Tampa Injury Lawyer - Did You Know?

If you are ever in need of a Tampa Bay area car accident attorney for yourself, or sadly are in need of a PERSONAL INJURY attorney due to a wrongful death lawsuit, you may be surprised at what the jury will NOT hear. For instance, if you were the victim of a automobile accident and the other driver had lots of insurance, at trial it is unlikely that the jury would ever hear about it! While your lawsuit is against the insurance company, there are laws in place to "shield" the jury from this information. Years ago insurance companies succesfully lobbied to keep the truth from jury members. While it seems ridiculous, insurance companies convinced the "powers that be" that this would be unfair and prejudicial to them. While that seems far-fetched, the result of this rule is that now at trial you appear to be suing an "average joe" (who normally doesn't look like he/she could afford a lot of money in damages) and not going against an insurance company. Fair? No. The law? Yes.
Another way the insurance companies grab an unfair advantage at trial is by a little known rule called "PIP set offs" PIP (personal injury protection), is something all drivers in Florida must have. Generally, it is $10,000 from your OWN insurance company policy that is used to pay for medical bills for the injured if you are involved in an accident. The PIP setoff rule basically finds that whatever the jury awards you is deducted by $10,000 due to the spent PIP. For example, you are rear-ended while driving by another car. You are injured and have $20,000 in medical bills. At trial, the jury decides to award you $25,000 for your medical bills and pain/suffering. The Judge will deduct $10,000 (your PIP that was spent) AFTER the jury verdict leaving you with only $15,000 to pay for medical bills, trial costs and your pain! There are a few ways around this as an experienced Personal Injury attorney can explain to you.
For more information, or to speak directly with an experienced Personal Injury lawyer, please contact BLAKE AND DORSTEN at 727.286.6141 or email attorney Nicholas Dorsten at: info@blakedorstenlaw.com