How Long After a Car Accident in St. Petersburg, FL Can You Claim Compensation for Your Injuries?
Perenich, Caulfield, Avril & Noyes Personal Injury Lawyers | Car Accident
Have you been involved in a car accident in St. Petersburg, FL? If so, you may have sustained injuries that require costly medical treatment. You might not be prepared to cover the costs of treatment that you need.
Luckily, you usually don’t have to. You can often seek compensation for your medical bills and related losses by filing a claim to collect from your own insurance. Because Florida is a no-fault state, you would file a claim to collect from your insurance even if your accident resulted from someone else’s negligence.
However, you can file an additional claim or lawsuit against a negligent party to collect from their insurance if your injuries and losses meet certain criteria under Florida law.
It’s important to take action quickly when seeking compensation after a car accident in St. Petersburg. Depending on the circumstances, you may forfeit your right to compensation if you wait too long to file a claim or lawsuit.
First Steps in Seeking Compensation After a St. Petersburg, FL Car Accident
The amount of time you have to seek compensation for your injuries after a car accident in Florida can depend on the manner in which you go about pursuing said compensation.
Again, your first method of seeking compensation in Florida is to file a claim with your own insurance. In Florida, victims who plan on filing such claims must seek medical care within 14 days of their accidents. If you fail to do so, your insurer may deny your claim.
This highlights one of the many reasons it is important to get immediate medical care in the aftermath of an accident. You need to see a doctor right away, even if you don’t believe you have been injured.
Sometimes, the signs of injury after a car accident are not apparent until days or weeks later. You must see a doctor as soon as possible so they can examine you and determine if you need any treatment. This will also improve your chances of recovering compensation from your insurer later. If you file a claim too late, your insurer could argue there isn’t proof your injuries genuinely resulted from your car accident. This may provide them with justification to deny your claim.
What Else Can You Do to Seek Compensation?
If your injuries are severe enough, you could seek additional compensation beyond what your insurer provides. You can do so by filing a claim or lawsuit to collect from the insurance of the party who caused your accident.
This will require providing evidence indicating your accident was genuinely the result of their negligence. Thus, you should strongly consider enlisting the help of a lawyer in these circumstances. An attorney can conduct an investigation that may gather the evidence necessary to prove negligence was involved.
You shouldn’t delay when seeking legal representation after an accident. The Florida statute of limitations establishes a certain timeline for personal injury victims to file claims. Specifically, you have four years from the time of your accident to take legal action against a negligent party. The odds of recovering compensation after this deadline are extremely low.
The main point to take away from all this is that you should not wait to begin the process of seeking compensation if you’ve been injured in a car accident. The longer you wait, the smaller your chances of recovering compensation may be.
It’s best to review your case with an attorney as soon as possible to optimize your chances of being compensated fairly. Our experienced injury attorneys can help you review your case and discuss your legal options, contact us today to schedule a free consultation.
Contact the Pinellas County Car Accident Law Firm Of Perenich, Caulfield, Avril & Noyes Personal Injury Lawyers for Help
For more information, please contact the Clearwater and St. Petersburg car accident law firm of Perenich, Caulfield, Avril & Noyes Personal Injury Lawyers at the nearest location to schedule a free consultation today.
We serve Pinellas County and its surrounding areas:
Perenich, Caulfield, Avril & Noyes Personal Injury Lawyers – Clearwater
1875 N Belcher Rd. STE 201,
Clearwater, FL 33765
(727) 796-8282
Perenich, Caulfield, Avril & Noyes Personal Injury Lawyers – St. Petersburg
2560 1st Ave S,
St. Petersburg, FL 33712
(727) 349-1728