St. Petersburg Car Accident Lawyer | Auto Accident Attorney

Our St. Petersburg Car Accident Attorneys Can Help

If you’ve been injured in a motor vehicle accident, you may feel helpless. Reckless driving by the other driver, multiple drivers involved, police reports, and more can be overwhelming. If you’re not sure where to start after an automobile accident, you may be thinking about seeking legal counsel. But how do you know if that’s the right thing to do?

A St. Petersburg car accident lawyer can help after an accident if:

Learn your rights before you give a recorded statement to an insurance adjuster or negotiate an insurance claim.

In this post we will discuss:

We have put together a team of seven trial lawyers that live and practice in Pinellas County and excel at maximizing the value of vehicle accident settlements in personal injury cases.

Every client will have an assigned car accident attorney for their injury case. We also leverage our firm’s knowledge by discussing every case in a group meeting to determine the optimal strategy to get maximum compensation for our clients. We have three lawyers that have been awarded Super Lawyers Rising Stars.

St. Petersburg car accidents are not the only thing we cover! Below is a list of related services we offer:

Should I Even Get An Attorney After My Wreck?

A common question from car accident victims is simply: Do I need to hire a car accident attorney after my wreck?

No – If you weren’t hurt or the accident was your fault, hiring a car accident attorney may not make sense. Car accident settlements are for those injured through no fault of their own.

Yes – If you have been in a vehicle accident where there is property damage (or where you were injured in a car), and you were not the faulty driver, you need to discuss your case with a St. Petersburg car accident lawyer. You will also need to be examined by a qualified medical professional to determine if you have suffered an injury.

Property damage to your vehicle in excess of $250 means you have been in a traumatic accident. You may be hurt and not know it. One of the most unfortunate parts of car accidents is that victims may not feel the effect of soft tissue damage, strained ligaments, and more for weeks or months after the car accident. They may view their injuries as short-term pain that will go away and therefore not “permanent,” when in fact, treatment and future medical bills are just around the corner.

A qualified treatment provider may conduct an MRI on the victim’s ligaments, spinal cord, or shoulder joint and see a genuine injury caused by the car accident. These injuries need effective treatment to improve fully. That’s why we encourage everyone to take advantage of their PIP auto insurance (or personal injury protection) and see a medical doctor to determine if the car accident has caused a genuine injury.https://www.youtube.com/embed/7iY3J-VtAEk?feature=oembed

The success of any legal matter depends on the unique circumstances of each case, therefore, we cannot guarantee particular results for future clients.

So What Will My St. Pete Car Accident Lawyer Do For Me?

From the beginning, our personal injury attorneys will manage the case. We negotiate fair settlements for our clients in St Petersburg, Florida, by fighting dirty insurance companies in Court. From beginning to end, our car accident lawyers work hard for you. Below are just a few steps we take during your personal injury case.

Investigate.

Insurance companies are always looking for ways to deny that their insured was at fault; therefore, no personal injury claim exists. In St. Petersburg and the Tampa Bay Area, we have an accident investigation specialist who can go out to your accident scene in Pinellas County to investigate. This investigation includes checking the road for oil spills, lighting, and speaking to witnesses.

Check with treatment providers.

We coordinate with your treatment providers to ensure that they give you the best possible care. We keep track of the medical reports and bills to build the narrative for the insurance companies to explain your injuries. We can also execute letters of protection for the doctors promising that they will get paid out of any settlement proceeds so that they will give you the very best treatment possible upfront.

Negotiate.

Our most important function is to press hard on the insurance companies to give you the best possible financial settlement for your car accident claim. We will even report the insurance company to the state if we think they are acting unfairly. Our experienced car accident lawyers will do everything they can to get the best financial settlement for your case.

Court and litigation.

Sometimes, the insurance company refuses to play fairly. We file an auto negligence lawsuit with the State or Federal Court in these cases. We attend depositions, motions, hearings, mediation, and trials if needed to help our clients recover fair compensation.

Negotiate medical bills.

When your case is resolved, we can negotiate with your treatment providers to ensure the car accident claim settlement you receive is as much as possible.

Types Of Car Accident Cases

Vehicle accident cases include all motor vehicles, including cars, buses, vans, trucks, semis, 18-wheelers, motor vehicles, and more. And all of these cases can involve a personal injury claim that needs an experienced car accident lawyer.

Semi-truck accidents on the highway (usually US-19 or I-275) require specialized knowledge and training on behalf of the personal injury lawyer. That’s because Federal Law regulates massive trucks, and a violation of these regulations can result in punitive damages for your claim.

Types Of Injuries And Car Accidents

Human beings were not designed to withstand the force and trauma of being struck by a multi-ton vehicle traveling at high speeds. Vehicle accident injuries vary and include the following:

1. Head injuries, include brain damage

2. Loss or impairment of limbs

3. Burns and/or scarring

4. Disfigurement

5. Muscle and neck injuries

6. Back injuries, including herniated disks and other impairments

7. Whiplash

8. Wrongful death

9. Paralysis or death

According to Florida Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles (FLHSMV), over 250,000 injuries occurred from car or motorcycle accidents in 2021.

Damages that are recoverable by a St Petersburg car accident lawyer for an injured party are usually divided into two types: Financial and Non-Financial.

Financial Damages include:

1. Medical Expenses: These are the first damages that are quantified for auto accident victims and include the initial hospital visit, ambulance ride, MRI, CT scans, and rehabilitative treatment, including chiropractic care.

2. Future Medicals: In many cases, doctors will want to continue treatment at varying intervals to maintain and rehabilitate the injured driver even after the case is settled. The doctor determines the amount of rehabilitation required and not the personal injury law firm.

3. Lost Income or Wages: If an injured driver misses time from work and loses wages, these are quantifiable and included in car accident settlements.

4. Future Lost Wages: Much like lost wages, if the injured person is unable to work in the foreseeable future for a period of time, or if the injured party will need to take time off from work to have a future surgery, then compensation will be considered for these wages.

5. Mileage Reimbursement: Going back and forth to treatment during the rehabilitation phase after a car accident will likely put substantial miles on the victim’s vehicle. Personal injury attorneys can factor in these costs when arguing a compensation claim.

Non-Financial Damages Include:

1. Pain and Suffering: Pain and suffering are the terms of the emotional and physical stress caused by a car accident.

2. Mental Anguish: This is the mental sensation of pain and includes fear, fright, anger, and other mental-emotional responses. One common example in vehicle accidents is the anguish felt when thinking about getting behind the wheel again after a serious wreck.

3. Loss of Consortium: This refers to losing the ability to enjoy time with your family after a car accident. This includes losing the ability to play with your children or be intimate with your spouse.

Read More: How long after a car accident can I claim injury?

Understanding Fees In St. Petersburg Auto Accident Cases

Fees are simple in every St. Pete case because no money is required from you to your injury lawyer.

At Denmon Pearlman, we take cases on a contingency fee basis. That simply means we get a set percentage of what we recover at the end of the day. In other words, the better we do for you, the more we get paid.

The set rate is 33 1/3 % if we settle your case before filing a lawsuit. If we file a lawsuit, the fee goes up to 40%.

If we are filing a lawsuit, it is because we know we can get a significantly higher amount for you if we do so.

Getting Medical Treatment After A Car Accident

Florida law requires each person seeking to use their personal injury protection insurance for medical bills to pursue medical treatment within 14 days.

The general rule is to get checked out in any case after an auto accident. You can go to a walk-in accident clinic or urgent care. Or you can seek the help of a qualified treatment provider who specializes in victims of a vehicle accident and treatment. However, there are good and bad providers like everything else in life. We know the good ones from the bad ones in St. Petersburg, so we can discuss this at our initial case evaluation meeting.

Who Do I Call After An Accident?

We know that there are many law firms and injury lawyers in Florida, but if you’ve been injured in a motor vehicle accident, we want to be your first call. Our St. Petersburg car accident attorney will meet with you for a free consultation. During this free consultation, you can ask questions and get an honest assessment of your case. Our team has the experience of going after insurance companies and fighting for you while working together step by step.

Our firm helps clients all over Florida, including Tampa bay, New Port Richey, Clearwater, Carrollwood, Trinity, and Pinellas park.

Other Practice Areas

Our firm is proud to have a wide range of practice areas covering various case needs, including medical malpractice, slip and fall, and dog bites. Click the link below to learn more.

Medical Malpractice

Slip and Fall

Dog Bites