Roman & Roman

It’s important to find a lawyer with as much experience as possible in your specific area of the law. If you’ve been injured, a Personal Injury Lawyer can provide credible advice about the specific law or laws you are dealing with. You should consider the amount of experience any lawyer you are considering has in a trial setting as well as the reputation a lawyer or law firm holds within the community. Also, make sure that you will be able to speak with and meet the lawyer who will be handling your case, and not just an investigator or legal assistant.

Your lawyer will only request the information he or she feels is necessary to help you with your claim. Normally, in a personal injury case, this includes details from the scene of the accident or incident including photographs, information about where you obtained treatment for injuries sustained, your health insurance, your medical history prior to the accident and, if you were involved in a car accident, your auto insurance policy and claim number.

Most importantly, your attorney will be able to tell you whether or not you have a legitimate legal claim. If you do, your lawyer will then ask you to sign an attorney-client fee agreement, after which he or she can continue to advise and represent you throughout the case. If you were injured in an accident due to someone’s negligence, the attorney will not charge you a fee for the initial office consultation but will ask you to sign a contingency fee agreement. Under the contingency fee agreement, the attorney will not be paid a fee unless he or she recovers money for you on the claim by way of a settlement or a recovery on a money judgment after a trial.

Your car insurance company will make payments toward your medical bills under the Personal Injury Protection (“PIP”) provisions of your policy. This is part of your automobile insurance coverage required by Florida law in the minimum amount of $10,000. It pays for 80% of medical expenses, 60% of gross wage loss, and all expenses reasonably incurred in obtaining services, such as housekeeping and child care, that except for the injury, you yourself would have performed for the benefit of your household. PIP also pays reasonable mileage or expenses for transportation to and from doctors’ offices for medical treatment. All PIP payments are made by your own insurance company, regardless of whose negligence caused the accident. That is why PIP is often referred to as “No-Fault” coverage.

It is not advisable to accept any offer from the insurance company before you speak with a lawyer who has your best interests in mind and can advise you as to your legal rights. A lawyer with experience can negotiate a better settlement for you that meets your needs. Settling your personal injury claim without knowing the full extent of your injuries and damages is a serious mistake.

It is best to get legal advice from an experienced personal injury attorney before you give a statement to an insurance company or claims adjuster. That is why it is important that you consult with the attorney as soon as possible after you have been injured in an accident.

Uninsured/underinsured motorist coverage is optional insurance coverage that pays benefits to you if you are injured as a result of another driver’s negligence and which driver either is uninsured or does not have enough bodily injury liability insurance to cover all of your injuries. You cannot purchase uninsured/underinsured motorist coverage in an amount greater than your bodily injury liability coverage.

Not necessarily. Unfortunately, the term “full coverage” doesn’t have a technical meaning, and is just a phrase that a car insurance agent might use to make a policy sound better than it really is. Depending on which state you resided in when you purchased your car insurance policy, there are certain types of insurance coverages required by state law, and certain types of coverages which, although very important to include on your policy, are optional.

We’ve helped clients like you since 1985. You will meet with an actual personal injury attorney, not a paralegal or representative. There is no charge for an initial meeting about your case. And, unless there is a recovery through a settlement or a judgment after a jury trial, you owe us nothing – no attorneys’ fees or costs. We are available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. With three law offices serving Clearwater, Dunedin, New Port Richey, Hudson, Brooksville, Spring Hill and Tampa, you’ll find it convenient to work with us!