Miami and Tampa spinal cord injury lawyer
The medical bills so far are not the number.
A spinal cord injury creates a lifetime of cost that bears no relation to the bills accumulated in the first year. These cases are won by establishing what the next forty years require and by finding every policy that can be made to contribute to it.
- Lifetime cost
- MillionsRoutine for a high-level injury with attendant care
- Deadline to sue
- 2 yearsFla. Stat. § 95.11, for injuries on or after 24 March 2023
- Coverage
- Stack itLiability, UM, umbrella and employer policies together
- Valuation
- Life care planPriced by a planner, reduced to present value by an economist
01 Finding the money
02 Valuing a lifetime
03 Where these cases come from
Miami-Dade
Miami-Dade spinal injuries are stabilised at Ryder Trauma at Jackson Memorial, with rehabilitation across the county afterwards.
Hillsborough
Hillsborough injuries go to Tampa General, which serves as the regional trauma center for the area and generates the records these cases are built on.
04 What damages a claim
- Settling with one insurer before every available policy has been identified.
- Valuing the claim on the bills incurred to date.
- Taking a structured settlement without an independent review of the terms.
- Letting health insurance and Medicare liens go unaddressed until the end.
Frequently asked questions about Florida spinal cord injury
The at-fault driver only had $25,000. Is that all there is?
Frequently not. Uninsured and underinsured coverage on your own policy, stacking across vehicles, an umbrella policy, a vehicle owner distinct from the driver and an employer’s commercial coverage are all places the money may be.
Finding them is most of the work in a catastrophic case.
How long will this take?
Longer than a straightforward injury case, and for a reason worth accepting: the claim cannot be valued until the medical picture stabilises and a life care plan can be written.
Settling early in a catastrophic case means guessing at forty years of cost, and the guess is never generous.
Tell Jose what happened
A free review of your spinal cord injury case, with no obligation, and no fee and no costs unless there is a recovery. English or Spanish, whichever you would rather use. You speak with Jose A. Dapena directly at every stage, not with an intake department — and if there is no claim worth bringing, he will tell you that.