St. Petersburg Personal Injury Attorney
The city of St. Petersburg, located in Pinellas County, Florida has a population of over 270,000 and is the fifth-largest city in Florida. Together with Clearwater and Tampa Bay, the area attracts millions of tourists and beachgoers each year. With an average of 361 days of sunshine each year, St. Pete is a very popular place to live and visit. Large amounts of tourists, along with its millions of residents living in or around the city, St. Petersburg can also be a dangerous place to live if everyone isn’t keeping an eye out for each other.
Factors To Consider Before Selecting A St. Petersburg Personal Injury Attorney
- Sibley Dolman Gipe Accident Injury Lawyers, P.A. (Sibley Dolman Gipe) is a nationally recognized, award-winning personal injury law firm. We have built a reputation for aggressive litigation when necessary as opposed to settling easy and leaving money on the table.
- Insurance carriers keep detailed notes concerning every last law firm they deal with. In fact, settlement offers are based on a law firm’s reputation, their track record for taking cases all the way to trial when necessary, and the risk associated with defending the claim. Keep in mind, insurance is simply risk management. An attorney or law firm that takes cases to trial poses a risk to the insurance company of a potentially large verdict.
- Sibley Dolman Gipe assists every last client with negotiating their medical bills in every last case and securing medical treatment when necessary or requested. Our goal is to ensure when your case resolves your medical bills are covered within your settlement.
- Fellow Florida and St. Petersburg injury attorneys often call Sibley Dolman Gipe to assist on their biggest or most complicated cases. Our law firm is well respected by other injury attorneys for the results we have obtained for car accident victims and those injured by other acts of negligence exhibited by an individual or corporation.
- Sibley Dolman Gipe is a law firm committed to our clients. In fact, our business has grown based on word of mouth referrals from very satisfied former and current clients. The most common complaint we hear from clients after they have terminated their relationship with another St. Petersburg injury lawyer or firm is they never met let alone spoke with their prior attorney. At Sibley Dolman Gipe, every client is provided the cell phone number of their handling attorney and the Managing Partner at our law firm. The only way to properly represent a St. Petersburg injury victim is to get to know them on a personal level. This allows us to properly explain just how the car accident or other act of negligence has impacted their quality of life. We begin this process at your free consultation.
- We have the financial resources necessary to take on any size corporate defendant and retain the best experts possible to illustrate the extent of your damages. Sibley Dolman Gipe has previously litigated against corporate giants such as Walmart, Wawa, Walt Disney World, Amazon, Publix, Winn Dixie, Outback (Bloomin Brands), Allstate, Geico, Progressive, USAA, State Farm, Monsanto, and others.
Holding The Negligent Party Responsible For Their Actions
Being injured causes serious physical, emotional, and financial stress. When that injury was avoidable because it was caused by someone else’s negligence, there may be relief available to the victim. Whether the injury occurred in a motor vehicle accident, at work, at home, or because of a defective product, parties with liability may be responsible for the victim’s damages, including medical expenses, lost wages, and pain and suffering. We have also handled hundreds of wrongful death claims throughout Florida.
If you were injured by someone else’s negligence, speak to a St. Petersburg personal injury lawyer as soon as possible. Call our St. Petersburg personal injury attorneys at (727) 222-6922 or contact us online to discuss your potential claims and obtain a free consultation.
What Are The Proven Results in Personal Injury Cases?
The personal injury lawyers at Sibley Dolman Gipe Accident Injury Lawyers, PA have experience negotiating, settling, and litigating personal injury cases of all types. Past settlements and verdicts have ranged from $80,000 to more than $5 million for cases that involved traumatic brain injuries, back injuries, spinal cord injuries, birth injury, and more. While these prior results do not guarantee future outcomes for new claims, they represent the commitment of the lawyers at Sibley Dolman Gipe Accident Injury Lawyers, PA in fighting to get the best possible results for our clients.
What Are The Types of Personal Injury Claims?
Injuries caused by a negligent person, business, or government entity may give rise to a personal injury claim. Lawyers who handle these claims frequently help clients with injuries such as:
- Concussions, traumatic brain injuries, and other head injuries;
- Spinal cord injuries
- Back and neck injuries
- Birth injuries
- Brain injuries
- Burn injuries
- Slip-and-fall injuries
- Wrongful death
- Auto accidents
- Motorcycle accidents
- Truck accidents
- Medical Malpractice
How To Determine Who’s at Fault?
Parties with liability for a personal injury claim vary by the circumstances of the case. For example, Florida is a no-fault insurance state that requires those who drive a motor vehicle to carry a Personal Injury Protection (PIP) insurance policy. When an injury is caused by a motor vehicle accident, the victim must first file a claim with their own insurance carrier (or in the case of an uninsured or underinsured motorist, they may file a claim under the other party’s carrier). A victim may only file a lawsuit after medical expenses and lost wages have exceeded the PIP limits.
When a personal injury victim litigates their claim, multiple parties may be included as defendants. Depending on the cause of the injury, common defendants may include:
- Drivers who were driving distracted, driving under the influence, or violating other traffic laws.
- Businesses who negligently hired or trained employees, or who failed to safely maintain their property or equipment.
- Employers who allowed or encouraged unsafe or illegal practices to “get the job done.”
- Individuals who sexually harassed or abused others at home, in public, or in the workplace.
- Manufacturers, Distributors, and Retailers who designed, distributed, marketed, or sold defective products, or failed to warn consumers about product use.
What Are Personal Injury Damages?
Damages for personal injury claims may be economic or non-economic, and depend on the severity of the injury and the resulting real and projected losses.
Florida courts rarely award punitive damages, and do so only in extreme cases of gross negligence and intentional harm, while the more commonly awarded compensatory damages are for actual costs and losses. The most common compensatory damages in personal injury cases include medical costs, lost wages, and pain and suffering.
Medical Costs
Personal injury lawyers will attempt to recover medical costs, including ambulance and emergency services, hospitalization, surgery, radiology, prescription medication, physical therapy, and assistive devices for rehabilitation. In cases of long-term disability or chronic condition, victims may recover for future medical costs and care as well.
Lost Wages
Personal injury victims may recover damages for lost wages if they missed work due to their injuries. If a victim cannot return to work, must reduce hours, or is forced to change professions because of their injury, they may also be able to claim the loss of future wages and benefits, or “lost earning capacity.”
Pain and Suffering
In cases that involve serious injuries, especially those that are long-term, it is not uncommon for victims to recover damages for pain and suffering. Determining these types of damages can be difficult, but a skilled St. Petersburg personal injury attorney will work to ensure important factors such as the severity of the injury, the age of the victim, how long the injury is projected to impact the victim, and the personal consequences of the injury are all taken into consideration.
Will At-Fault Parties Try to Duck Responsibility?
Under Florida law, personal injury cases are typically subject to “comparative negligence.” (Exceptions are cases that involve defective products, abuse, and sexual harassment.) Comparative negligence means there may be shared liability for damages. For example, if a victim is found partially responsible for his or her own injuries, awarded damages will be reduced by that percentage of assigned fault. Therefore, defendants have a strong incentive to shift blame to the victim in order to avoid paying full damages.
Common strategies defendants employ include arguing that victims violated traffic laws, were under the influence of alcohol or drugs, were trespassing, or used a product incorrectly. Failing those arguments, defendants may outright deny their own liability, or try to place their share of the blame on a co-defendant. Personal injury lawyers anticipate these tactics and will work to ensure that those who are responsible for their client’s injuries will be held accountable.
Should You Contact a St. Petersburg Personal Injury Lawyer?
Sibley Dolman Gipe offers a free consultation to all prospective St. Petersburg injury victims wherein they may discuss details of their potential personal injury case. If you have a consultation and our personal injury lawyers agree to pursue your claims, you may not have to pay attorney fees and litigation costs upfront. Personal injury cases are typically handled on a contingent fee basis, meaning the lawyer will deduct their fees and expenses from any eventual settlement or judgment.
If you have suffered an injury because of someone else’s negligence, speak to an experienced personal injury attorney as soon as possible. If our firm agrees to represent you and pursue your claim, our lawyers will work hard to protect your rights and get you the best possible outcomes. Contact the legal team at Sibley Dolman Gipe Accident Injury Lawyers, PA in St. Petersburg at (727) 222-6922 or online for a free consultation.
Why Sibley Dolman Gipe?
Sibley Dolman Gipe Accident Injury Lawyers, P.A., is an award-winning law firm. Our personal injury lawyers offer a combined 100 plus years of combined experience representing victims of a car accident, motorcycle accident, truck accident, medical malpractice, premises liability, negligent security, defective medical devices, sexual trafficking, sexual abuse, and those who have sustained residential property damage ignored by an insurance carrier.
Matthew Dolman has been selected by his colleagues as a Florida Superlawyer and Legal Elite on multiple occasions and is a lifetime member of both the Million Dollar and Multi-Million Dollar Advocates Forum. He has served as lead counsel on lawsuits filed throughout the State Of Florida. Stanley Gipe is a Board Certified Civil Trial Lawyer which deems him an expert at trial advocacy in accordance with the rules set forth by the Florida Bar. Julia Dolman has been selected by her colleagues as a Florida Superlawyers Rising Star (best lawyers under the age of 40) five years in a row. Feel free to check out our reviews on Google.
We are presently representing consumers who have been diagnosed with cancer after consuming Zantac and members of the military who were diagnosed with cancer after exposure to AFFF Fire Fighting Foam.
Sibley Dolman Gipe Accident Injury Lawyers, PA – St Petersburg Office
1663 1st Ave S.
St. Petersburg, FL 33712
833-552-7274
Client Testimonial
“AMAZING and understanding attorneys! Did great on my case and I highly recommend Sibley Dolman Gipe Accident Injury Lawyers, PA for anyone that has been injured in an accident!”
Rating: 5/5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Koralis R.
Jan 2020
What Our Clients Have to Say:
“Chad Robinson always responded immediately whenever I had questions or concerns. He worked hard to make sure I received what I deserved.”
Rating: 5/5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Michelle Dorn
December 19
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