St Petersburg Personal Injury Attorney Blog

If you have been injured in a serious accident and have had surgery or are facing the prospect of surgery, you should strongly consider speaking to an attorney about setting up a claim. Injuries that require surgery are life altering and expensive. You might be surprised about how much money insurance companies are willing to pay to resolve these claims. I use this case that I settled in 2019 as an example. I had a woman contact me who was detailing cars at a business. It had rained and the business left the garage doors open during the storm. The rain was strong enough that it blew inside on the garage floor. She slipped and fell on the rain water and had to have surgery on her knee. She waited months before contacting me because she never intended to file a claim. In fact, her friend had to convince her to call me in the first place. Once I was retained, I set up a claim and settled it within a few months for $330,000. She was able to get enough money out of the settlement that h...

Despite the emergence of Uber and Lyft on the ride-share scene, taxis are still a popular method of transportation. There is nothing new about taxi cab accidents because they have been around for years and the claims process and law is well established. But, because taxis aren’t used as frequently anymore, the volume of accidents involving taxis has decreased. At St. Petersburg Personal Injury Attorneys mcQuaid & Douglas, we specialize in auto accidents involving taxis . We have handled countless taxi accident claims over the years and are aware of the complexities involved, especially with the different layers of insurance coverage. If you have been in an accident with a taxi or were a passenger in a taxi and injured, this article has been written to provide clarity to your situation. Should you have any questions or wish to speak to us, please contact us immediately for a free consultation . What Happens When a Taxi Hits You? If a taxi hits a vehicle that you are either a ...

A broken bone from a car crash proves that you were in a significant accident. The force necessary to break a bone means that you likely have many serious injuries. At St. Petersburg Personal Injury Attorneys McQuaid & Douglas, we specialize in car accident injury claims . We have handled countless cases involving serious bodily injuries. Because of our experience, we know that these claims often require extensive medical treatment. Our goal in every case is to make sure you have the resources to get quality medical care and then maximize the recovery to you. What is a Bone Fracture? A fracture is the medical term for what laymen call a broken bone . There are many types of fractures that can be caused by a car accident crash as follows: Transverse This fracture is also known as a complete break . It occurs when the bone is snapped into two pieces as a result of direct pressure or a direct hit. The bone is generally broken at a right angle, perpendicular to the long axis of th...

If you have been injured in any type of personal injury accident , you are likely wondering how much money you can recover. I constantly remind my clients that the total amount of money paid on a case is not as important as the net amount to them. Some people get caught up in a habit of only looking at the total settlement number without taking into consideration the various expenses (medical bills, fees and costs) that have to be taken out of the settlement. Therefore, I try to focus my clients on how much I can put in their pocket. The best way to accomplish a large amount of money to them is to have a strong claim for pain and suffering. At St. Petersburg Personal Injury Attorneys McQuaid & Douglas, we specialize in local personal injury accident claims . These claims vary from car accidents and motorcycle accidents to slip and falls . Our practice is unique in the area in that we do not have a high volume of clients so that we are able to focus on each case. Many of our cas...

A truly sad and disheartening case from Pasco County was just decided by the Second District Court of Appeal in Tampa. In Lambert v. Emerson, Fla. Second District Court of Appeal Case Nos. 2D18-1872, 2D18-4103, decided on April 1, 2020, Bruce Emerson was so seriously injured in a motorcycle accident on Curley Road that he was made a quadriplegic. Mr. Emerson will require nearly constant care and monitoring for the rest of his life. In short, after trial he obtained a massive verdict against the family whose car injured him in the accident . The appellate court reduced the 19 million dollar verdict against one of the parties on technical legal grounds. While the case has become unduly complicated from a legal perspective, the accident could have happened to anyone at any time. This article will discuss the case in more detail. Facts: On January 5, 2015, Kyle Emerson (Kyle) was driving a Hyundai Sonata on Curley Road in Pasco. Although he didn’t live with his parents, he had permiss...

During these uncertain times you would think that the insurance companies would also be taking a pause. But, it has come to my attention that they are using this pandemic as an opportunity to hire private investigators to conduct surveillance on individuals who have pending personal injury claims . It seems that due to the shortage of work during the pandemic, these private investigators are setting up on people’s homes in an effort to catch them in their yards. From what I’ve read and what has been reported to me, it is actually easier for the surveillance to be conducted now because people are a sitting target. Their goal is to film personal injury claimants outside playing with their children, carrying bags or grocery bags, or even doing yard work. Working in one's yard is becoming a popular habit due to the stay at home orders during the pandemic. Do Insurance Companies Hire Investigators to Conduct Surveillance in Every Case? No. Hiring a private investigator to perform su...

If you have driven on 1st Avenue North in St. Petersburg you must have witnessed unusual and unsafe driving habits. Because I personally take this route almost daily to get to the office, I too have seen bad driving. It never ceases to amaze me about how recklessly or carelessly people drive. Even though the speed limit is only 35 mph, people routinely speed all along the street. The most dangerous aspect of the road is that this driving goes on all day long. In my law practice, I routinely handle cases where people have been injured on 1st Ave. N. in St. Pete . It is shocking at the volume of accidents on this road because it is not a highway. Most of the accidents involve people running red lights or pulling out in front of oncoming traffic. Fortunately, I have never seen a fatal car accident on 1st Ave. N. , but there certainly are a lot of accidents involving serious bodily injury. What Should You Do If You Are Injured in an Accident on 1st Ave N? I have handled enough cases ...