Firearm & Gun Crimes Attorney Miami

Guns are serious business. If you’re looking for a gun crimes attorney, Miami has some legal experts who can help.

Yes, the right to keep and bear arms is enshrined in the United States Constitution, but that doesn’t exempt gun owners from following the law. 

Crimes involving guns are often devastating. Even “minor” gun accidents can inflict significant injuries that take years to rehabilitate. Some people are never the same. 

In worst-case scenarios, guns kill people. It seems like we hear about some new killing or gun accident that takes one or more lives every day. 

If you or someone you love is the victim of a gun crime, you need an expert attorney who will get you justice. 

For many people, that means holding the people responsible for negligence, pursuing damages aggressively, and getting you the medical and emotional support you need after something terrible happens. 

Here we explain some helpful information about gun crimes and how a gun crimes attorney Miami firm can support you.

Understanding How Gun Crimes Affect Victims

No matter where you land on the gun rights argument, it’s an unfortunate reality that many crimes happen in conjunction with the possession or use of a firearm. 

Situations where a personal conflict, difficult family situation, or even something like a robbery that escalate into violence when there is a gun present. Once a gun is brandished or threats are made with a firearm, things become much more serious because personal safety becomes an issue. 

Think about the following situations:

• A Robbery Gone Wrong – Thieves and other criminals think that showing or threatening to use a gun will make people more compliant. If a criminal walks into a convenience store to commit a robbery and pulls out a gun, what happens if the store owner or employee refuses to comply or resists? If the robber starts shooting, anyone in the vicinity is at risk. 
• A Heated Car Accident – You may have seen situations like this online. Two drivers stuck in traffic for hours are involved in a collision and things get heated. Neither party wants to back down. Maybe some punches are thrown, and before long, a gun is brandished. 
• A Family Dispute – It’s a sad reality that sometimes family arguments or things like divorce can lead to gun crimes. Sometimes desperate people will do drastic things when something like custody of children is involved. 
• Active Shooters – Active shooters get a lot of attention because their crimes are such a shock to our systems. They’ve attacked schools, offices, sporting events, and other places where crowds gather to inflict the most damage possible. Was proper security in place to deter or prevent a shooter? Were protocols followed? When things go wrong, the results can be catastrophic.
• Accidental shooting –  Sometimes guns are not properly secured in a home, a child may have access to once, and an accidental shooting takes place.  Perhaps children or teens are playing with their parent’s gun. Perhaps a young child happens upon it and pulls the trigger. These occur far too often and almost always become lead stories on the news. But the sad reality is that they continue to occur, generally when a gun owner is negligent in allowing children to have access to a gun. These cases generally involve negligence on the part of the parent or gun owner.
  

These are just some of the gun crimes we hear about. Violence can happen suddenly, and it’s hard to predict when and where. In most cases, they have a large impact on those involved and the people around them. 

The Effects of Gun Crimes on Shooting & Robbery Victims

Victims of gun crimes experience a range of symptoms. Frequently, people injured in a gun crime must be hospitalized. Surgery is often required to stop bleeding, repair ligaments, and prevent things like organ failure. 

Even after life-saving surgery, the effects of a gunshot wound can last for months and often years. It affects the way you walk, talk, sleep, and eat. Usually, it takes regular physical therapy and follow-on surgeries to restore proper function. 

On top of the physical effects of a gunshot crime, victims and witnesses can suffer from emotional trauma. This unseen injury can impair how we process the events and can lead to things like depression, anxiety, and PTSD. 

Victims are typically best served by regular therapy sessions because they need help processing what’s happened. 

Of course, all of these treatments like physical medical attention, and medical health support, can be costly. They often exceed insurance limits and put serious constraints on family finances. 

When children are involved, the results are almost always tragic.  Children and guns don’t mix.

Additionally, people who are injured by a gunshot have to skip work and, as a result, lose thousands or more in monthly income. 

Seeking Damages After Gun Violence

For a gun crime attorney, Miami residents need to act fast to have the best chances of success. 

When someone shoots you or someone you love, you have the right to seek punitive damages to pay for the costs of medical care, lost income, as well as pain and suffering. 

These are not tiny settlements either. There are severe repercussions for gun crimes. Florida courts take them very seriously.

One of the main targets in any gun crime lawsuit will be the shooter and any accomplices they had. Victims must prove that they suffered economically and emotionally after the crime to win damages.

There may be other at-fault parties responsible for any injuries related to a gunshot wound or injury. For  instance, if you’re on someone else’s property or inside of a business, other factors may have contributed to your injury or your loved one’s injury. 

If a child obtains access to a gun, it is often due to negligence in failing to secure the weapon or allowing children to have access to guns or failing to properly supervise the children.

For example, if there was inadequate security in place to deter or prevent a shooting from happening, you may want to pursue a premises liability claim against them. We know now that, after years of workplace violence incidents, employee security is the responsibility of every company or organization. 

Gun Crimes Attorney Miami Law Firms Can Help

The actions you take after you or a loved one is a victim of a gun crime matter a great deal. With the right help, you can document your injuries and other impacts you’ve suffered and chart a successful course to getting the compensatory damages you deserve. 

Among the first things you should do is find a capable attorney with experience representing victims of gun crimes. 

They’ll be able to guide you when it comes to:

• Finding the right medical care
• Documenting your injuries
• Gathering evidence for a personal injury case
• Exploring liable parties
• Drafting legal correspondence
• Dealing with insurance providers

There is a lot to handle as you or someone you care deals with the aftereffects of a gunshot wound or gun crime.

Hiring an attorney takes the burden of handling a million tasks off of your plate so you can focus on your family and friends. Your attorney will immediately begin building a case and pursuing financial damages to aid with your recovery.

Advice on Finding the Best Attorney for Your Case

When it comes to finding a gun crimes attorney, Miami residents have choices. However, the attorney you choose will have an outsized impact on the results of your case and, ultimately, how much money you receive for pain and suffering and to pay for any medical bills or lost income from work. 

How you choose the attorney you hire is important. A lot is on the line here. We’ve put together some things you should look for to make sure you hire the best available attorney. 

Tip 1 – Do Your Research

Don’t hire the first attorney you call and don’t hire someone your friend tells you to. Helping someone with a fender bender is a lot different than managing a complex gun crimes case. 

Find an attorney and a firm that specializes in your type of casework. They should have a track record that speaks to what they can do for you. 

Tip 2 – Interview Them First

Although it can be hard to process while you’re going through a crisis, you need to speak with your attorney about your case before you sign any representation agreements. You need to have a good relationship with your lawyer. 

You don’t have to speak long, but you should feel good about your attorney after you’ve finished speaking with them. They should instill confidence and express support at the same time. 

Tip 3 – Ask About Your Prospects

Ask directly about what your lawyer thinks about your case because you need to know they are committed. Discuss similar cases and listen to what sort of results they’ve won for past clients. It’s a good indicator of their capability. 

Tip 4 – Pay Attention to How Fast They Respond

Good lawyers are attentive to their clients’ needs. That includes responding to emails and phone calls promptly.

It may seem like a small thing, but you’re probably going to be working with this attorney for several months, and you need to know that you can call them and they’ll get back to you. 

For Anyone Who Has Been Shot or Had a Loved One Shot

Gun crimes are devastating because they can rip families and communities apart. So little separates us from normal life and dealing with the long effects of a gun injury.

If you or someone you love is a victim of a gun crime, you deserve expert representation to help you start the path to recovery. 

Talk to the expert gun crimes attorney Miami team at Leighton Panoff Law to start the process now. For years, we’ve worked hard to win settlements and court rulings for our clients. Find out how we can help in a no-obligation consultation by calling us today.