Personal Injury Law and Tourist Injuries
People travel for various reasons, including relaxation, fun, and adventure. Whatever the itinerary holds, no one schedules an injury into their vacation plans. Unfortunately, vacation injuries are fairly common, because accidents are more likely when someone is in an unfamiliar area, or participating in unfamiliar activities.
Personal injury victims can hold liable parties accountable for accident damages, but filing a lawsuit can be a little tricky if the accident didn’t happen near home. Personal injury attorneys at Chanfrau & Chanfrau help tourists in the Daytona Beach, FL, and Palm Coast, FL, area understand personal injury law regarding tourist injuries, so that they can pursue the financial compensation they are due.
Common Tourist Injuries
Many individuals assume that tourist injuries are the result of daring adventures and tourist activities, like surfing, ziplining, rock climbing, and parasailing. While these types of accidents and injuries certainly take place, they are not the most common type of tourist injury. Instead, most tourist injuries occur while someone is completing mundane tasks like walking, driving to/from a tourist attraction, visiting a restaurant, or shopping. These types of everyday activities can result in:
- Slip and fall injuries
- Car accident injuries
- Head, neck, or back injuries
- Ligament sprains
- Broken bones
- Cuts, scrapes, or contusions
- Burns
The primary difference between a tourist injury and a regular personal injury is that a tourist injury takes place when someone is away from home. Where an injury takes place is important because it dictates where a personal injury lawsuit must be filed (and settled), and the types of damages that someone may be due.
Where to File a Personal Injury Lawsuit
Just like any other person who is injured in an accident, tourists can seek damages from the person or party who is liable for the accident. However, tourist injury victims must work within the guidelines/laws that are set out where the personal injury occurred. In most cases, this means that a personal injury lawsuit must be filed in the same county where the injury took place.
Filing a personal injury claim in another city or state is obviously not very convenient, but working with an attorney who is from the area can make all the difference. Our Daytona Beach attorneys work on our clients’ behalf to gather evidence, file necessary paperwork, and start settlement negotiations. We aim to assist our clients while minimizing, or completely avoiding, their need to travel back to Florida for their cases.
Types of Damages
The types of damages that a tourist injury victim may be due are dependent on personal injury laws where the accident took place, as well as the circumstances surrounding the accident, and the extent of injury damages. Individuals who are injured in Florida may be due compensation for damages such as:
- Medical expenses
- Lost wages
- Pain and suffering
- Emotional distress
- Punitive damages (available in special circumstances where the defendant was grossly negligent or egregious in their actions)
Contact Our Attorneys
If you were injured while visiting Florida, the personal injury attorneys at Chanfrau & Chanfrau can assist you in pursuing financial compensation for injury damages. To discuss your case with our legal team, send us a message online, or call our law firm at (386) 258-7313.