Have you or someone you love been injured in a car accident in St. Petersburg, FL? Don’t count on the insurance company fairly valuing your claim. You may be entitled to compensation for your lost earnings, pain and suffering, and more.
An experienced St. Petersburg car accident lawyer can help you take action to pursue the money you need to move forward with your life.
Since 1955, Perenich, Caulfield, Avril & Noyes Personal Injury Lawyers has fought tirelessly for Pinellas County accident injury victims – winning more than $675 million for our clients in the process.
Contact our law office today at (727) 349-1728 to schedule a free initial consultation with one of our car accident lawyers to discuss how we can help you.
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How Perenich, Caulfield, Avril & Noyes Personal Injury Lawyers Can Help You After a Car Accident in St. Petersburg, FL
Submitting a personal injury claim after an accident should be a simple action, and it can be when you suffer very minimal injuries. Sadly, many victims find themselves battling an insurance company unfairly blaming them for the crash or minimizing the seriousness of their injuries. After an accident, you deserve an experienced St. Petersburg personal injury lawyer prepared to fight on your behalf.
Perenich, Caulfield, Avril & Noyes Personal Injury Lawyers was founded in 1955 – making us the first law firm in St. Petersburg to focus entirely on personal injury law. We put more than 300 years of collective experience into every case we take on for our clients.
Our great car accident attorneys have earned prestigious awards and recovered multi-million dollar verdicts for our clients, even trying cases before the Florida Supreme Court.
When you choose our law firm to represent you, you can expect us to:
- Give you the personal attention and legal advice you’ve needed
- Handle all administrative tasks, court filings, and communications with adverse parties and insurance providers
- Work with experts and gather evidence necessary to prove negligence
- Accurately value the complete extent of your damages
- Combat allegations that you were negligent
- Negotiate with the insurance company and other parties on your behalf to seek the maximum value of your damages
- Present a persuasive argument to a jury if your case proceeds to court
We have decades of experience working for our clients at the negotiation table and in the courtroom. Get in touch with us today to schedule a free initial consultation with a car accident attorney who cares about you and who will provide you with all the information you need to obtain the best possible results for your case.
Why Should I Hire a Car Accident Lawyer?
Hiring a car accident lawyer is the best way to ensure you receive the full compensation needed for your loss. Without legal representation, you run the risk of settling your claim for less than what it’s actually worth. A few reasons clients may want to hire an accident injury attorney include:
- A lawyer can negotiate on your behalf with the insurance company, which is a for-profit business that will do whatever it can to minimize its liability for your claim. Hiring an attorney will level the playing field.
- The opposing party will most likely try to say the accident was your fault. Under state law, your compensation could be significantly reduced if they blame you successfully. Your lawyer can cover allegations of shared blame effectively.
- Car accident attorneys can leverage professionals to properly evaluate your claim and make it as strong as possible. Without this expert assistance, it could be much more difficult to achieve a favorable outcome for your case.
- You deserve to take all the time you need to rest and recover, not worry about how to pursue a legal claim against the person responsible for your crash. When you have a lawyer on your side, they can handle just about every aspect of your case in the meantime.
Ultimately, we recommend that you contact us for a free consultation if you’re not sure whether it makes sense to select an injury attorney for your accident claim. One of our car accident attorneys can provide you with some helpful advice on how you should proceed at that time.
How Common Are Car Accidents in St. Petersburg, FL?
According to the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles (FLHSMV), there were 14,787 motor vehicle collisions in St. Petersburg and throughout Pinellas County in 2023. At times these were serious, leading to 106 fatalities and 9,172 injuries.
That means nearly 63% of Pinellas County wrecks resulted in injury or death in the past year.
How Serious Are Pinellas County Car Wrecks?
Crash fatalities continue to be a problem in St. Petersburg and surrounding vicinity. In 2023, Pinellas County experienced 103 fatalities. These include 9 bicyclists, 19 motorcyclists, and 40 pedestrians.
St. Petersburg Car Accident Statistics: 2024 Update
St. Petersburg has had a high rate of incidents so far in 2024. As of 03/08/2024, Pinellas County has seen 2,242 to be exact. These have resulted in 1,256 injuries — meaning over 55% resulted in bodily harm.
What Are the Most Dangerous Roads and Intersections in St. Petersburg, FL?
Based on crash data and state reports, these are the intersections and roads that are among the most dangerous:
- 34th Street N. & 5th Ave. N.
- 28th Street North. & 1st Ave. North.
- U.S. 19 & 1st Avenue N.
- 34th Street North & 22nd Ave. North
- Interstate 275
How Much Does It Cost To Hire a Car Accident Lawyer?
Our car accident injury lawyers work on a contingency fee basis, as opposed to charging a flat rate or by the hour. With this arrangement, we only receive attorney’s fees in the event that we obtain compensation for you, whether through a jury verdict or settlement. Hiring us also won’t cost you a dime upfront.
If we settle your accident claim or win your case in court, our attorney’s fees will be taken as a percentage of your monetary award. In most cases, the percentage will be around 33%, but it can vary depending on the circumstances.
With a contingency fee, we will be incentivized to take action to maximize the amount of compensation we obtain for you. Further, you can afford top-rated legal representation even if your collision has left you in a tough financial position. Learn more about how this system will apply to your case by reaching out to us to set up your free consultation.
What Is My Car Accident Case Worth on the Gulf Coast of Florida?
There is no easy way to estimate how much your case may be worth after a collision. Damages are highly unique, and a personal injury calculator or formula you may find just won’t be accurate.
As a general rule, cases involving very serious injuries with a long-lasting impact and major property damage are worth more than the ones in which the victim can make a full recovery or vehicle damage is minimal.
It may help to understand the most important factors that are considered when evaluating the value of your accident claim:
- Did you contribute to your accident?
- Were you negligent?
- How much insurance coverage is available?
- What are your property damage estimates?
- How strong is your negligence case and supporting evidence?
- What is the overall number of economic costs you have sustained?
- Do you have a case against more than one party?
- How reckless was the other driver?
- How significant are your physical and emotional injuries?
- Are you required to stay in a hospital?
- Do you need long-term medical care?
- Are you able to return to your job?
- How will the accident impact your future quality of life, relationships, hobbies, and more?
The best way to determine this is by scheduling a no-charge evaluation with our St. Petersburg injury attorneys. Hire our team so we can help you understand what you may be able to recover in your particular accident claim.
What Damages Can I Recover After a Car Accident?
Florida is a no-fault insurance state. After an accident, you typically make a Personal Injury Protection (PIP) claim against your own insurance policy for your damages.
While PIP insurance covers medical bills and lost wages, only 80% of your medical costs are covered, and just 60% of your lost earnings up to $10,000. You’re limited to just $10,000 in PIP insurance coverage.
If your medical expenses exceed $10,000, or your injuries are considered very serious, you have the right to file a car accident lawsuit against the at-fault party. This also allows you to seek compensation for the damages you have suffered and at least gain economic security.
There are two broad forms of compensation available in a car accident claim.
Economic damages compensate you for your financial losses.
This includes damages such as:
- Property damage
- Medical bills for treatment you have already received
- Future medical expenses and related costs
- Skilled nursing care and rehabilitation
- Out-of-pocket expenses
- Lost wages and income
- Diminished earning capacity or disability
- Other economic losses like home modifications and domestic services
You can also seek additional compensation for non-economic damages. These compensate you for your personal, non-financial losses such as pain and suffering, emotional distress, disfigurement or scarring, mental anguish, and reduced enjoyment of life.
Punitive damages may be awarded, but only in rare cases. These damages require a higher burden of proof standard and are meant to “punish” the defendant for extreme behavior.
Am I Still Entitled to Compensation if I’m Being Blamed for a Car Accident?
If you’re partially responsible for your car crash, you may still be entitled to recover money for your damages thanks to Florida’s modified comparative negligence rule.
This rule assigns 0% to 100% liability to all parties involved in the crash. Your recovery will be reduced by the percentage of fault you’re assigned. Florida also has a 51% bar to recovery in place, so you cannot recover any damages if you were mostly to blame.
Sharing 35% of the blame means your financial award will be reduced by 35%. And if you share 51% or more of the blame, you cannot receive a financial award. These considerations apply to claims against the at-fault driver, not your PIP insurance policy.
Be aware that insurance companies and defendants may try to shift blame to reduce their own liability. An experienced car accident attorney will take action and help you fight back against these tactics to get you the fair compensation you deserve.
What Types of Injuries Are Caused By Florida Car Wrecks?
At Perenich, Caulfield, Avril & Noyes Personal Injury Lawyers, we recognize just how severe a car accident can be for our clients. You may be left with pain and suffering that affects you for the rest of your life or the loss of a loved one.
We represent clients in the State of Florida who have suffered serious physical injuries, whether major or minor, including:
- Soft tissue injuries
- Fractures
- Broken bones
- Eye injuries
- Traumatic brain injuries
- Neck injuries
- Back injuries
- Chest injuries
- Crush injuries
- Burns
- Spinal cord injuries
- Catastrophic injuries
- Traumatic amputation
- Wrongful death, if you are dealing with the loss of a loved one
Contact us for a free consultation with a car accident attorney in St. Petersburg. We will help you fight back against an insurance company trying to minimize your claim and cover your legal claim.
What Causes Most Accidents in St. Petersburg, Florida?
St. Petersburg police recently identified several factors that are contributing to a rise in fatal car wrecks in the city.
These include:
- Pedestrians who are not using crosswalks
- Other drivers
- Aggressive driving
- Failing to pay attention to the road
- Speeding, and
- Motorcyclists who are not wearing helmets.
While police point to these factors for the rise in fatalities, many factors may be involved in a St. Pete car crash, such as:
- Failure to yield the right-of-way
- Tailgating
- Improper lane change or use
- Fatigued driving
- Drunk driving
- Defective vehicle components
If you have been hurt in a car crash, an experienced St. Petersburg auto accident attorney will help demonstrate how your crash happened. Establishing causation is critical for proving negligence and recovering the maximum compensation you deserve.
If you’re in a situation where your health is on the line due to someone else’s negligent conduct, they are required to pay and help you receive the compensation you deserve.
Start your legal process now by calling a personal injury attorney with our firm. We are happy to answer all your questions and provide you with the information you need. You can reach us by email or at (727) 349-1728.
We Handle All Types of Car Accident Claims in St. Petersburg
Perenich, Caulfield, Avril & Noyes Personal Injury Lawyers have extensive experience handling all types of car accident claims. We will work hard to secure you a favorable verdict or settlement agreement.
A personal injury attorney on our team can provide legal representation in all Florida car accident cases, including:
Rear-End Crashes
A rear-end accident can cause substantial injuries, such as whiplash and brain injury. Contact our St. Petersburg rear-end crash lawyers for help.
Head-On Accidents
Getting into a head-on crash can be a traumatizing experience, leaving you wondering how you’ll be made whole again. If you hire our St. Petersburg head-on crash attorneys, we’ll do everything we can to get you compensation for your claim.
Distracted Driving Accidents
This is one of the most common causes of a collision, especially with the rise of smartphones and other portable electronic devices. A person can easily become inattentive by a dog roaming around the car or passengers speaking loudly. Reach out to our St. Petersburg distracted driving accident lawyers for help holding the responsible party liable for the damages you suffered.
DUI Crashes
Driving under the influence is a crime, but it can also give rise to a civil claim for compensation. DUI might also constitute an exception to Florida’s “no-fault” insurance rules, allowing you to pursue a claim against the other driver. Reach out to our trusted St. Petersburg DUI accident lawyers to learn about your next steps.
Left-Turn Accidents
Left-turn wrecks occur regularly, especially in high-traffic locations like intersections. These can happen when a motorist swerves to avoid a pedestrian or dog in a crosswalk or fails to yield to oncoming traffic. If you were involved in this type of crash that was someone else’s fault, we can help you pursue a claim against them. Contact our St. Petersburg left-turn accident attorneys to start the process.
Parking Lot Wrecks
Although parking lot wrecks generally don’t involve excessive speeds, they can still result in a number of types of damages and injuries. To get legal help and the money you need after this kind of crash, contact our St. Petersburg parking lot accident lawyers.
Speeding Accidents
Speeding is against the law, which means that establishing liability against the at-fault driver could be easier. However, that doesn’t necessarily mean getting fully compensated will be straightforward. Our St. Petersburg speeding accident lawyers are more than up to the task; contact us to get started.
Other types of cases we can help you with include, but aren’t limited to, the following:
- Rollover Wrecks
- Side-Impact Wrecks
- Intersection Wrecks
- Highway Collisions
- Red and Yellow Light Wrecks
- Hit and Run Wrecks
- Uninsured Motorist Collisions
- Bicycle Accidents
- Pedestrian Accidents
- Truck Accidents
- Motorcycle Accidents
No matter how your accident occurred, a St. Petersburg car accident attorney from our firm is ready to protect your rights and help you build your case. Contact us to discuss your case and how we can help make the most of your opportunity for money damages. You can also click here to view client testimonials and learn more about how we’ve been able to assist injured victims in the area.
What Should I Do After a Car Accident in St. Petersburg?
Take note of the following, as the initial moments and aftermath following a collision can have a substantial impact on any resulting legal claims:
- Call 911 and report the accident to the police, who will arrive on site. State law often requires this step, and a police report can be helpful during the negotiation process with the insurance company.
- Receive medical care at a hospital, even if you don’t have an obvious physical injury. Some types of injuries, such as concussions, do not always present symptoms immediately. In addition, medical records can be persuasive proof for your case.
- Follow police instructions, but do not apologize or accept blame for the crash. If you do, it could hurt the success of your claim and potential settlements significantly.
- Collect any evidence that you can if it is safe to do so. This might mean taking photos and videos, jotting down the contact information of any eyewitnesses, and more.
From here, contacting a personal injury attorney is recommended. Ideally, people would take this step before speaking with an insurance company, as insurance companies aren’t looking out for your best interests.
How Do I Prove Negligence After a Car Accident?
To win your case, you must prove negligence by a preponderance of the evidence. You must show it was more likely than not that the other person was careless or otherwise breached their duty of care to you and caused your car accident injuries.
Proving someone was negligent can be more complicated than it sounds. It involves establishing the defendant owed you a duty of care, breached it, and, as a result, led to your injury.
A skilled attorney will build your case based on as much evidence as possible, including:
- Expert testimony
- Witness statements from people at the accident scene
- Photos and video of the scene of the accident
- Medical records
- Police reports
- Citations related to your crash
- Footage from a dashcam, surveillance camera, or traffic camera
Your injury attorney will use this to demonstrate how your accident occurred and who is ultimately responsible for the specific harm you suffered.
How Long Do I Have to File a Personal Injury Lawsuit After a Car Accident in Florida?
Florida’s statute of limitations establishes the deadlines for when lawsuits must be filed. The current time limit is two years from the date of your accident by default.
Note that some factors can increase or decrease the amount of time people have to file. If your claim is against a government entity, you have just months to file a claim for compensation. If the accident resulted in a fatality, surviving family members have just two years to bring a wrongful death case.
The statute of limitations may be tolled or paused if the at-fault party can’t be found, leaves the state, or faces criminal charges.
It’s crucial to begin working on your case as soon as possible, in order to avoid delays which can make it challenging to gather the information you need to prove causation and your damages. If you have any questions call us for a no-charge case review with one of our attorneys as soon as possible to preserve your case.
Will My Car Accident Case Go to Trial?
Cases rarely go to trial, and most don’t require filing a lawsuit, either. Instead, the vast majority of claims are resolved through negotiations for settlements with insurance companies and defense attorneys.
That said, it could be to your benefit to file a lawsuit and bring your case to court. Settlement negotiations can still continue at this point, and our legal team will have access to the pretrial discovery process. Discovery could reveal crucial evidence in support of your claim and could lead to a fair settlement offer.
Further, insurance companies often do not want to defend cases in court because of the extensive time and resources required. Therefore, the at-fault party in your case may be willing to settle for a higher amount if they know that you have the ability to take your claim all the way to trial.
Keeping your legal options open is important, and we’re here to work for you from start to finish. Call our attorneys in St. Petersburg to get started.
Contact a St. Petersburg Car Accident Lawyer for a Free Consultation
Perenich, Caulfield, Avril & Noyes Personal Injury Lawyers has represented car accident victims in Florida for over 70 years. Call us for a free case evaluation with one of our St. Petersburg car accident attorneys. We only charge you if we get you a favorable settlement or award. We are committed to seeking the fair compensation you need while assisting you with every aspect of your case.
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Local Auto Repair Shops
- Victory Automotive Service – 3001 Dr M.L.K. Jr St N, St. Petersburg, FL 33704
- JB Import Automotive Repair, Bosch Car Service Center – 387 16th St N St, St. Petersburg, FL 33705
- Andy’s Automotive, Inc. – 2800 5th Ave S, St. Petersburg, FL 33712
*Disclaimer – we do not endorse these companies or profit from having them listed on our website.
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