Types of Personal Injury Claims We Handle in St. Petersburg, FL
At Kemp Law, we strive to provide personalized representation by focusing on your unique needs and circumstances. We can take the time to understand the details of your case and tailor our legal strategies to your situation as we work to achieve the best possible outcome. By prioritizing your goals and well-being, we aim to protect your rights and secure fair compensation for your injuries.
Our attorneys can represent you in many types of personal injury cases, including those involving:
How Long Do I Have to File a Personal Injury Lawsuit in St. Petersburg, FL?
The statute of limitations in Florida for personal injury cases is two years from the date of the accident. This means you must file your lawsuit within two years of your accident, or you will likely lose your right to pursue compensation. For wrongful death cases, the law establishes a two-year time limit as well, starting from the date of the victim’s death, which is not always the date they suffered fatal injuries.
Although you have up to two years to initiate a claim, seeking legal advice as soon as possible can greatly benefit your case. Acting quickly gives our St. Petersburg personal injury attorneys more time to gather evidence, communicate with witnesses, and build a strong argument. Delayed action could result in lost evidence or fading witness memories, making it harder to strengthen your position.
What Compensation Can I Recover in a St. Petersburg Personal Injury Case?
A personal injury claim allows you to recover various types of compensation that are designed to address the specific impacts of your injuries. These damages fall into two primary categories: economic damages and non-economic damages.
Economic damages cover the financial losses directly caused by your injuries. Examples include medical expenses, such as hospital bills, prescription medications, physical therapy, and future medical care if ongoing treatment is necessary. Additionally, you can also seek compensation for lost wages due to time missed from work and reduced earning capacity if your injuries affect your ability to work in the future. These damages are calculated based on tangible evidence, such as receipts, invoices, pay stubs, and projections of future needs.
Non-economic damages aim to compensate for the intangible losses resulting from your injuries. These include pain and suffering, emotional distress, and loss of enjoyment of life. Unlike economic damages, non-economic damages are inherently subjective and more challenging to quantify. The goal is to provide fair compensation for the emotional and psychological toll your injuries have caused and will continue to cause.
Punitive damages could be awarded in cases involving gross negligence or intentional misconduct. Their purpose is not to specifically compensate you but to instead punish the at-fault party. These damages also serve as a deterrent, discouraging others from engaging in similar harmful conduct.
I Slipped and Fell at The Dalí Museum. Can I Seek Compensation?
If you slipped and fell at The Dalí Museum, one of St. Petersburg’s most popular attractions, you may be entitled to seek compensation under Florida's premises liability laws, depending on the specifics of what happened. Premises liability governs the responsibility property owners have to maintain their spaces in a reasonably safe condition for visitors. Under these laws, you must demonstrate that the museum owed you a duty of care, that the dangerous condition existed on the property, that the property owner knew or should have known about the dangerous condition but did not sufficiently address it, and that this condition directly caused your injuries.
The duty of care owed depends on the type of visitor you were. Museum patrons typically fall under the category of "invitees," meaning the property owner owes you a clear duty of care in many circumstances. The property owner has an obligation to regularly inspect their premises for potential hazards, resolve unsafe conditions in a timely manner, and provide adequate warnings if a danger cannot be immediately fixed. For example, if there was a wet floor without a visible caution sign, and this led to your slip and fall, you may have a solid case to pursue compensation.
However, a claim may be difficult to prove if your actions contributed to the accident. Florida follows modified comparative negligence rules, meaning that your compensation could be reduced if you were partially at fault, and you cannot recover anything if you are found to be more than 50% to blame. For example, if you were distracted by your phone and failed to notice an obvious puddle, this shared negligence might limit your ability to recover full damages. Additionally, your claim could be weaker if you were in an area of the museum that was not open to guests or engaging in behavior inconsistent with the expected use of the property.
Our St. Petersburg personal injury lawyers understand how to effectively approach cases involving slips and falls, including in properties like The Dalí Museum. We can evaluate the facts of your case and walk you through your options for recovering compensation.
Frequently Asked Questions About Personal Injury Claims in St. Petersburg, FL
Do All Personal Injury Cases Have to Be Litigated?
Not every case goes into litigation. In fact, many cases are settled before a complaint is even filed. There’s also no exact timeframe or way to calculate how long it will take to resolve a case. As a rule of thumb, we work to get all cases tried within 18 to 24 months, though some cases take longer due to external factors beyond our control.
Can You Still Settle a Case If It Moves to Litigation?
Settling a case is always the client’s decision. Just because the lawsuit gets filed, that does not mean you have to go to trial. Settlement discussions can occur throughout each stage of the legal process, both before and after a lawsuit is formally filed.
What Is My Personal Injury Case Worth?
There is no definite way to determine this without actually filing a claim. It can vary based on several factors, such as the cost of medical treatment and the value of lost wages. It also depends on the level of severity of the injury. In general, the more severe the injury, the more the case is potentially worth.
St. Petersburg Local Services and Emergency Contact Information
Call 9-1-1 in an emergency. Below, you can find several additional resources that can help you seek help after an accident.
Police/Sheriff Departments:
- Florida Highway Patrol – (305) 234-2240
- Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office, Emergencies – 911
- Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office, Non-Emergency Line – (352) 754-6830
Fire Department:
- St. Petersburg Fire Rescue, Emergencies – 911
Hospitals:
- St. Petersburg General Hospital – (727) 384-1414
- Bayfront Health St. Petersburg – (727) 823-1234
- St. Anthony’s Hospital – (727) 825-1100
- Northside Hospital – (727) 521-4411
- Kindred Hospital Bay Area, St. Petersburg – (727) 894-8719
Our team has a long track record of securing successful outcomes in personal injury cases, and we want to help you get the compensation you need to move forward. Call (727) 788-6792 or contact us online today.
