St. Petersburg Personal Injury Lawyers

Everything can change in an instant if you or a loved one is involved in an accident in St. Petersburg, Florida. If you have recently suffered an injury due to the negligence of another party, you shouldn’t have to deal with the consequences on your own.

We’re the first and oldest personal injury law firm in Pinellas County, FL. For over 70 years, our attorneys have been dedicated to providing winning legal representation to clients just like you. We work hard and our results show it – we’ve successfully obtained more than $675 million in financial awards. 

Insurance companies know our attorneys well. They know we have the resources and ability to help our clients maximize their financial recoveries. Insurers don’t want you to contact us – and that is exactly why you should contact our accident attorneys.

The St. Petersburg personal injury lawyers at Perenich, Caulfield, Avril & Noyes Personal Injury Lawyers can help you fight for compensation. Contact us today at (727) 591-3354 to schedule a free consultation.

Why Choose Perenich, Caulfield, Avril & Noyes Personal Injury Lawyers to Handle Your Personal Injury Claim?

Award-Winning Injury Lawyers

Perenich, Caulfield, Avril & Noyes Personal Injury Lawyers is one of the oldest injury law firms in Tampa Bay. Since 1955, our law firm has exclusively focused on accident cases throughout St. Petersburg.  We’ve over $675 million for our clients, and we’re still recovering top settlements and verdicts in Florida.

Our lawyers have received some of the highest distinctions and awards in the legal community, including:

• Board Certified in Civil Trial by the Florida Bar Association
• AV Rated by Martindale-Hubbell, Highest Rating
• Tampa Bay’s Top Lawyers by Tampa Bay Magazine
• Top 100 Trial Lawyers – National Trial Lawyers
• Top 25 Medical Malpractice Lawyers – National Trial Lawyers
• Top 40 Under 40 for National Black Lawyers
• Multi-Million Dollar Advocates Forum Members
• Super Lawyers and Super Lawyers Rising Stars

Benefit from Centuries of Experience

Most – but not all – personal injury cases are based on a legal theory called negligence. What is negligence? Negligence essentially means that you’ve been injured because someone else wasn’t careful.

In order to win, you’ll have the burden of proving negligence. How? There are four different elements that you’ll have to establish: duty, breach, causation, and damages.

• Duty: The defendant must have owed you a duty of care, meaning that they had a responsibility to use “reasonable care” under the circumstances.
• Breach: The defendant didn’t act reasonably under the circumstances, breaching the duty of care owed to you.
• Causation: The defendant’s acts was the direct and proximate cause of your injury.
• Damages: You’ve suffered damages, as a result.

This might seem straightforward, but proving negligence can be quite challenging. If you’ve suffered an injury because of someone else, contact our St. Petersburg injury attorneys for immediate assistance. You’ll benefit from a depth of knowledge that can only come from practicing personal injury law consistently for more than six decades.

Why Should I Hire a St. Petersburg Personal Injury Attorney?

You Need to Rest

The aftermath of an unexpected accident can be stressful and overwhelming. When you hire an injury attorney, it gives you the opportunity to direct your time and energy to your recovery. Hiring a St. Petersburg lawyer is a win-win, as it will increase the likelihood of winning your personal injury claim.

You’re More Likely to Recover Full Compensation

When you hire a committed personal injury lawyer, you are more likely to win your personal injury case. People who hire injury attorneys typically recover 3.5 times more compensation. Contact our injury law firm anytime for an immediate case review with a St. Petersburg injury attorney. Our legal team will help you with the legal process and ensure we recover fair compensation for you. 

You Have to Level the Playing Field

The defendant(s) in your case will be well-represented by experienced adjusters and teams of skilled attorneys. They might offer a lowball settlement, hoping to scare you into accepting less than your case is worth.

The best thing you can do to put yourself on equal footing is to hire a St. Petersburg personal injury attorney with extensive personal injury experience. This way, you’ll have an advocate who will stand up for you and work tirelessly to hold the defendants fully accountable for your injuries and suffering.

We will take your case to court to get you the compensation you deserve.

You’ll Have Access to the Resources You Need to Win

Insurance companies and other defendants you might face have endless resources at their disposal. To them, the cost of experts, investigators, and specialists is nothing compared to what they might have to pay you for what your case is worth. 

When you hire our St. Petersburg injury lawyers, you will get the firm’s network of respected professionals who can provide invaluable insight into your case.

Types Of Personal Injury Cases We Handle

Car Accidents

Insurance companies handle thousands of car accident claims. If you get into a motor vehicle accident, they’ll be ready to deny your claim or have a strategy in place to minimize your payout.

To protect your right to compensation for your injuries, get our St. Petersburg car accident lawyers in your corner. Our reputation is well known, and insurers know that we have zero tolerance for anything less than a fair offer. We will help you get every last dollar you need for medical bills, lost wages, pain and suffering, and more.

Truck Accidents

Big rigs, semis, and other large commercial trucks tend to cause a lot of destruction and devastation when they’re involved in an auto accident. Often, these avoidable accidents happen because truck drivers are inattentive, fatigued, or simply not trained properly.

Our truck accident lawyers help crash victims stand up and get significant compensation – from negligent truckers, trucking companies, and anyone else who might have played a role. Don’t hesitate to reach out to our St. Petersburg injury lawyers now for help.

Motorcycle Accidents

Motorcyclists who wear helmets are more likely to survive a crash than those who don’t. However, a motorcycle accident can still leave riders with catastrophic, life-changing injuries. These injuries can be costly and change the course of a rider’s life forever.

Those responsible must be held accountable. Our motorcycle accident lawyers work for injured motorcyclists every day to obtain compensation from all liable parties.

Medical Malpractice

We seek out doctors and healthcare providers because they’re specialists in medicine. We trust that they’ll help us, not put us in harm’s way. Unfortunately, medical mistakes happen – all too often. When they do, our medical malpractice lawyers can help.

We have the experience necessary to match powerful hospitals and insurance companies in these types of disputes. Speak to a St. Petersburg injury attorney as soon as possible. 

Uber & Lyft Accidents

Rideshare companies like Uber and Lyft have made it a lot easier to travel around a busy city like St. Petersburg, Florida. However, Uber and Lyft accidents happen more often than you might think. And, after a crash, it can be tough for victims to get compensation.

Uber and Lyft will deny responsibility and multiple insurance providers might be involved. Calling our Lyft and Uber accident injury lawyers is the best way to ensure that your rights are protected and that you’re set up for the win you deserve and get a new start. Our attorneys are standing by to take your call.

Pedestrian Accidents

You can’t beat the weather in St. Petersburg, FL. It makes sense that a lot of people prefer to walk – rather than drive – around the city. However, St. Pete happens to have some of the most dangerous intersections in the state of Florida.

Drivers speed, get distracted by their phones, and drive under the influence. Pedestrians tend to suffer the most serious consequences when accidents happen. Count on our pedestrian accident attorneys to hold at-fault motorists responsible and get the economic award you deserve.

Wrongful Death

A fatal accident can be gut-wrenching for surviving family members. While money won’t erase the pain of such a devastating loss or bring a loved one back, it can help to make everything easier. It can also provide a sense of justice.

Our wrongful death lawyers fight for families every day. If you’ve suffered an unspeakable loss, reach out to our compassionate team for help. Our injury lawyers will be there for you every step of the way to guide you through the claim process.

Slip & Fall Accidents

Slips, trips, and falls often happen when property owners don’t take care of hazards in their buildings or on their land. These incidents often cause serious harm, including spinal, neck, and back injuries. If you’ve suffered a slip and fall accident on someone else’s premises, the owner may be legally obligated to cover your costs and expenses.

Our slip and fall lawyers will investigate, gather evidence, take witness statements, and work day and night to build a strong premises liability case. We will do everything in our power to get full compensation for your injuries and suffering.

Do I Have a Personal Injury Case?

This could be one of the first questions you might have after an accident.

You might have a case if: 

• You were injured because someone else was negligent (e.g., struck by a drunk driver)
• Someone else intentionally hurt you (e.g., assaulted at a local bar)
• A defective or dangerous product contributed to your injury (e.g., a medical device didn’t work properly)
• You were injured on the job (e.g., struck by a piece of equipment on a construction site)
• You were attacked by a dog, or
• You got hurt at someone else’s home (e.g., a slip and fall accident).

You might have a legitimate claim for damages if you prove that you got hurt because of someone else’s negligence.

Personal Injury FAQ

It’s good to have questions after an accident. Our attorneys are here to give you the answers you need.

How much does it cost to hire a personal injury attorney?

Most personal injury lawyers use contingency fees, which means you don’t have to pay anything unless they win your case. This fee arrangement gives people access to quality representation without upfront costs. In this way, contingency fees do not become another financial burden for a victim after an accident.

Your payment of attorney’s fees is contingent upon the attorney’s recovery of a settlement or verdict for you. If they don’t secure compensation, you do not owe any fees. If your personal injury attorney does recover compensation, they will take a pre-agreed-upon percentage (usually 33-40%) of your recovery as payment for their services.

What is my personal injury case worth?

The National Safety Council suggests that the comprehensive cost of a car accident injury can range anywhere between $51,000 (no injury observed) and $1,219,000 (disabling injury). But, keep in mind that every case is very different.

Ultimately, the value of your insurance claim or lawsuit will depend on several different factors.

• How serious are your injuries?
• What kind of medical treatment will you need?
• How long will it take for you to recover?
• Will you lose income because you’re unable to work?
• Will you be disabled – temporarily or permanently?
• How have you been affected emotionally?
• What will it cost to replace or repair property damage?

These are just a few of the questions that will need to be answered before you can get a better idea of what your case might be worth. Our personal injury attorneys in St. Petersburg have the experience necessary to value your claim and get you every cent you deserve.

What compensation can I get if I’ve been hurt in an accident?

In Florida, accident victims are typically able to ask for two distinct types of compensation after getting hurt: economic damages and non-economic damages.

Economic damages (financial losses) are paid to make you financially whole again after your serious injuries.

This includes compensation for things like:

• Medical expenses (present and future)
• Lost wages
• Disability
• Funeral expenses and burial costs, if an accident is fatal.

Non-Economic damages are paid to compensate for injuries that don’t have a set financial value. Rather, they’re highly subjective and personal to you.

Commonly awarded non-economic awards include:

• Pain and suffering
• PTSD and depression
• Disfigurement
• Diminished enjoyment or quality of life

In limited instances – like after a drunk driving accident – punitive damages might be available. These are awarded solely to punish the defendant for conduct that was intentionally harmful or grossly negligent.

What are the elements of negligence in a personal injury claim?

Most – but not all – personal injury cases are based on a legal theory called negligence. What is negligence? Negligence essentially means that you’ve been injured because someone else wasn’t careful.

In order to win, you’ll have the burden of proving negligence. How? There are four different elements that you’ll have to establish: duty, breach, causation, and damages.

• Duty: The defendant must have owed you a duty of care, meaning that they had a responsibility to use “reasonable care” under the circumstances.
• Breach: The defendant didn’t act reasonably under the circumstances, breaching the duty of care owed to you.
• Causation: The defendant’s acts was the direct and proximate cause of your injury.
• Damages: You’ve suffered damages, as a result.

This might seem straightforward, but proving negligence can be quite challenging. If you’ve suffered an injury because of someone else, contact our St. Petersburg injury attorneys for immediate assistance. You’ll benefit from depth of knowledge that can only come from practicing personal injury law consistently for more than six decades.

What is the Statute of Limitations in Florida?

Whether you’re going to submit a claim to insurance, request workers’ compensation benefits, or file a personal injury lawsuit, you’ll only have a limited amount of time to do so.

• Insurance claims must be filed within a reasonable amount of time after an accident.
• Florida law gives injured workers 30 days to report an accident and just two years to formally request workers’ comp benefits.
• Due to a recent change in the law, most personal injury cases have a filing deadline of two years (if the accident happened on 3/24/2023 or later) or four years (if it happened before that date).
• The statute of limitations is two years wrongful death cases.

If you miss the deadline that applies to your case, you’ll forfeit the right to ask for the money you really need.

Protect yourself – and your ability to get the financial award you deserve – by calling our attorneys as soon as you can after you get hurt. Our St. Petersburg injury attorneys will handle these procedural issues on your behalf, take your case to court and work to not only secure compensation for you, but also maximize it. We have a proven track record of success. Contact our experienced attorneys today.

Can I still recover compensation if I’m partly at-fault?

Florida has modified comparative negligence rules with a 51% recovery bar. So, you can still get compensated for your injuries after an accident, but your economic award will be reduced if you’re assigned some of the blame. You also cannot get compensation if you were mostly to blame. Insurance companies will try to take advantage of the fact that they have a lot of experience handling these injury cases.

We understand the frustration that an injured person may feel, particularly when faced with insurance companies and other opponents who attempt to hold them responsible for their own injuries. Our St. Petersburg injury lawyers will be prepared with evidence that can disprove these claims or, at the very least, minimize how much fault is ultimately assigned to you.

From bicycle accidents to a dog bite injury, with the right legal policy in place and a strong record of the accident, you should be able to receive the compensation you deserve, even if you are partly at fault. 

To learn more about your options, call our St. Petersburg personal injury attorneys at (727) 591-3354 or contact us online today.