Car Accidents – Attorney Juana Maria Rojas

Juana Maria Rojas is a Tampa, Florida car accident lawyer who has handled only negligence cases for over 30 years. Anyone who operates a motor vehicle in Florida has a duty to drive responsibly and obey the driving laws. When a driver fails to obey these laws and causes an accident, the driver is negligent and is legally responsible for paying any damages caused by the negligence. Request a free consultation today to discuss your case.

In Florida, registered vehicles must be insured. However, the minimum insurance is property damage liability and personal injury protection. While all vehicles must be insured, we sometimes find that the at fault party only carries minimum coverage, which will not pay for the victim’s injuries or medical expenses. This is the reason we always request the insurance disclosure from the at fault carrier the SAME DAY we are retained.

We normally call our clients with insurance information within 48 hours. We also know that many of our clients are left without a working vehicle after a crash—so we immediately start working on the property damage and getting a rental car authorized. Sometimes carriers are extremely slow to respond and we normally file a complaint with the Department of Insurance if the carrier fails to pay for the property damage within a reasonable length of time.

More than 395,000 car accidents occur in the Sunshine State each year. That equates to more than 1,000 crashes every day. Of the crashes, more than 3,000 are fatal and more than a quarter of a million result in injuries. What these numbers indicate is that car accident claims are the most common type of personal injury claim in Florida each year.

Florida is a no-fault state, meaning that regardless of who is at fault for an accident, each party has $10,000 in benefits to pay medical bills and other bills incurred due to injuries. This money is paid by each parties’ respective insurance companies.

Florida drivers are required by law to carry at least $10,000 in property damage liability (PDL) coverage and $10,000 in personal injury protection (PIP). Drivers can purchase additional coverage, such as bodily injury liability, uninsured or underinsured motorist coverage, and comprehensive coverage.

In Florida, the law changed about 3 years ago, and you must provide a statement that you sustained an “EMERGENCY MEDICAL CONDITION” WITHIN 14 DAYS OF THE ACCIDENT DATE. A chiropractor cannot provide this statement. The Florida statute provides a list of health care professionals who are qualified. It is very important that you not let this 14-day period run as you will lose PIP benefits and not have enough money for treatment.

It is a good idea to consult with an experienced auto accident attorney who can explain how to meet the emergency medical condition requirement.

Damages associated with your injuries are likely to be the most substantial type of damages you recover following a car accident. These types of damages may include but are not limited to medical expenses, past and future lost wages, rehabilitation and therapy, and pain and suffering.

How much you stand to recover depends on the severity of the injury and the impact the injury has had on your life. Some common injuries individuals sustain in car accidents include:

• Brain Injury: Traumatic brain injuries (TBI) occur after a blow to the head or when an object goes through the brain.
• Back Injuries: Trauma to the spinal cord is one of the most serious car accident injuries, as it often results in paralysis and one’s inability to work.
• Whiplash & Neck Injuries: Whiplash is one of the most common injuries sustained in car accidents, as it occurs after a sudden and violent jerk of the neck.
• Broken Bones: Broken and fractured bones can take months to heal, during which time one may be unable to work.
• Wrongful Death: Though no amount of money can bring a loved one back, it can help to ease the financial burden on the victim’s family. It can also give the family peace of mind that the liable party was, in some way, held accountable for their negligence.

If you or a family member was seriously injured in a car crash, call us at 813-879-2223. Even if your accident occurred months ago and you are not happy with your current representation, call us. We can assess your claim and give you our honest opinion as to whether you have a claim or not.

If you do have a claim that has been neglected, we will pick it up and aggressively handle it. Auto accident lawyer Juana Rojas has taken over representation for clients who were previously represented by huge firms and never saw their attorneys. You will not have that problem with us as we personally see every client who comes through my door and evaluate each case. All my clients have my cell number.