Gainesville, FL is the biggest city located in the north central part of Florida. The large population of Gainesville means that the incidence of car injuries and accidents in the city is also proportionately higher. According to the laws related to personal injury in the state, injured victims can file a claim for compensation from the negligent driver who was at fault for causing the injuries or accident.
Until the time the plaintiff can get the due compensation from the responsible party, they can take a lawsuit loan. This will enable them to pay for household expenses, medical bills, and other expenses as they manifest themselves. In Gainesville, FL, medical care costs can be very steep, so it makes sense to get a lawsuit loan for personal injury.
Healthcare expenses in Gainesville, FL
According to a recent study published by National Nurses United (NNU), Florida has the costliest hospitals among all states in the US. This conclusion was based on the charge-to-cost ratio of the hospitals, and 40 of the state’s hospitals were counted among the top 100 costliest hospitals in the country.
Forgoing or delaying healthcare due to expenses
More than 46% of adults in Florida found cost-related hurdles to receiving access to healthcare over the past year. These included:
· 30% delaying having a procedure completed, or visiting a doctor
· 25% avoiding completion of a procedure entirely, or visiting the doctor
· 25% skipping a recommended medical treatment or test
· 22% not completing the prescription form
· 18% skipping doses of their medicine, or cutting their pills in half
· 15% having issues getting mental healthcare
Non-affordability was mentioned as the number one reason for not receiving the appropriate medical care. This reason superseded other barriers such as lack of care, difficulty getting appointments, transportation, and others.
Difficulty paying medical bills
In other situations, people in Florida received the medical care required, but found it hard to pay off their medical bills. More than 34% of Floridians experienced at least one or more of the below-mentioned difficulties when trying to pay their medical bills:
· 13% were contacted by collection agencies
· 12% had exhausted most or all of their own savings
· 10% found it difficult to pay for basic needs such as heat, food, or housing
· 9% obtained a loan or decided to borrow money, or get yet another mortgage on their house
· 8% increased debt on their credit cards
· 5% were placed on a long-term plan for payments
Waiting times in Gainesville ERs are significantly high
For every 100,000 people in Gainesville, Florida, there are 470 doctors available. Though these numbers are more favorable compared to the national average, it still means that Floridians have to go through significantly long waiting times at the Emergency Rooms.
Leading medical centers and hospitals in Gainesville, FL
· Select Specialty Hospital
· UF Health Shands Rehab Hospital
· North Florida Regional Medical Center
· UF Health Shands Hospital
· Malcom Randall Veterans Affairs Medical Hospital
Types of injuries found in cases related to personal injury
Any type of injury may occur during a personal injury accident or incident. Certain injuries can heal within a short time span, while other injuries take more time and extensive treatment to ensure full healing. Many serious injuries can result in permanent conditions. The most common kinds of personal injuries in Gainesville include:
· Herniated discs
· Back and neck injuries
· Injuries to soft tissues, such as strains, whiplash and sprains
· Nerve damage
· Bruises and cuts
· Compound fractures and broken bones
· TBI or traumatic brain injury
· Organ damage and internal bleeding
· Facial injuries
· Bleeding
· Compensation and damages
Damages recoverable in injury claims in Gainesville
According to the Florida personal injury law, you are allowed to claim money to compensate for various types of damages and losses resulting from the injury. These types of losses can be categorized into non-economic losses and economic costs.
Economic damages
Economic damages include everything that has a direct financial expense attached to the plaintiff, such as:
· Medical costs
· Wages lost
· Loss of capacity to earn in future
· Property damage
· Expenses to hire help for doing things you could do earlier
Non-economic damages
Non-economic damages include damages not directly relevant to money. They include physical and psychological aspects of the injury that are difficult to quantify. Even though they can be difficult to quantify, as per law, you need to be compensated for it. Such damages include:
· Pain and Suffering
· Loss of enjoyment of life
· Emotional distress
Lawsuit loans regulations, laws, and ethics opinions in Gainesville, FL
Florida has a bill pending that aims to provide additional regulations of lawsuit loans in the state. This bill would enable the Florida Department of State to provide more extensive regulation of the industry. Case laws in the state have upheld lawsuit loan agreements where there was no interference or direction from the lender on the litigation.
The Florida Bar enables attorneys to honor the assignment of proceeds for the client from the case to the lawsuit loan company. Moreover, it does not allow attorneys to provide a letter of protection to the organization. Many lawsuit loan companies provide services to Floridians, and several of them use alternate acknowledgment letters compliant with the Florida Bar’s stance on lawsuit loans.
Lawsuit loan case law in FL
In the case of Kraft vs. Mason, the appellate court reinforced its stance that the agreement between the lender (Mason) and the borrower (Kraft) wasn’t illegal. According to the court, Mason had not interfered with the litigation process just because they provided a lawsuit loan.
Can an attorney give money to a Floridian client?
Florida Bar Ethics Opinion 96-1 says that a lawyer in FL cannot provide plaintiffs any financial aid. However, they can provide advancement of the litigation expenses. These expenses only need repayment upon conclusion of the case.
Can an attorney help a client receive a lawsuit loan in FL?
As per the Florida Bar Ethics Opinion 00-3, lawyers can provide clients information regarding non-recourse lawsuit loan companies when their client is in need of financial aid.
Get your personal injury lawsuit loan today from Direct Legal Funding
In a personal injury lawsuit, your lawyer will file the lawsuit against the insurance companies and the responsible party. Then the claim litigation process begins via the legal system.
In case settlement cannot be reached, the case would go to litigation. A trial can be stressful and result in you missing some work to go to court. However, this can sometimes be the only avenue available to gain fair compensation.
Until the case is finalized, it may be a good idea to obtain a personal injury lawsuit loan. At Direct Legal Funding, we are committed to helping our clients obtain a quick and easy litigation loan. Our team of specialists will provide the right amount for your financial needs based on your specific case.
Complete our online application form today or call us at 866-941-5588 to begin the process.