After an accident, your family’s future could be on the line. The attorney you choose to represent you may mean the difference between financial security and a lifetime of struggle. The choice is up to you.
At the law office of Anderson & Anderson, we are experienced enough to take on the big cases, but small enough to know that personal service and attention are the keys to success. We take the time to meet face-to-face with every client we serve. Our doors are always open, and our lawyers will always make time to meet with you and answer your questions.
Over the years, we have handled a wide range of personal injury cases, including the following:
Our team of highly trained personal injury attorneys have a reputation for advocating for our clients, in and out of the courtroom. We won’t settle your case unless we are able to secure a settlement that matches the demands of your injuries and damages.
You can be sure that if going to court is your best chance at recovery, we’re prepared to fight for the compensation you’re owed. Local insurers know we’re willing to bring your case to trial, which means they’re more likely to make you a higher settlement offer.
REQUEST A FREE CONSULTATIONWhen you have been involved in an accident that caused you injuries and someone else is at fault, you can regain control of your life by bringing the liable party to justice. Florida injury victims can do this by filing a personal injury claim in civil court.
Many individuals have no idea whether they even have a case, which is why it’s well-advised to reach out to an experienced Tampa personal injury lawyer to discuss your case. Our firm is prepared to represent you in various personal injury scenarios, such as the following:
Motor vehicle accidents
Dog bite injuries
Nursing home abuse
Premises liability accidents
Wrongful deaths
Medical malpractice
Defective product injuries
Work injuries
Slip-and-fall accidents
Generally speaking, the person who is liable for causing the accident that injured you will need to cover your accident-related costs. Your lawyer will be responsible for gathering the evidence needed to support your case. Such evidence might consist of expert testimony, surveillance footage, police and accident reports, witness statements, and medical records, to name a few.
Whom you bring a claim against will vary based on the type of incident you were involved in. Below, we examine some of the different personal injury accidents and their respective liable parties.
Car, truck, bus, boat, bicycle, motorcycle, and pedestrian accidents all fall under the broader category of motor vehicle wrecks. Here, the driver of the vehicle is often to blame, though other liable parties may include the Florida Department of Transportation, automakers, the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles, and vehicle parts manufacturers, among others.
In a slip-and-fall accident or other type of premises liability claim, the culpable party is usually the owner of the property on which you fell or were otherwise injured. However, Florida’s open and obvious doctrine, as well as other factors, can influence whether you have the right to bring a personal injury claim against the property owner.
If a healthcare provider or trusted medical professional’s negligence causes you further injury or illness, you can obtain the compensation you deserve by pursuing a medical malpractice lawsuit. Possible defendants might include your physician, obstetrician, hospital, nurse, surgeon, midwife, or other healthcare provider.
If you or your child has been attacked by a dog, the dog’s owner should be ordered to cover your costs and repay you for your damages. Florida is a strict liability state for dog bites, which means the dog’s owner will be required to cover your losses regardless of whether the dog has attacked anyone before or bears a predisposition for aggressive behavior.
When you purchase a product, you expect it to function as it was designed to. But, when the product malfunctions in some way and causes you serious injuries, you can seek compensation from nearly anyone involved in the distribution of the item in question. Most commonly, the manufacturer of the product and the seller will be found liable in products liability accidents.
Once you have made the decision to pursue a personal injury lawsuit, you’ll need to reach out to your personal injury or car accident attorney in Tampa as soon as possible so we can file your claim within the Florida civil court system. It is of utmost importance to file your claim in a timely manner, as the law only allows for civil claims to be filed four years from the date of the incident that caused your injury.
In some cases, the statute of limitations would not start running until after this date. For example, if you were not diagnosed with an injury resulting from that particular incident until days or even weeks afterward.
In the event that your claim is not filed before the statute of limitations expires in your case, you will no longer have the right to file a lawsuit against the person or persons who are responsible for causing your injuries. The courts will bar your case from being heard and you’ll be stuck covering all of your own costs.
This is clearly not the best-case scenario, which is why you should reach out to your lawyer soon after decided to seek the compensation you’re entitled to.
We understand how confusing the civil claims process can be, particularly if you are still recuperating from your injuries. For this reason, we have included a brief compilation of the most frequently asked questions our former clients have had when preparing their claims.
Any additional questions you might have that weren’t answered here can be discussed during your free claim review with your Tampa personal injury lawyer at Anderson & Anderson.
In many cases, yes, going to court will be the best way to ensure that you are getting the most out of your claim. We will typically start by filing a claim with the liable party’s insurance company and begin negotiations with the insurance adjuster.
We’ll fight to obtain the compensation you deserve, but in some cases, the insurer is only obligated to settle to the maximum amount of their policyholder’s insurance policy. This might not be enough to cover the full extent of your damages, which is why going to court may be critical to secure maximum recovery of your losses.
Giving the insurance adjuster a statement is rarely advised. Unfortunately, the insurer does not have your best interests at heart when dealing with your claim, as this means they will be losing money by settling your claim.
Anything you say to the insurer leaves room for you to be taken advantage of by the insurance company. If the insurance adjuster asks you to make a statement, you should give them our contact information and we’ll provide them with the necessary information.
You are under no legal obligation to accept an offer made by the insurance company. It is also quite possible that the insurer, as a for-profit company, made you an offer that doesn’t come close to what your damages are actually worth.
With this in mind, if the insurance adjuster made you an offer, you should have your attorney review it before you make the decision to accept or reject their settlement offer. In many cases, it would be appropriate to counter their offer with our own demands to secure the compensation that is rightfully yours.
A better question is, how much are my damages worth? The severity of your injuries is not necessarily the end of the road for your claim. The true measure of your personal injury claim is how your life was negatively impacted by the injuries you were diagnosed with.
It stands to reason that someone suffering from a traumatic brain injury would be entitled to significant compensation. However, someone who has been diagnosed with a broken bone or whiplash could also suffer from permanent injuries such as chronic pain which can be just as influential as the impact of brain damage—just in other ways.