Tampa is a fantastic place to visit or call home because of its lovely weather and white sandy beaches. And once you are there, you may choose from a huge selection of hotels, parks, and attractions. The one location you should avoid going to is Tampa General Hospital.
The best approach to recouping what you’ve lost if you have a serious injury as a result of the carelessness of a Tampa company or person is to familiarize yourself with Florida personal injury laws and the lawyers who are knowledgeable about them. You may make a wise choice from among Tampa’s top personal injury attorneys with the aid of this guide.
Filing a Personal Injury Lawsuit in Florida
You might need to make a personal injury claim with an insurance company and launch a lawsuit against the at-fault party in order to obtain the maximum amount of compensation that Florida law permits. A claim alone may not always be sufficient to obtain full compensation. Before exploring your legal options, you should be aware of the following:
Florida Limitation Period
In personal injury lawsuits, there are two statutes of limitations that you should be aware of. Florida law permits you four years to take action if you intend to file a lawsuit over injuries you sustained. The amount of time you have to take action is reduced by half to two years if you are bringing a wrongful death lawsuit, though.
Personal Injury Laws in Florida Before Hiring a Before selecting a personal injury attorney in Florida to handle your case, you should be aware of how the following legal considerations can impact your case:
Damage Limits
Under Florida law, punitive, non-economic, and compensatory damages are all unlimited when the defendant intentionally hurts the plaintiff. However, it does cap punitive damages at $2 million if the defendant was motivated by money and at $500,000 or three times compensatory damages (whichever is larger) in all other circumstances.
Adaptive comparative negligence Only if the jury finds that you were not more than 50% at fault for the harm you experienced will it
grant you compensation.
In addition, any compensation for damages will be proportionately reduced by the amount you are accountable for.
Wrongful death accusers any family In Florida, anyone with a financial dependency on the deceased may bring a wrongful death lawsuit. The husband, kids, and parents of the deceased, however, are given priority in any lawsuits.
The “Free Kill” Law The only exception to the rule above is when the victim is 25 years of age or older; only the surviving spouse and minor children are eligible to make a wrongful death claim in a medical malpractice lawsuit.
How can an attorney help you?
In Florida, anyone with a financial dependency on the deceased may bring a wrongful death lawsuit. The husband, kids, and parents of the deceased, however, are given priority in any lawsuits.
The “Free Kill” Law The only exception to the rule above is when the victim is 25 years of age or older; only the surviving spouse and minor children are eligible to make a wrongful death claim in a medical malpractice lawsuit.
How to Find the Best Personal Injury Lawyer in Tampa, FL
One of the most comprehensive areas of civil law is personal injury. The perfect lawyer for a case involving elder abuse may have little experience in medical negligence. Use this guide to pick a Tampa personal injury lawyer, and then contrast how each attorney’s history applies to the specifics of your case.
These are some of the things you might want to think about.
Focus on personal injuries. The majority of lawyers are honest about the areas of law they practice. Additionally, during your free consultation, a lawyer will often suggest a colleague if they don’t currently handle cases similar to yours.
Communication. You should pick a lawyer who communicates with you as frequently as you like and using the method that works best for you (phone, text, etc.).
Prior outcomes
Looking at a lawyer’s past outcomes might give you a fair idea of whether or not they are an appropriate fit for you. You should go elsewhere if there are no cases that are similar to yours or if the outcomes don’t match your expectations.
Mutual respect
Awards, acknowledgments, and membership in professional organizations might appear to be nothing more than lawyers stroking each other’s egos, but they actually show respect in the legal community. A lawyer who is respected by their colleagues is a skilled practitioner of the law.
Negotiation
.Personal injury cases that are settled rather than going to trial typically take substantially less time. You should work with a Florida personal injury attorney if receiving money swiftly is your top concern. Prior outcomes. Looking at a lawyer’s past outcomes might give you a fair idea of whether or not they are the appropriate fit for you. You should go elsewhere if there are no cases that are similar to yours or if the outcomes don’t match your expectations.
Mutual respect.
Awards, acknowledgments, and membership in professional organizations might appear to be nothing more than lawyers stroking each other’s egos, but they actually show respect in the legal community. A lawyer who is respected by their colleagues is a skilled practitioner of the law.
Negotiation
Personal injury cases that are settled rather than going to trial typically take substantially less time. You should work with a Florida personal injury attorney if receiving money swiftly is your top concern.
Methodology
Forbes Advisor took into account a number of variables when compiling this list of the top personal injury attorneys in Tampa for 2023. The mathematical module of Forbes Advisor takes into account and balances the data gathered to determine a specific rating and examines these outcomes to identify the top lawyers in a certain practice area.
We take into account the model elements that consumers and legal professionals value in an attorney’s credentials. We selected our top options after giving weighted scores to hundreds of data points depending on:
legal knowledge
- special certifications and licences
- Rules of conduct and disciplinary actions
- leadership in legal thinking
- Background in education and employment
- scholarly articles and lecturesHonors and awards Various public data sources, such as state bar associations, court records, and others, are used by Forbes Advisory to gather public data.
