What to know if you’ve been injured in the state of Florida: 5 Important tips
Lots of questions start to scatter your brain when an accident happens, and it’s critical to ensure that you are fully protected. Here is what to know if you’ve been injured in the state of Florida.
Questions flood your mind like, “Should you hire a lawyer?” “Do I understand Florida’s laws?”, or “What are my next steps?”
Having been injured in Florida by a car accident, slip and fall, or any other injuries, these are the 5 important tips Tucker Law believes should be followed no matter “how small” you think the injury was. The truth is, there are a lot of internal injuries that are not physically obvious after an incident that can hurt you in the long run.
1) Call 911 even if it seems “minor”.
If there is more than $500 in damages, Florida law requires a crash to be reported to law enforcement. This will ensure that a traffic crash report is made, which is often critical for insurance and any later injury claim (some injuries have delayed effects due to the adrenaline rush). It is always important to leave a paper trail of the incident, and from there, we are more than happy to help you understand your situation and whether your case is worth pursuing or going to waste your time.
2) Beware of strangers
If you’ve recently been in an accident and a stranger tries to contact you, BE CAREFUL! They are breaking the law, they will call you, send you a text message, knock on your door, and sometimes even go into your hospital room uninvited. This is illegal and should be reported to the Florida Bar.
However, taking advice from strangers can also HURT YOUR CASE. Our firm has seen it before where people stop treatment or go off the beaten path that their lawyer has set them up with, and it hurts their case down the line. Do your own research, form your own opinion, and get a professional on your side to help you understand Florida laws.
3) Understanding attorney fees
This is not the time you should fear for your wallet!! Most injury lawyers work on a contingency fee, which means you don’t have to pay them hourly, and you don’t owe any fees up front. Instead, the lawyer will recover the percentage they are owed through a settlement or verdict, and if there is no recovery, you typically don’t owe any attorney’s fee.
4) Get medical care within the 14-day mark (Florida’s PIP rule)
Florida is a “no-fault” state, so your own “personal injury protection” will pay part of your medical bills | at the bottom of this blog, our firm has provided links to the Florida statutes, in which you can try to understand or better yet give us a call and we can help you understand it all and get the justice you deserve. You want to document everything at the scene and do it all as early as possible.
Unfortunately, if you miss this 14-day window, your own insurance carrier can deny PIP medical benefits (up to $10,000 in coverage). You’re potentially losing more than just paperwork:
- Documentation of the physical condition you were/are in
- Critical evidence of the impact your incident had on you – the longer you wait, the less evidence is shown that your condition is from the actual incident.
- Your ability to have medical expenses covered by your own auto insurance.
Florida Statute Information:
Under Fla. Stat. § 627.736, you generally must see a medical provider within 14 days of the crash to use your PIP benefits
2025 Florida Statutes – Chapter 627
5) Talk to a Florida injury /accident attorney BEFORE you talk to much to Insurers.
Most Florida guides suggest consulting with a local injury lawyer early on, especially if you have any injuries (even if you consider them to be minor, like soreness & whiplash), if the other driver is blaming you or the story keeps changing, if there were multiple vehicles involved (an uber/Lyft driver or a commercial vehicle) or if the insurance company is pressuring you to give a recorded statement or sign a release quickly. A Florida injury/accident attorney can not only deal with the adjuster so you don’t say anything that can be used against you later on, but they confirm that the health insurance, PIP, BI, UM, liens, and bills are all handled correctly, as well as tracking the 2–year deadline and preserving evidence before it disappears.
I know it was mentioned to be 5 tips, but at Tucker Law, our firm loves to go above and beyond, so here is an extra tip!
That is to find a lawyer that is not only educated and experienced, but one that you can TRUST!
Tucker Law handles personal injury cases throughout the entire state of Florida. Our firm has seen a lot of different cases & has years of experience dealing with personal injuries. We highly recommend finding an attorney you can put your full faith into.
Give our firm a call at 1-800-TUCKERWINS to put yourself in great hands, as well as help you understand all your deadlines and information needed to move forward with getting your medical bills paid, or any lost wages that may have come from your injury.
Don’t just lawyer up, Tucker up!
