Tampa Motor Vehicle Accident Lawyer

Car, boat, motorcycle and trucking accidents frequently result in injuries, not to mention the ensuing stress, emotional trauma and financial burdens that accompany them. It is for this reason that contacting an experienced auto accident attorney is imperative to your recovery process.

Contact Attorney Amarosa for auto accident representation if you have been injured in any vehicle including car, motorcycle, and boat or trucking accidents.

During your free initial consultation, your auto accident lawyer will evaluate your auto, motorcycle, boat or trucking accident case and advise you on how to proceed.

Our past clients of accidents often question whether or not they are entitled to compensation, or whether they can even afford the costs of hiring a lawyer. The Amarosa Law Firm, P.A. opens its doors to all accident victims for a free consultation to determine to what you may be entitled and how we can help you recover. Injuries resulting from accidents are traumatic occurrences, and our mission is to help take the steps necessary to return our clients to a normal lifestyle.

Pain and Suffering Compensation for Motor Vehicle Accident Injuries

There are many factors involved in accidents resulting from the negligence of others, Florida has very specific laws that govern what a client may be entitled to. Experienced in accidents and personal injury attorney the firm can assist you with navigating them and allowing you to get your case prepared. Generally, in Florida, in order to recover for pain and suffering in a car accident you must prove:

• Significant and permanent loss of an important bodily function
• Permanent injury within a reasonable degree of medical probability, other than scarring or disfigurement
• Significant and permanent scarring or disfigurement
• Death.

If you are able to prove that you have suffered any of these permanent injuries you may be able to recover non-economic and economic damage and be entitled to be compensation for the following:

Non-Economic Damages

• Pain and suffering
• Mental anguish
• Loss of capacity to enjoy life
• Emotional Distress
• Disability
• Inconvenience
• Aggravation of a pre-existing condition

Economic Damages

• Medical expenses
• Wage Loss
• Rehabilitative expenses
• Loss of earning capacity

If your injuries are due to the negligence of another from a car crash, and your injury is not permanent, then you cannot recover monies for your pain and suffering. Your injury must be permanent.

Important Steps to Take Following a Vehicular Accident

If you are in an injured and the victim of an accident and it was not your fault, there are a few critical steps you need to take following the incident that can greatly increase your likelihood of compensation. You should contact the Amarosa Law Firm immediately. In addition, you should take the following steps:

• Call the police following the accident to ensure adequate reports and documentation of the event.
• Refrain from discussing the accident with the other parties involved, particularly regarding who is at fault for the accident. Attorney Amarosa will handle these details for you.
• Obtain information from the other driver(s) including full name, address, license number and insurance carrier.
• Document the scene using a camera, cell phone or notepad sketch. Also, include notes regarding the important details of the accident that you may forget later.
• Seek emergency medical treatment and help immediately.

Vehicle Accidents Resulting in Loss of Life

Wrongful death lawsuits allege that the death of a loved one occurred as a direct result of the negligence or wrongful conduct of another, and are brought to provide relief to family members who have been injured emotionally and financially due to the family member’s death. As a result of the at-fault party’s negligence, the victim’s family members, beneficiaries and/or estate may be entitled to financial compensation to cover the costs associated with death and provide for the future. Generally, you have two years from the time of the decedent’s death to file a lawsuit under the applicable statute of limitations.

Insurance Overview

Personal Injury Protection (PIP)

PIP is the common abbreviation for Personal Injury Protection. Under Florida no fault insurance law, PIP is a mandatory requirement. PIP covers you if you are involved in an automobile accident regardless of fault (whether or not you caused the crash) up to the limits of the policy. PIP typically pays 80% of your accident-related medical expenses and 60% of any wage loss up to the limits of $10,000. PIP will also reimburse you for mileage for travel to and from the doctor and therapy for medical treatment related toyour injuries from the accident.

PIP Coverage

PIP will also cover your child, members of your household, and certain passengers who lack PIP insurance as long as they do not own a vehicle. People riding in your vehicle who carry PIP insurance will receive coverage under their own PIP for their injuries. PIP insurance protects you as a passenger in someone else’s vehicle, as a pedestrian, or as a bicyclist if you suffer an injury in a motor vehicle accident.

Uninsured Motorist Coverage

In Florida, purchasing Uninsured Motorist (UM) Coverage from your auto insurance company is not mandatory; it is optional. UM coverage provides compensation to you for medical expenses, lost wages, and certain non-economic damages (such as pain and suffering) under some circumstances if you are injured in an accident caused by another driver who does not have bodily injury liability insurance. UM coverage also applies if you are injured due to the fault of another driver who does not carry enough liability insurance to cover your injuries and damages. The other driver is considered to be “underinsured” in this situation. UM coverage allows you to collect any additional compensation for your injuries from your own insurance company up to the policy limits of your UM coverage.

Stacking Uninsured Motorist Coverage

Once you have made the decision to include uninsured motorist (UM) coverage on your auto insurance policy, you need to choose whether to “stack” that coverage. This election must be completed in writing on the form selecting UM coverage and is done at the time that the application for insurance is made. Stacking UM coverage allows you to take the UM limits available on each vehicle that is owned and insured and “stack” them together for higher policy limits. For example, if an insured has two vehicles, and each vehicle has UM limits of 50/100 ($50,000 per person/$100,000 per accident); this means they have up to $100,000 per person/$200,000 per accident available for a UM claim. Therefore, it increases the policy limits that you can pursue under the UM coverage.

Whether you have stacked or non-stacked UM coverage can affect whether you or your family members can collect under the UM provision of the policy. Sometimes the stacked UM will respond for a claim in a situation where the non-stacked UM would not. Stacking your UM coverage will give you higher UM policy limits to pursue and give your broader coverage than non-stacked UM.

How Lawyer Can Help Injured Car Accident Victims

Dealing with insurance companies following an auto accident can be very complex and confusing. While you are still receiving initial treatment for your injuries in an emergency room, the parties at fault have already notified their insurance company of the accident. Every insurance company has a team of adjusters, investigators, and attorneys whose sole responsibility is to limit the liability of the insurance company and minimize the amount of money they will be required to pay innocent accident victims. A qualified personal injury attorney can guide you through this process to make sure you receive the maximum compensation allowable by law for your injuries and damages.