When you are in an accident, your priority is to get immediate medical care. However, your next step should be to contact an attorney for personal injury in Tampa Bay. Our Injury Guide will walk you through what you need to do after an accident so you can receive the most compensation for your injuries.

1. Get Medical Attention

While you and your legal team will benefit greatly from you collecting evidence following your crash, your health care comes first. A friend, the police, or your legal team can do this for you. That’s why calling an attorney is your very next step.

2. Make the Call to an Attorney for Personal Injury in Tampa Bay

To avoid issues with the statute of limitations call your attorney right away. Getting evidence while the accident is fresh in your memory, witnesses and proof of the accident are still readily available increases the odds of you being successful in getting full compensation. Because your case relies on proof such as witnesses, retrieving images or video of the accident, or even taking pictures of issues with the road such as potholes or poorly marked traffic signs will support your case.

3. Do Not Give the Insurance Company Recorded Statements

Your insurance company will be by your side quicker than you can imagine. Never offer a recorded statement. In your statement following the accident, it is easy to misremember or misspeak which can affect your insurance claim. This is a common strategy used by insurance companies to find reasons to reduce compensation. Refer them to our personal injury attorneys to ensure everything is handled with your best interests in mind.

4. Optimize Compensation

This is not a case of taking advantage of the situation. Optimizing your compensation is a personal injury attorney’s job. We ensure you receive the money you deserve based on a long list of things. Then, we will review your treatment, including surgeries, medicine, and ongoing therapy as well as any permanent medical assistance you might require. Our team wants to understand your condition, as it will help determine if we should be claiming more damages. We also want time to establish if the accident was your fault or due to someone else’s negligence.

In Florida, the good news is we adhere to pure comparative negligence rules. That means even those 99% at fault, can still seek compensation. So, if you were speeding, but someone cut you off, you are not 100% at fault. How the scale works is if you are found to be 10% at fault, and we receive $100,000 in compensation you get $90,000. The insurance company keeps the rest. We’ll support your case to ensure you don’t see severe reductions if you are partially at fault.

5. What If My Accident Occurs on a Poorly Maintained Road?

A motorcycle accident due to a pothole could be a reason to seek compensation. However, road maintenance as a cause for a car accident is more difficult to prove. If there are road maintenance issues, however, we will find out if the department received complaints but did not take action to make repairs.

What if There Was No Crash, But Another Vehicle Was Involved?

When another vehicle causes an accident without contact, it is referred to as a phantom vehicle. If this is the case, we will review your insurance to see if your vehicle is covered for phantom vehicle accidents. If you need an attorney for personal injury representation in Tampa Bay, give the team at Growney, McKeown & Barber, P.A. a call at (727) 384-3800 or contact us online.