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Accidents and Injuries

Ocala Personal Injury Lawyers You Can Trust

After you are involved in a serious accident and sustain severe injuries, it is crucial to have an experienced lawyer on your side. Often the other side has insurers and attorneys to help advise them regarding what to say and how to act after the accident. Because the outcome of your claim or lawsuit can significantly impact your life and your family's well-being moving forward, you need a loyal attorney that is fully prepared to present a strong case on your behalf. The knowledgeable Ocala personal injury attorneys at Dean Law Firm have 83 years of combined experience successfully representing people across Central Florida in personal injury cases, and stand ready to advocate for you.

Negligence Under Florida Law

Victims who take legal action after suffering personal injuries in an accident are most likely to bring a claim under the legal theory of negligence. A plaintiff who brings a lawsuit for negligence must prove four elements: (1) the defendant had a duty to exercise reasonable care under the circumstances, (2) breach of that duty, (3) "proximate" cause, and (4) actual damages or loss. Where the chain of causation is broken by an independent superseding event and the "cause" is too remote from the plaintiff's injuries, "proximate" cause will not be found. Among the damages a plaintiff in a negligence lawsuit may be able to recover are medical expenses, out-of-pocket expenses, lost wages, and pain and suffering.

Unlike some other states, Florida is a comparative negligence state, which means that a plaintiff's recovery will be reduced by the percentage to which the defendant can show the plaintiff's damages were caused by his or her own negligence. However, even if a defendant proves some degree of fault on the part of the plaintiff, this will not prevent the plaintiff from recovering damages, as it would in some states.

Representing Injured Victims in all Personal Injury Cases

We are committed to maximizing your compensation for your medical expenses, lost income and pain and suffering following an accident. Our attorneys represent clients who have been injured in all types of accidents, including:

  • Motor Vehicle Accidents: Automobile accidents make up a significant portion of our personal injury practice at Dean Law Firm. We help people who are harmed not only in car accidents, but also truck accidents, motorcycle accidents, and ATV accidents. Our law firm also represents pedestrians and bicyclists who have been injured by negligent or reckless motorists. We also offer representation to those who have been injured in boating or aircraft accidents.
  • Premises Liability: In Florida, property owners are required to maintain their property in a reasonably safe condition. Landowners such as apartment management companies, shopping centers, or airports owe their business and social guests a duty to warn against any dangerous conditions. If you have been hurt as a guest or customer on someone else's property, you may have the right to bring a lawsuit for your damages. Premises liability cases may be simple slip-and-fall accidents, injuries caused in part by negligent security, dog bites, or more complex situations involving another person's property.
  • Medical Malpractice: Even though Florida doctors enjoy heightened respect and esteem from the community, they still make mistakes. In order to recover damages, an injured patient must show by the greater weight of evidence that the doctor or other health care provider's actions represent a breach of the prevailing standard of care for that health care provider. The “prevailing standard of care” is the level of care and skill, and the type of treatment, that is recognized as appropriate by reasonably prudent similar health care providers. At Dean Law Firm, we are able to help people who have been injured by any type of malpractice, including surgical errors, birth injuries, medication errors, delayed diagnosis or misdiagnosis. We also help people who have suffered as a result of nursing home abuse.
  • Product Liability: Consumers depend on manufacturers to sell them products that are reasonably safe. If you or a loved one has been harmed by a defective or dangerous product, the manufacturers, designers, or sellers of the products may be held responsible. Three causes of action are available in these types of cases: negligence, strict liability, and breach of warranty. In strict liability cases, those that created or sold the defective product can be held responsible even if their actions were reasonable.
  • Serious Injuries: Life-altering injuries often require more resources than more ordinary injury cases do, partly because of the number of additional experts that may be required to get ready for trial. Our law firm has the resources and experience to successfully represent people with traumatic brain injuries, spinal cord injuries, and other severe injuries after a catastrophic accident.
  • Wrongful Death: We also represent family members in wrongful death actions. The Florida Wrongful Death Act permits survivors (family members including a spouse, children, other dependents) of a person who died due to the negligent, reckless or intentionally wrongful conduct of another to seek compensation. Depending upon the nature of the relationship between the decedent and the survivor, the court may award damages for loss of companionship, pain and suffering, paid medical or funeral expenses, and loss of support and services. A parent of an adult child may sue to recover damages for pain and suffering if there are no other adult survivors.
Tenacious and Skilled Representation

If you or a loved one has been harmed by the careless or unsafe actions of another, you can depend on us to represent you with integrity, persistence and skill. We represent clients in Ocala, Crystal River, and The Villages on a contingency fee basis. In other words, you do not need to pay our fees unless we are successful in your case. Contact the Ocala personal injury attorneys at the Dean Law Firm at 352-387-8700 or via our online form for a free consultation.