St. Petersburg, Florida, has amazing weather and offers plenty for residents and visitors in the entertainment department. It’s also one of the state’s fastest-growing cities. Located in the Tampa Bay area, “The Sunshine City” attracts many tourists who come to golf, boat, fish, and play on the beautiful beaches. During baseball season, crowds gather at the Tampa Bay Rays stadium in downtown St. Petersburg to eat, drink, tailgate, and have a great time.
With so many people driving the busy streets of St. Petersburg, car accidents with injuries are common. Being involved in a car accident can be a traumatic and confusing experience, with physical injuries, emotional distress, property damage, and financial burdens.
Common Causes Of St. Petersburg Car Accidents
St. Petersburg is the largest city in Pinellas County, the most densely populated county in the state, and it welcomes over 20 million visitors a year. At these numbers, it’s no wonder there are so many accidents (in the upper three-fourths of the state).
Car accidents in St. Petersburg may be caused by:
- Driving while intoxicated
- Distracted driving
- Road rage
- Not yielding the right of way
- Speeding
- Failing to stop at traffic stops
- Tailgating
- Not slowing down in bad weather
- Reckless driving
- Unsafely driving at night
- Improper car maintenance (e.g., failing to maintain steering wheel fluid, brakes, windshield wipers, brake lights, headlights, etc.)
- Improperly securing an animal in the vehicle
- Texting and driving
- Viewing social media like Facebook and Instagram while driving
Any of these causes, and more, could represent negligence on the part of the other driver and means you may have a personal injury case. Knowing what contributes to accidents can help you prevent one, and can help you understand when you need to seek legal representation.
You can discuss your car accident case with Florin|Roebig by contacting one of our St. Petersburg car accident attorneys for a free case evaluation and to understand your rights.
Reasons To File A Car Accident Claim
When filing a car accident claim in St. Petersburg, you may focus on the cost of medical bills or car repairs because those are often immediate needs. Your personal injury protection (PIP) insurance, as required by Florida law for all registered vehicle owners, will cover high percentages of certain damages up to policy limits.
The state minimum for PIP insurance is $10,000. Once you’ve reached that amount, and it can happen quickly, you may need other means to cover financial obligations. There are many reasons to file insurance claims and take legal action against the person who is at fault in the state of Florida.
These reasons may impact your car accident attorney’s legal strategy when they help you file a personal injury claim:
- Compensation for medical expenses, lost income, property damage, and vehicle damage are all economic damages. You can easily determine their cost.
- Non-economic damages are considerations like pain and suffering, loss of quality of life in relationships, and the inability to perform daily activities. It’s hard to put a number on these factors.
- Helping define the duty of care for the next person, which may prevent similar accidents from reoccurring. The holds the negligent party responsible in your case and helps another human being down the road.
- Drawing attention to the dangers of certain driving behaviors can lead to improvements in how laws are written and interpreted. This defines how roads are laid out and what signage is considered necessary at dangerous intersections.
- Holding insurance companies responsible for their commitments in insuring policyholders. When insurance companies have to pay the amounts they’re supposed to, others can use that to secure fair settlement measures.
- Rare cases also result in awards of punitive damages if your personal injury attorney proves that the defendant was grossly negligent. This is an amount given to you as the plaintiff because the other party not only caused harm but knew at the time that their actions could or would lead to harm.
The legal team at Florin|Roebig will work with you to determine maximum compensation. We’ll advocate for your rights to what’s owed, and we won’t accept a dime unless you get paid.
Factors That Affect Car Accident Claims In St. Petersburg
The most recent changes to Florida personal injury laws determine the biggest factor in your car accident claims.
Florida Law Changes
If you were hurt in an accident before March 24, 2023, then your case and any injuries sustained are generally subject to a four-year statute of limitations, even if your injuries show up later. After March 24, 2023, your claims are assessed based on HB 837, which shortened the statute of limitations to two years, changed damage caps, and removed the attorney fee multiplier.
The car accident attorneys at Florin|Roebig are well-versed in the compensation limits for your insurance coverage and entitlements regardless of when your accident occurred. Often, we can move the numbers higher than what you might initially consider.
Other Factors To Consider In Car Accident Claims
Whether your claims are measured under HB 837 or the laws before, all of the factors listed below can contribute to your case against the at-fault party. Experienced St. Petersburg auto accident attorneys will walk you through each element that can influence the eligibility of your claims under applicable Florida law.
Factors that influence car accident claims in Florida might include:
- More serious injuries
- Back injuries
- Brain injury
- Multiple broken bones
- Spinal injury
- Permanent scarring or disfigurement
- Wrongful death occurrence
- Amount of lost wages, including future wages
- Time missed from work
- Disability status
Insurance Coverage Limits
Insurance coverage limits cannot be exceeded in most personal injury claims filed for accidents after March 24, 2023. Even if a lawsuit has multiple plaintiffs, new Florida law doesn’t allow a judge to hand down a verdict for more than what is written in an insurance policy. Insurance companies can be required to pay higher damages to all plaintiffs for claims involving accidents prior to HB 837.
Comparative Negligence & Fault
Florida car accidents can be viewed under one of two types of comparative negligence: pure and modified. Know that Florida is also an at-fault state, so car accident victims can bear a portion of the responsibility for damages in a settlement.
It also means that each party files with their own insurance company first and can later file against the insurance of the at-fault party. These negotiations can get tricky, and Florin|Roebig can help you avoid making statements that can be taken as an admission of responsibility.
Pure Comparative Negligence
The rule of pure comparative negligence is part of the older Florida laws that still apply to accidents before March 23, 2024. This allows parties to file for damages equal to whatever percentage of fault is not theirs, even if that percentage is a one.
Under this ruling, if you’re found 30% at fault for an accident, you can owe the other party that percentage of damages in a countersuit. You’re also ineligible for 30% of the total damages, so for a settlement of $200,000, you’d get $140,000 at most.
Modified Comparative Negligence
Modified comparative negligence rules in cases of accidents following the updates to Florida law. In Florida, the law applies the 50% bar rule. This means that anyone found more than 50% at fault for the incident is ineligible to recover damages. Your damages can still be reduced by any percentage of fault assigned to you with modified comparative negligence.
Why You Need A Personal Injury Attorney To Argue Fault And Negligence
Courts may reduce the damages awarded by the percentage of negligence that belongs to the injured person. If you think you may be partly to blame, you should seek legal advice by contacting car accident attorneys in St. Petersburg.
Part of what car accident lawyers do is demonstrate that the other party’s negligence was more significant than that of the injured person. Lawyers need to show that the injured person deserves a higher amount of compensation because the other party’s negligence was too great.
How Much Compensation Can You Be Awarded?
The amount of compensation you can win depends on several factors and where your injuries fall on the scale of these factors.
Some of the factors that can increase compensation in car accident claims include:
- Type and severity of the injury
- Amount of medical expenses
- Total of lost wages
- Pain and suffering and opportunity costs the accident impacts
- How likely you are to have a full recovery
- Extent of property damage
- Cost of future care
Our case results speak for themselves. At Florin|Roebig, we’ve won over $60 million in settlements, over one million dollars each, for vehicle accidents and injuries.
Our Featured Case Results
Damages Awarded In Car Accident Claims
When filing a car accident claim, you should consider seeking as many types of damages as possible. This is your one chance to argue for those. You must take into account the future consequences of your injuries, as they can have a significant financial impact on your quality of life and medical care.
These might include types of economic damages like:
- Standard medical expenses (doctor visits, prescriptions)
- Additional medical expenses for therapies (physical, mental)
- Loss of ability to earn (short- or long-term disability)
- Out-of-pocket costs for things you can no longer do for yourself temporarily or permanently (housekeeping, bookkeeping, lawn maintenance, errands)
Law changes mean you must show receipts or medical bills for actual amounts paid on economic damages, but non-economic damages are harder to calculate.
Non-economic damages can include:
- Loss of enjoyment (inability to do hobbies and other normal activities previously enjoyed)
- Loss of companionship (inability to maintain physical and emotional relationships with partner, friends, and family)
- Pain and suffering
- Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
Whether you have quality representation can strongly influence how much you win. Car accident lawyers with a track record of winning significant damages for their clients understand how to demonstrate the negligence of the other party and clearly explain the true extent of your loss in Florida to increase the damages awarded.
Firm partner Tommy Roebig said,
“I’ve worked with plenty of clients who had to consider how their injuries would factor into their daily lives after an accident. We want to help you move forward with the best possible financial situation to give you the best possible quality of life in this next chapter.”
Do I Need To Hire A Car Accident Attorney?
You can choose to file a claim on your own, but you may overlook important paperwork or file against the wrong party. Know that for damage under $500, the state of Florida recommends against involving law enforcement at the scene of the accident unless there are extenuating circumstances.
It is a tedious process, and going up against insurance companies can be a strong burden, especially while you are trying to recover from your injury. Their claims adjusters and attorneys are skilled at reducing settlement offers. You should avoid accepting a low payment in a moment of desperation.
Once you indicate that a settlement is acceptable with an affirmative response or by cashing the check, your actions cannot be undone, and your chance for a fair settlement may be lost. Hiring a personal injury attorney is the quickest and easiest way to recover from your losses. We can offer legal advice, negotiate with all other parties on your behalf, and connect you to resources for assistance.
And if we’re not seeing the numbers we want, we can move forward with a trial to get you the compensation you deserve. Not all attorneys are the same and some may make promises they cannot deliver on, but Florin Roebig uses all of our resources (and we have plenty) to fight for you.
The benefits of working with a personal injury attorney in St. Petersburg include:
- Peace of mind of knowing that an attorney is fighting for your losses
- Access to a kind legal professional who listens to you and understands what you are going through
- Having all of the paperwork needed to file a strong legal claim
- Negotiating with the responsible party and insurance companies to get the settlement you deserve
- Going to trial if necessary to ensure that all of your losses are covered with the settlement
Let us handle the leg work for your claim so you can get a head start on recovering and getting your life back in order.
Auto Accident Statistics In St. Petersburg
Already highly populated and highly popular as a tourist attraction, St. Petersburg has a lot of car accidents. With so many vehicles and people on the road, it’s vital that drivers pay attention and take precautionary measures to avoid accidents and injuries.
St. Petersburg and Pinellas County auto accident statistics:
- Pinellas County, where St. Petersburg is located, reported 15,683 crashes in 2023.
- 9,189 people were injured as a result of a car accident in Pinellas County.
- Approximately 10% of crashes involved pedestrians, bicycles, or motorcycles.
- There were a total of 123 fatalities.
- Eleven fatalities were the direct result of drunk driving and/or driving under the influence.
Dangerous Intersections in St. Petersburg
Distracted driving, driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs, and driving in a hurry are all hazards that motorists can face every day in St. Petersburg.
The following St. Petersburg intersections are noted as some of the most dangerous in Pinellas County:
- 66th Street and:
- 38th Avenue N
- 30th Avenue N
- Tyrone Boulevard
- 34th Street and:
- 1st Avenue N
- 54th Street
- 4th Street and Gandy Boulevard
Each of these intersections has become more dangerous as the population and development of St. Petersburg increase. Several of them include complex layouts that make it more challenging for drivers to navigate during peak traffic times, especially with multiple lanes and heavy foot traffic to local businesses.
While the city is working to improve road and traffic conditions, it’s an ongoing cycle. It’s important to be reasonably cautious while driving, and understand that law enforcement officers are monitoring these intersections to reduce crash instances.
Car Accident Lawyers Serving St. Petersburg
Car accidents happen often, and sometimes, there’s no way to avoid them. However, there are steps you can take to avoid a crash, like putting away devices and following traffic laws and signs. Unfortunately, you can’t control how other drivers choose to handle things.
When you are in an accident, you want the best possible care and support as you recover. Regardless of your injury and damage severity, you may still experience the chaos that often comes in the aftermath of an upset.
Even if you think your injuries or damages are too low to get an attorney involved, you may want to at least have the conversation to rule out the possibility. Florida’s accident rate is well above the national rate, and St. Petersburg is one of many popular cities that draws huge crowds throughout the year.
“While we hope we don’t have to see you in our offices because it means you or a loved one has been injured, when you do come to us, we take care of you. One of Florin Roebig’s board-certified attorneys and our excellent team will be with you through every step of the process.”
We’ll make sure you understand:
- Why you should file a claim
- What factors will impact your claim
- What compensation you’re eligible to receive
- Our role in assisting you
The roads are treacherous. Drive carefully, obey the traffic laws and signs, always yield the right of way, and maintain your vehicle responsibly to minimize the chance that you or a loved one will be injured in a car accident.
Car accident lawyers on our esteemed legal team include:
- Wil H. Florin, B.C.S.
- Tommy D. Roebig, B.C.S.
- Chase P. Florin, B.C.S.
- Shaun M. Cummings B.C.S.
- John Hart
- Chad Florin, B.C.S
We Are Nationally Awarded Lawyers
File A Claim With The Help Of A St. Petersburg Car Accident Lawyer
The law firm of Florin|Roebig has over 30 years of experience successfully winning cases and significant compensation for clients. Although we’re located mainly in Florida, we represent people all over the U.S. When you work with us, you’re working with a team that has the resources to meet your needs.
We also have the Florida personal injury trial law experience to influence a positive outcome. Contact our experienced attorneys at Florin|Roebig today to schedule a confidential free consultation. We can help you begin the process of filing a car accident claim in St. Petersburg and surrounding areas in Pinellas County, including Clearwater, Largo, and Tampa.
What is the average settlement for a car accident in Florida?
There’s no definite number for the average settlement amount for a car accident in Florida because each case is unique. At Florin Roebig, we examine all the evidence and bring in experts to help us decide what settlement offer will cover past, current, and future expenses from your accident.
Should I get a lawyer after a car accident in Florida?
Maybe. You should at least seek a free consultation with an attorney to determine whether you might have a case.
How do I sue for a car accident in Florida?
A car accident lawsuit is the last step in the legal process of seeking fair compensation for car crash injuries. You should start by consulting a personal injury lawyer when you’ve been in an accident. It may be time to go to court if you’ve exhausted your PIP and still haven’t reached a fair settlement offer.
How is pain and suffering calculated in a car accident in Florida?
Pain and suffering are considered non-economic damages, and they’re difficult to quantify.
Florin Roebig has extensive experience in arguing for pain and suffering compensation, and we’ll interview you and collect evidence to support the amount we know you deserve.
