Auto & Vehicle Accidents

St. Petersburg Car Accident Lawyer

If you were injured in a car accident in the St. Petersburg area, you are likely attempting to navigate the complicated legal process required to obtain compensation for your injuries. There are many complex statutes and insurance requirements that can affect your ability to recover damages as a result of your accident, and bringing a claim requires an in-depth investigation into the circumstances under which the accident occurred.

An experienced St. Petersburg car accident lawyer can assist you initiate a legal action to recover the damages you are entitled to, and will ensure you do not make common mistakes that may undermine your case. Our injury attorneys in St. Petersburg have a great deal of experience in bringing personal injury claims resulting from car accidents, and are ready and willing to assist you in every step of the process, from filing your claim to collecting your monetary award.

Florida Laws Impacting Claims

For claims involving car accidents, Florida is a no-fault state, which means that regardless of who was at fault for the accident, each party’s insurance company must cover costs for injuries resulting from the crash. Because of this rule, every driver in Florida is required to carry a valid insurance policy with minimum coverage amounts of $10,000 per person in medical and disability benefits, and $5,000 in death benefits.

There are only specific instances involving very serious injuries in which you may be able to hold the driver of the other car liable for the costs you have had to pay as a result of the accident. Understanding this injury threshold is important when determining the best legal strategy under your specific circumstances.

If the injuries resulting from your car accident have left you with a permanent disability or significant scarring, disfigurement, or dismemberment you may be able to bring a personal injury action against the other driver, in spite of Florida’s no-fault rules.

A car accident attorney in St. Petersburg will be able to examine the circumstances of your case to determine what types of recovery may be available to you.

Statute of Limitations

The statute of limitations limits the amount of time in which you are allowed to bring a claim seeking to recover for your injuries. If the circumstances of your car accident entitle you to hold another party liable for your injuries, you will need to file a claim within the deadline set by statute of limitations, or you will lose the ability to collect any damages.

Florida’s statute of limitations can be found in Title VIII,Chapter 95, Florida Statutes. For personal injury claims related to car accidents, the statute requires that you bring your claim within four years of the date of the accident.

Comparative Fault

If your injuries meet the injury threshold, entitling you to bring a claim holding the driver of the other vehicle personally liable for your injuries, you will need to understand how fault is determined and apportioned under Florida law.

Florida is a comparative fault state, meaning that the amount of damages you recover will depend on the proportion of fault that the court ultimately determines should be assigned to the person responsible for your injuries.

You will need to be prepared to present evidence regarding the specific circumstances of the accident to allow the court to make this determination of fault. If the court finds that you were partially to blame for the accident, some percentage of the fault may be assigned to you.

In this case, the damages you recover will be reduced in the same proportion as your share of fault. Even if you fear that you were partially to blame for your car accident, you may still be entitled to substantial recovery if your injuries were severe.

An experienced car accident attorney will be able to examine the circumstances of your specific case to help you make an informed decision about how to move forward with your claim

TAKE IT FROM OUR CLIENTS

"This firm is by far the best in the business. They are well respected, professional, and thorough! They take the time to listen and really understand who and what they are defending. They remain open and honest about the legal process and do everything in their power to help navigate you and your family through some very stressful situations. If you need legal representation, they are the BEST!"

- Nicole W.

Hit and Run Accident 

Don't be a victim twice.
Choose the right attorney!

A hit and run accident is defined as an accident caused by an at fault driver who did not wait to see what damage or injuries were done to the driver or whatever they hit. A person causes an accident and flees the scene. The injured parties of hit and run accidents are the ones that are put in difficult situations because they do not know who hit them. Sometimes law enforcement will investigate, try to find the driver, and see if they can attach it to their case. A lot of times that happens by catching a license plate number or description of the car’s driver. Call an accomplished St. Petersburg car accident lawyer for more information.

GET A FREE CASE EVALUATION

Ways an Attorney Can Help

The sooner we can start on your claim, the better it is. On average, the An attorney can make sure that they investigate the case from the beginning, protect the person’s rights throughout the process, and make sure the person does not do anything that the insurance company can use against them in the future. An attorney can hire an investigator, take photographs of the scene of the accident, interview any witnesses that may have been around the accident, and order the insurance policies for all the drivers involved.

They can help law enforcement investigate a hit and run to try to find out who the driver was, run license plate number and background checks on any names of people that they think were the at fault driver, order all medical records and medical bills, and keep track of them to analyze them when putting together a demand package to send to the insurance company. Overall, they take care of the person by handling the stress of the logistics of the case while the person is worrying about treating from the medical doctor to attend to their injuries as a result of the accident.

Dont Delay

GET A FREE CASE EVALUATION

Recoverable Damages in Hit and Run Case

In a hit and run case in St. Petersburg, the recoverable damages include past medical bills, future medical bills, pain and suffering, lost wages in the past, lost future capacity to earn, lost of consortium for a spouse or a child, and any other compensatory damages and money the person has to spend as a result of the accident. It could be related to healing, going to get pain pills from the doctor, or anything that can be included as damage.

Punitive Damages

Punitive damages can be tied to hit and run accidents in two ways. If a person has a DUI accident, meaning the person that hit and run was under the influence of alcohol, there are statutory punitive damages that come along with that. Also, in a hit and run accident, a person can prove reckless or wanton disregard for the safety of others because the person did not stop to see if the person they hit was okay. Many times a person can attach punitive damages to that claim even if the person was not drunk, but they hit and run.

Steps After Accident

  1. The first step a person should take if involved in a car accident in St. Petersburg is to seek medical treatment immediately. They should call an ambulance and call the police so they can be treated at the scene and law enforcement can do an investigation to try to figure out who is responsible for the accident.
  2. The next step a person should make is to call an attorney to make sure that their rights are protected against any insurance companies or law enforcement investigations. They can analyze and assist law enforcement in any way that they can and keep track of all the medical bills, medical records, and injuries from the time of the accident to the time of settlement.

Don’t settle for less than you deserve!

Free, No Obligation Consultation
Recovery after an accident infographic

St. Pete Car Accident Lawyer

The assistance of an attorney well-versed in auto injury cases are invaluable when dealing with insurance companies, who will often pressure you to accept a settlement offer before you even get to court.
How Our Attorney Can Help

Determining Fault in a Head-On Collision

Very common in a DUI accident. Our attorney will evaluate evidence and conduct thorough investigation to prove liability in such a case.
Head-ons Accident Guide

Hit by a Car While Out Walking or Running

Our injury lawyers understand how to navigate the legal system. We will hold the negligent driver accountable for your injuries and compensation.
Pedestrian Accident Guide

Get Legal Help Today

Recovering from a car accident can be overwhelming, both emotionally and physically. It can be nearly impossible for a victim of an accident to become informed about all the relevant laws affecting their claim when they are still reeling from the shock of the accident itself.

Sophisticated insurance companies often seek to take advantage of inexperienced plaintiffs by pressuring them to take settlement offers that vastly undervalue their injuries. Don’t miss out on the recovery you are entitled to as a result of the complexities of the legal system. Call a St. Petersburg car accident lawyer to learn more about the process of starting a claim today.