St Petersburg Personal Injury Attorney Blog

Medical Treatment After the Car Accident If you have been involved in a car accident , the question ultimately is raised, “ Should I hire a car accident attorney ”. The answer to this question is a resounding “Yes.” The very basic premise behind this answer involves protecting your legal rights and the legal rights of your loved ones when you or someone you love has been involved in a car accident . This article will briefly address why it is imperative to hire a St. Petersburg Car Accident Attorney immediately after a car accident to help you receive the medical attention you need. If you or a loved one has been involved in a car accident , one of the first things we tell our clients to do is to immediately seek medical treatment . Sometimes this takes the form of a trip to the Emergency Room or an appointment at a walk-in clinic. Unfortunately, Emergency Rooms and walk-in clinics are not always set up to provide the best medical service to car accident victims . A story we hear ...

At St. Petersburg Personal Injury Attorneys McQuaid & Douglas, we recognize that rideshare services such as Uber and Lyft have changed the way people are getting from place to place. This article deals with what happens if an Uber or Lyft causes an accident and you are not a passenger . You Are a Pedestrian and Are Hit by an Uber or Lyft If you are on foot, on a bicycle, or on a scooter and are struck by an Uber or Lyft, you may have questions about how a claim for your injuries works. If you have a vehicle or live with a resident or relative with a vehicle, you will qualify for PIP or no-fault benefits through that car insurance company. PIP benefits mean that your medical bills and lost wages up to $10,000 will be covered. If you do not own a car and do not live with a relative that owns a car, the good news is that you will qualify for PIP benefits under the Uber or Lyft insurance policy . Florida law requires every Uber or Lyft to carry the same $10,000 of PIP or no-fault...

Uber and Lyft are dominating the rideshare business in St. Petersburg and throughout the Tampa Bay area. As you drive around town, you likely have seen the illuminated Uber and Lyft signs in the windows of vehicles. With the increased use of Uber and Lyft , unfortunately, comes an increase in auto accidents involving Uber or Lyft . Because many people have begun using Uber and Lyft to travel to and from work, the rideshare system is no longer only operating late at night taking people to and from bars and clubs. The increase in accidents involving an Uber or Lyft has created confusion because many people are unfamiliar with the next steps to take or what insurance applies. Uber and Lyft accidents are relatively new to the legal community and many older car accident attorneys have no grasp on how the apps work. This article aims to address the various circumstances that involve an accident with an Uber or Lyft vehicle in St. Petersburg or the Tampa Bay area. How to Handle an Uber o...

Hotel injury cases are common in Pinellas County due to the number of hotels and visitors we have to our community. In Pinellas County, we have hotels in St. Petersburg, St. Pete Beach, Treasure Island, Madeira Beach, North Redington Beach, Indian Shores, Indian Rocks Beach, Clearwater, and Clearwater Beach. Each of these areas of full of hotels. The more hotels, the better the chance that someone is injured on the premises . At St. Petersburg Personal Injury Attorneys McQuaid & Douglas , we have represented countless people who have been injured in hotels in Pinellas County . The following article is simply a list of examples of the types of cases that we have handled in the past. Cut Foot on Beach Hotel Property Our client was staying at a hotel on one of the beaches in Pinellas County with his wife for a vacation. The hotel had a complimentary hotel breakfast. The tables for the guests to eat breakfast at all had long table cloths. When our client sat down to eat, a sharp pie...

If you were in an accident involving an Uber or a Lyft , you will likely have questions about what insurance coverage applies. Uber and Lyft cases are relatively new to the personal injury scene and many car accident lawyers have not handled them before. Because of the layers of coverage depending on what role the Uber or Lyft had in the crash, you will need the help of an experienced legal eye. Injuries after a car accident can be traumatic, unexpected, and inconvenient. Most car accident cases are simply rear-end collisions and determining fault and insurance coverages are straight forward. When an Uber or Lyft is involved in the crash , matters get complicated. What Are the Insurance Limits for Uber and Lyft? If you had a question about which company to use, Uber offers greater protections and should be the obvious choice. If you were a passenger in an Uber, they carry No-Fault (PIP) benefits, Bodily Injury (BI) coverage of 1 million and Uninsured Motorist (UM) of 1 million. Ub...

St Petersburg Personal Injury Attorneys McQuaid & Douglas today announced Taylor Shallenburg has joined Battaglia, Ross, Dicus & McQuaid, P.A. as the Personal Injury Department Case Manager/Paralegal .  Taylor will focus on the management of all of the pre-litigation personal injury, car accident , truck accident , motorcycle accident , Uber and Lyft accident , premises liability , dog bite , and other personal injury cases . Taylor is a Florida native who was born and raised in St. Petersburg. She attended St. Petersburg Catholic High School followed by St. Petersburg College . She is married with two young children and enjoys spending her leisure time with her family. Taylor is an active member of Grace Lutheran Church and has been working as a paralegal for 13 years. Taylor’s employment history includes firms such as, Jeanette Secor, PA, Retamar & Millian, PA, Abrahamson & Uiterwyk, and Morgan & Morgan.  “The Firm is extremely excited to have Taylor Shall...

The Car Accident Investigation If you have been involved in a car accident , the question ultimately is raised, “ Should I hire a car accident attorney ”. The answer to this question is a resounding “Yes.” The very basic premise behind this answer involves protecting your legal rights and the legal rights of your loved ones when you or someone you love has been involved in a car accident . This article will briefly address why it is imperative to hire a St. Petersburg Car Accident Attorney immediately after a car accident to help investigate the car accident. While car accidents from an outsider’s standpoint may seem simple and straightforward, they are all too often made complex by insurance companies attempting to avoid having to pay for settlements or insurance companies attempting to pay as little as possible for an accident which they are responsible for providing payment. If you have been in a car accident , the first two things that should be done are to report the accident ...

The Personal Injury Protection Benefit Maze If you have been involved in a car accident , the question ultimately is raised, “ Should I hire a car accident attorney ”. The answer to this question is a resounding “Yes.” The very basic premise behind this answer involves protecting your legal rights and the legal rights of your loved ones when you or someone you love has been involved in a car accident . This article will briefly address why it is imperative to hire a St. Petersburg Car Accident Attorney immediately after a car accident as it relates to helping navigate obtaining Personal Injury Protection benefits. While car accidents from an outsider’s standpoint may seem simple and straightforward, they are all too often made complex by insurance companies attempting to avoid having to pay for settlements or insurance companies attempting to pay as little as possible for an accident which they are responsible for providing payment. In Florida, if you have been in a car accident ...

If you have been involved in a car accident in St. Petersburg , you will likely have many questions that can only be answered by a lawyer. The days after a car accident can be overwhelming. You will likely be contacted by the insurance adjuster for the at-fault driver’s company. You will likely be contacted by two insurance adjusters from your own insurance company, one dealing with the damage to your car and one dealing with your PIP benefits . You likely will not know who you are required to speak to or who you need/should speak to. You also will likely have questions about all of the insurance adjusters asking for recorded statements. While these insurance representatives may be offering help, their ulterior motive is to learn more about the accident and limit the amount they ultimately have to pay. The time shortly after a car accident is critical for laying the foundation of your case. If you want to maximize the amount of compensation to be paid to you after a car accident , a...

The vast majority of animal attacks in Florida are caused by dogs . Dog bites are often tragic events , especially when the victim is a child. Fortunately, Florida law protects victims of dog bites in a manner that is rare throughout the United States. In most jurisdictions, the victim cannot recover unless the dog has previously been violent and has bitten someone before. This is often called the one-bite rule . Florida is different because the owner of a dog that bites someone is liable regardless of whether it is the dog has ever been violent before. Florida law imposes the highest level of liability against the owner of a dog. This is called strict liability and is governed by Florida Statute 767.04 . Strict liability laws allow the victim of a dog bite to recover compensation much more easily. All that needs to be proven is that a dog bite occurred. However, dog bite cases are often challenging due to the relationship between the dog owner and the victim of the dog bite. At ...

If you have been injured in a car accident in St. Petersburg or anywhere in the Tampa Bay area , you may be considering hiring an attorney . Car accident injuries are unlike any other type of injury. They often involve injuries to the spine that carry long-lasting repercussions. Car accident injuries are not like illnesses that go away in a week, broken bones that heal with a cast, or wounds that are fine after stitches. In addition, medical bills for your injuries are handled differently. Insurance companies have specific billing requirements and procedures for you to simply get the care you need. Many doctors that you know and trust do not handle car accident injuries because of these insurance hurdles. Thus, even though you were injured due to no fault of your own, you encounter all sorts of unwanted challenges. This is where a car accident attorney steps in. Only an experienced car accident attorney will be able to help you navigate through this difficult time. Why Hire a Car...