If you were involved in a personal injury accident, you may be considering filing a lawsuit against the at-fault party. Sometimes, this at-fault party may be a state, county, or city-owned entity. In this case, a Notice of Claim is needed. Continue reading to learn when a Notice of Claim is necessary and how an experienced Pasco County, Florida slip & fall lawyer at Wendy Doyle-Palumbo, Esq. can help you in drafting one.
Under what circumstances is a Notice of Claim needed?
Before all else, a Notice of Claim informs the state of Florida that you are intending to file a claim against the state, county, or city government, or one of its employees, for your personal injury accident. In addition, it is a notice that you are asking to receive financial compensation from the government for your injuries and damages.
So, it is necessary to submit a Notice of Claim if the following circumstances ring true:
- Your injury was caused by the negligence of a government entity or one of its employees.
- Your injury was caused by a wrongful act or omission of a government entity or one of its employees.
- The circumstances surrounding your accident would have made the negligent party liable as a private party, so the same should go for a government entity or one of its employees.
- The losses you incurred from your injury can be compensated with monetary damages.
What are the contents of this notice?
Once you confirm that a government entity or one of its employees is indeed the liable party of your accident, then you must proceed forward with composing your Notice of Claim. Importantly, your notice must be in writing and on paper. And its contents should include the following:
- Your legal name and permanent residential address.
- The exact date and time in which your accident occurred.
- The exact location in which your accident occurred.
- Details on the circumstances surrounding your accidents.
- Details on why you believe the government entity or one of its employees is to blame.
- Details on the injuries and damages you incurred as a direct result of your accident.
- The amount of financial compensation you are intending to seek for your injuries and damages.
You may want to include supplemental evidence that supports the statements you made in your Notice of Claim, even though you are not necessarily required to do so. This may include a copy of the accident report, copies of your medical bills, and more. However, do not wait until you retrieve these documents to file your Notice of Claim, as you have a limited deadline to do so.
Giving this notice may be made easier with the sound legal advisement of a skilled Pasco County, Florida injury lawyer. Contact our firm as soon as you possibly can.