault state, you must file a claim with your own insurance company first.
Most personal injury cases involving serious knee injuries go further than a no-fault claim with the victims’ own insurance company. This is because the medical bills often exceed the amount provided by their own insurance companies. In these cases, the victim may decide to sue the insurance company of the other driver.
To successfully recover compensation from the other driver’s insurance company, you must prove that they caused the accident, you suffered harm as a result, and your negligence directly caused your injuries.
Insurance companies are notorious for offering lowball settlements and refusing to negotiate fairly with clients. For this reason, it is recommended that you hire a personal injury attorney that has ample experience dealing with tough insurance companies. They can negotiate on your behalf to achieve a settlement from the other driver’s car insurance coverage.
Personal Injury Lawsuit
For knee injuries caused by other accidents, such as sports accidents, workplace accidents, or other incidents involving negligent behavior, you must file a personal injury claim against the negligent party.
Once you can identify who the negligent party is, your lawyer can help file a personal injury claim against this party. For a successful claim, your lawyer must prove the following:
- Duty of care – The party responsible had a duty to take reasonable measures to prevent you from being harmed or injured.
- Breach – The party breached this duty of care through negligent or reckless behavior. This can include not applying adequate safety measures when playing sports, driving recklessly, or failing to warn visitors of dangers on a property.
- Causation – The injuries you suffered were directly caused by the breached duty of care. If you had a pre-existing condition, you need to prove that the knee injury was not caused by your pre-existing condition and instead by the negligence of the responsible party.
- Damages – You suffered damages, including medical bills, lost wages, pain and suffering, property damage, and wrongful death.
If you can successfully prove the above elements and show that you deserve compensation for the injuries and harm sustained, you will have a successful personal injury claim. The financial compensation you receive depends on the type of harm suffered and the damages you are entitled to.
Premises Liability
Many knee injuries are caused in premise liability cases, such as slip and fall accidents. Florida Statute 768.0755 allows victims injured on the property of another party to file a premises liability case to recover compensation. The victim must prove that their injuries were directly caused by the property owner’s action or inaction.
This could include; failing to place a sign on a wet floor, not giving notice that a walkway is uneven, or failing to remove obstacles from the path. Once you can prove that they knew about the safety hazard and failed to give adequate warning, then you can file an injury claim against them.
Often, the most difficult thing to identify in personal injury cases is the party directly responsible. If you suffered a knee injury in a slip and fall incident, you must identify who had responsibility for ensuring the area you fell was cleared and free from hazards. If you fell because there was no wet floor sign, you must identify the party responsible for ensuring that signage is present.
An experienced personal injury attorney can help you file a premises liability claim against a property owner for your knee injury. Often, you must deal with their insurance companies, which can be quite complicated. A personal injury lawyer can help ensure you get the maximum compensation possible from an insurance company without having your claim undervalued.
We’re Florida’s top litigation team with over 75 years of combined experience
Compensation Available in a Personal Injury Case
If you suffered a knee injury in an accident, you likely endured serious medical bills and other costs resulting from the injury. If your accident was caused by another person, you reserve the right to get these costs covered by the negligent party. To do this, you must file a claim for damages. Depending on the type of harm you suffered, the damages you can claim vary.
Some damages an Orlando knee injury lawyer can help you claim to include:
Medical Bills
Costs for hospital appointments, transport to and from these appointments, surgery, continued medical expenses for long-lasting injuries, physical therapy, and any other medical expenses related to the injuries.
Lost Wages
If you could not work because of your knee injury, you can recover the wages you lost as a result. This includes any future potential earnings, such as bonuses, promotions, and future predicted wages.
Property Damage
If your knee injury was sustained in a car accident and your vehicle was also damaged, you can recover the costs of repair or replacement. This includes the repairing or replacement of personal items contained inside the vehicle at the time of the accident, such as laptops or phones.
Non-Economic Damages
Besides economic damages, such as medical expenses, lost wages, and property damage, a person may also suffer emotional or physical trauma because of a knee injury. This includes PTSD, anxiety, loss of enjoyment in life, or trauma from your injuries. You may recover pain and suffering damages to compensate for these injuries.
From the initial call to updates on your case status, we are here to get you answers.
Statute of Limitations for Knee Injury Cases in Orlando
Like all personal injury cases in Orlando, there is a time limit for filing a claim. Florida Statute 95.11 sets out the statute of limitation for personal injury claims at four years. This means that you have four years from the date of the knee injury to file a claim against the negligent party for damages.
However, although four years may seem like a long time, we recommend contacting an Orlando knee injury lawyer to start the claim as soon as possible. Whether your knee injury happened in a car accident or slip and fall, you will need a lot of time to build up a strong case.
Your lawyer must gather evidence, speak with witnesses, deal with legal documentation, assess legal issues, fight against arguments of the insurance company and the lawyers, and negotiate on your behalf. Evidence often gets lost over time, such as CCTV footage or the statements of witnesses. The faster you are with filing a claim, the more evidence you will have, and the better chance you have at winning the case.
Because of this, we recommend calling an Orlando personal injury attorney from The Law Place as soon as possible if you suffered a knee injury in an accident involving negligence. Our lawyers will get started on your case straight away to maximize your chances of winning.
How an Orlando Personal Injury Lawyer Can Help
Filing a personal injury lawsuit is complex and requires significant legal experience. When coming up against insurance companies and lawyers, the odds are stacked against you. The burden is on the claimant to prove that they suffered injuries and that the negligent party should pay. If you cannot prove this, you will not win your claim.
Insurance companies and lawyers will do everything in their power to ensure that you are not awarded a legal settlement. This means fighting against your claim, disputing your injuries or the negligent party’s liability, or offering you a lower settlement. In most cases, those without a lawyer receive a significantly lower settlement than those with legal assistance.
An Orlando personal injury attorney can help your case by investigating your claim thoroughly and gathering sufficient evidence on your behalf. This includes medical records, witness statements, CCTV footage from the accident, expert witnesses, and any other evidence to support your claim.
A personal injury lawyer will negotiate with the insurance companies and lawyers to get a high settlement on your behalf that adequately reflects the harm you have suffered. At The Law Place, our personal injury lawyers will try to avoid going to court to minimize legal costs. However, if necessary, our personal injury attorneys will fight aggressively in court on your behalf.
Contact an Orlando Knee Injury Lawyer at The Law Place Today!
Suffering a knee injury can put a major strain on your life. You may be unable to work, play sports, or carry out daily tasks for several weeks, or even permanently. On top of this, the medical costs of fixing a knee injury can be extensive and you may require physical therapy for an extended period.
If your accident was caused by another party, you could recover compensation to pay for your medical expenses and any pain and suffering you endured. However, you will need the help of an experienced Orlando knee injury lawyer to help you with this process. At The Law Place, our team of personal injury lawyers has a combined experience of over 75 years.
With knee injury lawsuits, we have what it takes to get a positive outcome and ensure that your legal rights are protected. Our lawyers will fight tooth and nail to get the maximum amount of compensation for your injuries and get justice on your behalf. An Orlando knee injury lawyer from our law offices will advise you on your legal rights, assess whether you have a valid claim, build up a strong lawsuit, and negotiate to get a strong settlement.
Regardless of what it takes, we will do everything we can to get a positive outcome for your case.
Call us today at (941)-444-4444 to schedule a free consultation with a personal injury attorney.
