Tourist Injuries

Injuries to tourists in Florida is one of the primary focuses of our injury law firm. At The Ansara Law Firm, our dedicated team of Fort Lauderdale tourist injury lawyers are committed to assisting tourists with their injury lawsuits and wrongful death claims. We understand that technical and logistical challenges that tourists face when they lose a loved one or are seriously injured on vacation.

Florida is one of the most popular tourist destinations in the Western Hemisphere. The Sunshine State is home to more than 11,000 miles of rivers, streams and waterways and visitors flock here for the year-round balmy weather, exciting theme parks, gorgeous beaches and a glimpse of wildlife you won’t see anywhere else.

Officials report more than 100 million people visit the state annually, either from elsewhere in the U.S. or overseas. Tourism is a huge source of revenue for state and local governments and businesses. But with these benefits come a great deal of responsibility. The exact duty of care owed and potential for liability will depend on a myriad of factors, most notably the relationship between the entity and the tourist.

Based in the Fort Lauderdale area, our tourist injury attorneys can help families who have suffered:

• Hotel and Motel Injuries
• Swimming Pool Injuries
• Amusement Park Injuries
• Rental Injuries
• Premises Liability
• Busing Accidents
• Sexual Assault
• Festival Injuries and Concert Injuries
• Convention Injuries and Trade Show Injuries
• Parking Lot Injuries
• Stairwell Injuries
• Boating Accidents and Injury
• Cruise Ship Injuries Charter
• Boat Injuries

Every business in Florida – be it a hotel or a boat rental company or a theme park or a charter bus firm – owes a duty of reasonable care to customers. What exactly that responsibility looks like will depend on a number of factors. Individuals too may in general owe a legal duty of care to others, such as when operating a car on a public road. And of course, doctors and other health care providers owe a duty of care to their patients, regardless of citizenship.

Common Tourist Injuries and Accidents

Most tourist injury claims are going to fall into one of a few camps:

• Motor vehicle accidents;
• Premises liability (failure to warn, slip-and-fall, negligent security, trip-and-fall, drowning, pool accidents, unsafe rides, violent attacks, etc.);
• Negligent operation of a marine vessel;
• Negligence by tourism service providers (i.e., parasail companies, charter fishing boat businesses, adventure sports outlets, etc.);

There are also sometimes valid claims against medical service providers, particularly if the medical care provided after the tourist injury was inadequate or fell below the accepted standard of care for someone in that profession.

Many tourist injury lawsuits in Florida are vigorously defended. That’s why it’s imperative for victims to seek an experienced Fort Lauderdale tourist injury attorney with proven success in similar cases.

Can You File a Personal Injury Claim From Outside of Florida?

Anyone who is injured in Florida has the right to assert a claim for damages in Florida – even if they live somewhere else. It is not necessary for the traveler to resolve the claim before they leave the state. In fact, that would be very rare. F.S. 95.11 allows injury victims in general negligence cases four years in which to file a claim. However, your claim could be more complex than you realize, and it’s best to talk to an attorney as soon as possible.

Further, you will want to seek an attorney who is licensed to practice in Florida. First off, you need someone who can represent you in court and an attorney who is not licensed to practice law in Florida cannot do so. Secondly, you want someone who is closely familiar with not just the area of law that concerns your case, but also all the relevant local courts, procedures and players. It will be to your advantage.

Will I Need to Return to Florida for My Personal Injury Lawsuit?

This is often a central issue in Florida tourism injury cases. The hotels, the charter bus companies, the theme parks – they all know it’s expensive for people to come back to Florida to resolve a case. That’s why sometimes, the farther away a person lives, the lower the settlement offer defendant will extend.

The answer is that yes, you will probably need to come back to Florida at least twice. A tourist injury lawyer at our Fort Lauderdale firm can handle many of the hearings and procedural issues of litigation without you present. However, you will likely need to return to provide sworn testimony and also to attend mediation and, if it gets to that point, trial.

That said, you should know that many personal injury claims can be resolved without the need to even file a lawsuit. Our office has handled claims for tourists from all over the globe. We obtain fair settlements despite the distance of our clients because the insurance companies know they have a dedicated representative here in South Florida willing to fight for them.

Other Challenges

Other challenges when it comes to tourist injury cases include language barriers, difficulty obtaining medical records (if treatment continues in one’s native state or country) and difficulty obtaining depositions from all witnesses. There may also be technological challenges in communicating with clients from far away.

At the Ansara Law Firm, we are prepared to handle claims from non-English speakers. We are also technologically-savvy and utilize the latest communication technologies to make sure our clients can stay in touch and informed. We also have the resources to ensure our clients receive all the necessary time and attention their case requires.

Call the injury attorneys at The Ansara Law Firm at (877) 277-3780 or locally in Broward at (954) 761-4011. Serving Broward, Palm Beach and Miami-Dade Counties.

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