St. Petersburg Accident Statistics

St. Petersburg Accident Statistics St. Petersburg is about 15 miles southeast of Clearwater and 20 miles southwest of Tampa. U.S. 19, Florida's deadliest road, runs through the middle of St. Petersburg. In this area, the stretch with the most accidents runs from 54th Avenue North to Queensboro Avenue South. This stretch, which runs for a distance of 4.7 miles, saw 20 fatal accidents with 20 fatalities. The average is 4.3 wrecks per mile. This area sees a lot of traffic, as it leads to the Sunshine Skyway Bridge and points south, including many beaches. It also features many restaurants, businesses, and nightlife. And, of course, you have St. Pete Beach, which is almost as popular as Clearwater Beach. Many people also pick St. Pete as a vacation destination. Even Floridians will spend a week or two at the beach. If you suffered injuries or lost a loved one in a car accident, contact a St. Petersburg car accident lawyer today for a free case evaluation.

St. Petersburg Area Accident Statistics

The statistics mentioned above are only part of the statistics for St. Petersburg. Accident stats for the area include:

• An average of 14,719 crashes per year.
• An average of 116 fatalities per year.
• An average of 10,563 injuries per year.

Of these crashes:

• An average of 353 wrecks per year involved alcohol. Of these wrecks, there were an average of 20 fatalities and 137 injuries.
• An average of 31 wrecks per year involved drugs. Of these, there were an average of seven fatalities and 30 injuries.

Of the total number of accidents in the St. Petersburg area, an average of 512 per year involved motorcycles. Of those, there were an average of 26 fatalities and an average of 451 injuries. Pedestrian-involved crashes averaged 504 each year. Of those, St. Pete saw about 38 fatalities and 428 injuries per year. Bicyclist-involved crashes averaged 571 per year. Of those, there were an average of 6.5 fatalities and 537 injuries per year. St. Petersburg, like Clearwater, sees a lot of commercial vehicles either traveling through the area or stopping at the many businesses in the area. St. Petersburg might see even more commercial traffic than Clearwater as trucks might get off the highways to deliver, then drive through the city to catch the highway to cross the Sunshine Skyway Bridge. Over several years, the St. Petersburg area saw an average of 1,348 accidents involving commercial vehicles. Those wrecks had an average of five fatalities and 317 injuries.

Do I Need a St. Petersburg Car Accident Lawyer?

While many people try to settle their accident claims themselves, we do not recommend doing that. Even if you pay your premiums on time and have been with your insurance company for many years, that loyalty does not guarantee a fair settlement. And, if your policy does not cover your damages, you may have to settle with or sue the at-fault driver's insurance. Insurance companies are in business to make money. Thus, they will find any reason to deny your claim. Barring that, they will offer you the least amount possible. In many cases, that small amount may not cover your medical expenses—and you are most likely entitled to other damages and medical expenses. Insurance companies twist words to fit a denial or a lowball amount. They also use tactics to deny a settlement or offer a low amount. Insurance companies know that attorneys will take a case to court, so they do not try that when you have an attorney negotiating on your behalf. The insurance company does not want to go to court as they pay high-priced attorneys to represent them. Litigating usually costs the insurance company more than a fair and reasonable settlement.

St. Petersburg Auto Accident Statistics

Source: https://www.flhsmv.gov/

Accident Injuries and Recovering Damages in St. Petersburg

The compensation you could recover depends on several factors, including the severity of your injuries. If doctors expect your injuries to heal within a few months or less, you will most likely get economic damages. However, if doctors believe your injuries will cause long-term or permanent disabilities, such as traumatic brain injuries or spinal cord injuries, you could recover economic damages and non-economic damages. Economic damages have a monetary value, including medical expenses, lost wages, loss of future earning capacity, and death-related expenses. Non-economic damages do not have a monetary value. They include pain and suffering, loss of quality of life, consortium, and/or companionship, inconvenience, loss of use of a body part or bodily function, amputation, excessive scarring, and disfigurement. You could also recover punitive damages. However, the court must order punitive damages, and you must prove that the defendant's actions or inactions were grossly negligent or intentional to recover them. It takes a bit longer to obtain punitive damages, as the court only considers this after the trial for compensatory damages concludes. However, it is sometimes worth it to go through with the extra time, especially if you lost a loved one or the defendant's actions were grossly negligent or intentional.

Recovering Damages After Losing a Loved One

If you lost a loved one in a St. Petersburg car accident, you could recover any medical expenses your loved one incurred from the time of the accident until the time of death. You may also recover:

• Death-related expenses, such as funeral and burial expenses, cremation expenses, and certain probate court expenses. If you retain a probate attorney, you could also recover some probate attorney's fees.
• Loss of future earning capacity for any wages your loved one might have earned from the time of the settlement or jury trial until the time they would have normally retired.
• Loss of income starting from the time of death.

You could also recover non-economic damages, including:

• Emotional distress.
• Loss of consortium and companionship.
• Loss of quality of life.

If you suffered injuries or lost a loved one in a car accident, contact a St. Petersburg car accident lawyer today for a free case evaluation.