Tampa, a major business center along Florida’s Gulf Coast, has beautiful weather, gorgeous sites, and entertaining attractions that make Florida a huge destination for new residents. You can take in the entertainment provided by Busch Gardens, one of Tampa Bay’s major sports franchises, or the historic Ybor City. However, the bustling city has the same issues presented in other populous cities: negligent drivers causing car accidents.
Tampa drivers are at risk presented by motorists who drive distracted, drunk, or reckless. A Tampa car accident attorney can help you hold the negligent driver liable for damages, including medical bills, property damage, and pain and suffering. The Russo Firm has local Tampa car accident attorneys that can use their familiarity with the city to add specificity to your car accident claim, raising your chances of receiving the maximum possible compensation.
Why Choose The Russo Firm for Your Tampa Car Accident Claim?
Tampa residents need someone in their corner that understands the dangers posed by its roads, streets, and intersections to help them with their claims process. The Russo Firm has spent decades providing legal counsel to car accident victims across Florida, including the Tampa Bay area. You need someone in your corner that cares about your specific case and doesn’t just apply their standard strategy to every client.
The car accident attorneys at The Russo Firm will listen to your story, assess what happened, and determine a legal strategy based on the specifics of your case. We believe in representing our clients with specificity and detail to put them in the best position to recover compensation. We will keep consistent communication to ensure all of your thoughts and concerns are addressed in settlement negotiations. Contact The Russo Firm today to learn how we can help you.
The Russo Firm Case Results
After filing a car accident claim, a Tampa car accident lawyer can help you recover compensation from the at-fault party’s insurance company through a settlement or court award. However, it is possible for you to receive compensation that does not cover the full cost of your damages if your lawyer accepts a lowball early settlement from an insurance company.
At The Russo Firm, we understand that insurance companies will try to limit a client’s potential settlement with a lowball offer. Our experience with insurance companies can help identify this tactic, and we can counteract it to put you in a better position to recover compensation. Our Tampa car accident lawyers can assess your damages and pursue fair compensation, even if that means going to court.
The following are some of the case results we have earned for clients:
- $3.3 Million for a Drunk Driving Car Accident
- $2.4 Million for Medical Malpractice Misdiagnosis
- $2 Million for Trucking Accident That Led to a Wrongful Death
- $1.75 Million Product Liability Jury Award for Crushed Hand
- $650 Thousand Automobile Accident Jury Award for Reconstructed Knee
Florida Car Accident Laws
Tampa is subject to Florida statutes, which determine the process for all Florida car accidents. They also dictate how drivers should handle their insurance coverage.
Florida is a no-fault state, which means drivers must purchase personal injury protection. PIP insurance is meant to provide support to drivers suffering from damages after a car accident. They can cover a portion of car accident victims’ medical bills and lost wages, up to $10,000. Despite having universal coverage, drivers are still able to file fault-based car accident claims to pursue compensation for damages not covered by PIP insurance.
The statute of limitations is the amount of time personal injury victims have to file a claim to pursue compensation for damages. According to Florida Statute 95.11, car accident victims have four years to file a car accident claim. This changes to two years if the car accident causes a wrongful death.
Where Do Tampa Car Accidents Commonly Occur?
Tampa is a part of Hillsborough County, located in the west central portion of Florida. According to the Florida Highway Safety and Motor Vehicle (FLHSMV) department, there were 28,020 motor vehicle crashes in Hillsborough County, with 18,692 resulting in injuries and 271 resulting in death.
Tampa itself is the location of many of the car accidents in Hillsborough County. The narrow driving lanes, congested streets, and negligent drivers make driving in Tampa a challenge. Some streets and roads offer greater danger of reckless driving than others.
The following are the Tampa streets and roads where the most car accidents occur:
- I-4
- Brandon Boulevard (especially at the Dover Road intersection)
- Gibsonton Drive
- Fletcher Avenue
- US-19
Causes of Tampa Car Accidents
Although there can be issues with road conditions and adverse weather that can cause car accidents, most Tampa car accidents will result from negligent driving behavior. This is when a driver does not operate their car safely and breaks acceptable, safe standards of behavior behind the wheel. The driver can be distracted by a manual, visual, or cognitive distraction, impaired by drugs or alcohol, unaware of where they are going, or in the wrong state of mind to be behind the wheel.
The following are some of the causes of Tampa car accidents:
- Distracted driving
- Drunk driving
- Speeding
- Not using turn signals
- Road rage
- Drowsy driving
- Ignoring road rules
Types of Tampa Car Accidents
Some of the factors that can dictate what type of car accident you were involved in include the number of vehicles, where your vehicle was struck, and how the impact of the car accident affected the position of your vehicle. Tampa car accidents can cause widespread damage that includes multiple vehicles and can cause cars to flip and roll over. The type of car accident can also affect the severity of your injuries, as some body parts are more exposed to damage when the car is struck in certain places.
The following are some of the types of Tampa car accidents:
- Rear-end collision
- T-bone accident
- Sideswipe accident
- Head-on collision
- Rollover accident
- Multi-car crash
Severe Injuries Caused by Tampa Car Accidents
Tampa car accident victims are at risk of suffering severe injuries from the significant amount o trauma caused by a car accident. A direct blunt-force blow, colliding with hard objects like the dashboard, or crushing impact against hard objects outside of the car can cause significant pressure on the muscles, joints, and tendons. You can also receive an injury from penetrating trauma and whiplash.
The following are some of the severe injuries caused by Tampa car accidents:
- Spinal cord injuries
- Traumatic brain injuries
- Internal injuries
- Broken bones
- Knee injuries
- Soft tissue injuries
- Shoulder injuries
- Back and neck injuries
- Facial injuries
Liability in a Tampa Car Accident Claim
The liable party in a car accident claim is the one who causes the car accident through negligent behavior. This can encompass driving behavior, like speeding, running red lights, and distracted driving. Or the negligence may come from poor road design, or defective manufacturing by the companies who were involved in making the vehicle. In rare cases, government entities can be liable for poor road construction or planning, and employers can be vicariously liable for negligence made by their employees while on the clock using company vehicles.
The following are some of the parties that can be liable for Tampa car accident claims:
- Other drivers
- Car part designers
- Car part manufacturers
- Car part sellers
- Car part distributors
- Employers
- Government entities
- Auto technicians who negligently care for a vehicle
Comparative Negligence in Florida Car Accident Claims
Florida operates under a fault-based system that applies liability based on how much you contributed to a car accident. This is called comparative negligence and involves the courts assessing the car accident and determining how much each party contributed to the crash. This allows liable parties to still pursue compensation for car accident damages.
For example, let’s say there was a car accident between a speeder and a distracted driver. Both had something to do with the car crash occurring. A court may look at the situation and decide that liability splits down the middle at 50% for each. If the distracted driver pursues a settlement from the speeder’s insurance company, they will have 50% of the settlement deducted to account for their fault in the car accident.
What to do After a Tampa Car Accident
You may be wondering what you should do after a Tampa car accident. Should you go to the hospital or wait for the police? Should you focus on your recovery or the claims process? While the answer is more complicated than one or the other, there are certain things you can do to put yourself in the best position to recover from your injuries and receive compensation.
The following are some of the steps to take after a Tampa car accident:
- Contact the police: Florida law requires drivers involved in a car accident to contact the police if the car crash involved an injury, death, or property damage of at least $500. Pull your vehicle to the shoulder and wait for the responding officer to hear your side of the story. They will file a report with many details involved in the accident that you can use to prove your case down the line.
- Receive medical attention: You should always prioritize your health in the aftermath of a car accident. You may have debilitating symptoms or delayed symptoms that make it seem you came away fine. Either way, see a doctor so they can assess your physical condition and begin the treatment process if necessary.
- Collect evidence: You can use your smartphone to take pictures and videos of property damage, injuries to yourself and any passengers, road conditions, and traffic control signals around the accident. This, along with medical records and insurance statements you can collect later, can help to prove your case and establish liability.
- Contact a Tampa car accident attorney: You most likely do not have a background in car accident law that you can use to help with the claims process. A Tampa car accident attorney can use their experience, as well as their local knowledge, to maximize your potential compensation.
Filing a Tampa Car Accident
You can file a car accident claim with the negligent party to pursue compensation from their insurance company. However, you will not just receive payment just because you have damages. You must prove a connection between the at-fault party’s negligence and the damages you suffered.
The theory of negligence in Florida means that you need to prove with tangible evidence that the at-fault party owed you a duty of care that was broken and resulted in the car accident damages you suffered. A car accident lawyer can help you collect evidence that can prove the breach of duty of care led to the damages you are pursuing.
What Damages Can You Pursue After a Tampa Car Accident?
Damages are losses you suffered due to a car accident. These losses can represent the losses you’ve already incurred, as well as those that can happen down the line. A severe injury can reverberate through your life for years, and a car accident attorney can help you pursue compensation that covers the full cost of long-term damages.
Economic and non-economic damages are the most common types of damages you can pursue. Economic damages are those with a monetary value and can include medical bills, lost wages, lost earning potential, and property damage. Non-economic damages are those that are intangible and have to do with how your life has changed negatively due to the car accident. They can include pain and suffering, mental anguish, loss of enjoyment of life, and loss of consortium.
How Can a Tampa Car Accident Lawyer Help With Your Car Accident Claim?
When you file a car accident claim to pursue damages caused by a negligent driver, you will have to negotiate a settlement with the at-fault party’s insurance company. This can be a difficult proposition for those without law experience, as they do not know of the many ways an insurance company can try to limit your settlement to keep its profits up. An experienced car accident attorney can see through their attempts to reduce your compensation and counteract them to help you receive full compensation for your damages.
On top of that, an experienced Tampa car accident attorney can use their local knowledge to strengthen your case. They can also collect evidence, interview witnesses, research Florida statutes that can help your case, and represent you in court.
Contact The Russo Firm for Help With Your Tampa Car Accident Claim
If the stress of a car accident claims process along with your car accident injuries is too much, you can use the help of an experienced car accident lawyer. They can take the stress off your back, handle the claims process, and allow you to focus on your recovery from your injuries.
At The Russo Firm, our experienced car accident attorneys have decades of experience helping Tampa car accident victims recover compensation for damages. Our knowledge of the streets, roads, intersections, and attractions where negligent driving can occur in Tampa can give you a leg up in your car accident claim. Allow us to handle the complicated legal process involved in pursuing a settlement from an insurance company or constructing a sound court plan.
If you were involved in a Tampa car accident, contact The Russo Firm today for a free consultation. We have a proven track record of earning personal injury victim compensation for their damages. Contact us by calling (813) 565-1400 or leaving a message on our online contact page.