St. Petersburg, FL Personal Injury Lawyers
At Berkowitz & Myer, We Represent the Rights of Victims Injured in Preventable Accidents
If you were injured in an accident that the negligence, carelessness, or recklessness of another person caused, speak to an attorney as soon as you can. In many cases, accident victims are entitled to compensation for their economic and non-economic losses. At Berkowitz & Myer, we know how to help people get the compensation to which they are entitled and are not intimidated by large insurance companies that only care about their profit margins. To schedule a free consultation with one of our lawyers, call our office today at (727) 344-0123 or send us an email through our online contact form.
Car Accidents
Car accidents are one of the most common causes of accidental injury in the St. Petersburg area. They are capable of causing extremely serious injuries, including broken bones, lacerations, dislocations, crush injuries, traumatic brain injuries, and spinal cord injuries. Victims often incur thousands of dollars in medical expenses and are unable to work for weeks, months, or even years. The St. Petersburg car accident lawyers of Berkowitz & Myer are qualified to handle any car accident case and know how to get car insurance companies to pay victims a fair settlement. In addition, we will not hesitate to take the largest car insurance companies to court when they refuse to pay our clients the compensation they deserve.
Bicycle Accidents
Florida’s famously mild climate means that residents and visitors can ride bicycles year-round. Unfortunately, this also means that bicyclists are exposed to a serious risk of injury year-round. When negligent motorists cause bicycle accidents, victims are often able to recover compensation for their injuries. Our lawyers understand how devastating bicycle accidents can be and work hard to ensure that victims get the compensation they deserve as quickly as possible. We are qualified to represent bicycle accident victims with injuries ranging from minor to severe and do not shy away from cases involving catastrophic injuries like severe TBIs or accidental amputations.
Construction Accidents
If you’ve ever gone to a construction site, it’s easy to understand why they’re so dangerous. Between power tools, heavy machinery, caustic chemicals, exposed wiring, scaffolding, and a generally chaotic environment, construction accidents have injury risks at every turn. At Berkowitz & Myer, we represent people who have been injured in construction accidents, including construction site visitors, construction workers, and people who were injured just passing by. If you are a construction worker who has been injured in an accident, you may have heard that you are limited to filing a workers’ compensation claim for your injuries. While this is often true, in certain cases construction workers are able to file a traditional personal injury claim after an accident. Because personal injury settlements and awards compensate significantly more losses than workers’ compensation benefits, it is always a good idea to determine whether you can file a personal injury claim—especially since we will review the facts of your case for free.
Motorcycle Accidents
Motorcyclists are undoubtedly the most vulnerable motorists on the road. Without the protections afforded by a vehicle body, they can suffer severe injuries in accidents. In many cases, accidents throw them from their bikes at high speeds. They slam into the ground, other cars or trucks, buildings, or anything else in their paths. Many motorcycle accident victims end up with multiple broken bones, head injuries, brain injuries, and even injuries to their spinal cords that could potentially result in paralysis. Motorcycle accident victims should also understand that their single vehicle accident might have resulted from poorly maintained roads or defective bikes. Review your case with an attorney rather than assuming that you contributed to the accident.
Pedestrian Accidents
Pedestrian accidents occur when people who are on foot are involved in traffic accidents with motor vehicles. Not surprisingly, these accidents often leave the pedestrians with extremely serious injuries, including those that may damage them for the rest of their lives. In many cases, pedestrian accident victims may recover compensation for their losses. This is often true even in cases where they were jaywalking or otherwise were partially responsible for their accidents. At Berkowitz & Myer, our St. Petersburg personal injury lawyers regularly work with people who were hurt in pedestrian accidents and do everything possible to get victims and their families the compensation they deserve as quickly as possible.
Slip and Fall Accidents
Slip and fall accidents are an extremely common source of accidental injury in St. Petersburg and the surrounding area. While they are sometimes the result of a person’s own clumsiness, when they are caused by the negligence of a property owner, victims can typically recover compensation for the losses they sustain. Examples of slip and fall hazards that are typically caused by negligence include exposed electrical wiring, wet floors, inadequate lighting, torn carpet, cracked pavement, stairwells without handrails, and uneven flooring. It is not always clear that a particular hazard was caused by negligence, so anyone hurt in a slip and fall accident should take the time to discuss the incident in which they were hurt with an experienced lawyer.
Traumatic Brain Injuries
At Berkowitz & Myer, we understand how devastating a brain injury can be for victims and their families. In severe cases, victims are often unable to work or perform everyday tasks without assistance. Even in less serious cases, TBI victims experience serious and unpleasant complications for weeks or even months, including dizziness, trouble concentrating, nausea, sensitivity to light and sound, problems sleeping, and depression. Some of the more common types of accidents that can result in TBIs include car accidents, pedestrian accidents, slip and fall accidents, truck accidents, and bicycle accidents. As these incidents are often the result of negligence, victims are frequently able to recover compensation for their injury-related losses.
Neck and Back Injuries
Neck and back injuries often leave victims with debilitating problems that can last for years. In some cases, they may require surgery or ongoing physical therapy to effectively treat—if they respond to treatment at all. These injuries often occur in accidents involving significant physical trauma, including motorcycle accidents, bicycle accidents, car accidents, and pedestrian accidents. In some cases, neck and back injuries can result in damage to the spinal cord, which has the potential to result in paralysis below the site of the injury. Back and neck injuries can also be the result of repetitive motions such as repeatedly lifting objects or sitting in an inappropriately sized chair day after day for years. In some cases, victims of these kinds of repetitive strain injuries may be able to recover compensation for their losses through a personal injury action. In others, they may be eligible for workers’ compensation benefits.
Wrongful Death
Sometimes, accidents caused by the negligence of others result in fatal injuries. Florida law entitles certain surviving family members to compensation for the losses sustained by people who were killed in accidents caused by the negligence of others. Wrongful death cases are much different than personal injury litigation, so it is important for victims to seek out an attorney who has experience practicing in this specialized area of law. The wrongful death statute also covers cases in which a person was killed by the wrongful act of another, which covers intentional acts. As a result, family members of people who are killed in criminal acts are also often eligible for compensation.
Contact a St. Petersburg Injury Attorney as Soon as You Can
Victims must retain legal counsel as soon as possible after they suffer injuries in an accident. If the statute of limitations expires, you will lose the right to recover any compensation at all. In addition, it takes time to investigate and develop a personal injury claim, so you do not want to wait until the last minute to hire an attorney to start working on your case. By giving your lawyer plenty of time, you can ensure that you receive as much compensation as possible under the law.
In addition to the statute of limitations expiring on your case, waiting can risk the loss or destruction of evidence critical to the success of your case. For example, memories can fade, surveillance footage can get deleted, phone records lost, dangerous conditions repaired, and cell phone photographs and videos lost when a person upgrades a device. When a lawyer starts investigating your case immediately, you maximize the chances of building the strongest case possible.
How Much Will Legal Representation Cost?
If you or a loved one were hurt in an accident, there is a good chance that you are looking at significant economic losses. These can include medical expenses, lost income, repair bills, and the costs associated with ongoing treatment. Many victims just watch their accident-related expenses just keep piling up and have no idea what they’re going to do or whether their settlement or award will be able to fully cover them.
In this environment, many people understandably worried about the expense associated with retaining a personal injury lawyer to represent them. After all, lawyers are known for charging high hourly rates, and people already struggling to keep up with their bills typically shouldn’t take on additional expenses.
The lawyers of Berkowitz & Myer employ a contingency fee arrangement with all of our personal injury clients. This means that our legal fees are contingent upon obtaining money on your behalf. We will recover a percentage of your total compensation—if you recover nothing, we don’t get paid. Ever. In addition, we offer completely free consultations, so there is no risk associated with meeting with a lawyer to discuss your options.
Insurance companies do everything they can to avoid paying out on claims—and when they do pay out, they do everything they can to pay out as little as possible. They accomplish this by using tactics designed to frustrate accident victims into accepting settlement offers that are far less than the cost of treating their injuries, or by getting victims to make statements that indicate partial fault for the incident that caused their injuries. An attorney, however, will communicate with the insurance company for you and ensure that it treats you fairly. In addition, your lawyer will gather evidence that establishes your current and future losses, ensuring that any settlement you accept is sufficient. Finally, if the other party’s insurance company refuses to offer a reasonable settlement amount, you may need to go to trial to recover compensation. If this happens in your case, your lawyer will file a lawsuit in the appropriate venue and represent you in court.
Call Berkowitz & Myer Today to Schedule a Free Consultation with a St. Petersburg Personal Injury Attorney
Under Florida law, people who are hurt in accidents caused by the negligence of others are entitled to compensation for their accident-related losses. At Berkowitz & Myer, we are committed to representing the rights of people hurt in preventable accidents and know how to maximize our clients’ settlements or awards. We offer free consultations and take every personal injury client on a contingency fee basis, ensuring that everyone has access to quality personal injury representation.
To schedule a free consultation with an experienced personal injury attorney in St. Petersburg, call our office today at (727) 344-0123. If you prefer to send us an email, please fill out and submit our online contact form.
