Frequently Asked Questions

Car and Motorcycle Accident FAQs

  • Quick answer: Get medical attention, document the scene using your cell phone for photos, report the crash, and do not assume you are “fine” just because the pain has not started yet. Florida deadlines and insurance rules start running immediately.

  • Fast. If you do not get treatment within 14 days of the crash, your Personal Injury Protection benefits can disappear. These benefits are “use it or lose it,” and it is one of the most important things drivers need to know.

  • If there is no treatment within 14 days, the PIP coverage that pays medical bills may be gone. Waiting can cost you coverage even if your injuries later become obvious.

  • If it is life-threatening, go to the ER. If it is not life-threatening, urgent care can be a faster and much less expensive option. Urgent Care can still send you to the ER if needed.

  • That is common. Please try to ge treatment within 14 days to protect your benefits and support your claim.

  • For crashes after March 24, 2023, the claim must be settled or in suit within two years to fall within Florida’s car accident statute of limitations. Waiting too long can mean losing the claim entirely. This used to be a four year limit.

  • Yes, it can be extremely important. Uninsured motorist coverage may be the only insurance that pays a settlement in a hit-and-run or when the at-fault driver has no insurance.

  • You may be able to recover through your own uninsured motorist coverage. Without it, you may be left with unpaid bills and no meaningful settlement source.

  • A hit and run can still be a claim, but uninsured motorist coverage is often the key to getting compensation for pain, suffering, and future treatment.

  • Not until a lawyer reviews them. Please schedule a consultation with me before signing a Release of All Claims - you are likely ending the case for a small payment that is less than what is fair to you.

  • It is often the document that ends your case. You may think you are just accepting payment for lost wages or property damage, but you may actually be giving up the right to pursue the rest of the claim.

Personal Injury FAQs

  • Often, yes. A waiver does not excuse negligence, especially where the company failed to provide what it was supposed to provide safely.

  • If your injuries happened recently, are supported by medical records, and were caused by someone else’s negligence, you may have a claim. If you are unsure, a consultation is the right next step.

Medical Malpractice FAQs

  • Maybe, but a bad outcome alone is not enough. A malpractice case usually means a doctor, hospital, or medical provider made a preventable mistake that caused serious harm. Linda handles medical malpractice matters and can review whether the facts support a real claim.

  • Medical malpractice can include misdiagnosis, delayed diagnosis, surgical mistakes, hospital negligence, birth injury, and other medical errors that should not have happened if proper care had been given.

  • Not every poor medical result is malpractice. Sometimes treatment fails even when the doctor did everything right. The legal question is whether the provider acted below the accepted standard of care and caused harm. That is why these cases need careful review.

  • If a doctor missed something important and that delay made the outcome worse, you may have a case. Delayed diagnosis and misdiagnosis are both common reasons people ask about malpractice claims.

  • In some situations, yes. If hospital staff, systems, or procedures caused avoidable harm, there may be a claim against the hospital, not just an individual doctor.

  • Get appropriate follow-up care first, keep your records, and do not assume you are overreacting. If something feels seriously wrong, talk to a lawyer sooner rather than later so the records and timeline can be reviewed. I strongly encourage you to research doctors and take warning signs seriously.

  • Before seeing any physician or doctor, please take a moment to research them. The Florida Department of Health Medical Quality Assurance site offers six links, and you will need to go to three of them for each doctor you wish to research. The three search links are at the top of the page:

  • They can be. Florida has been cracking down on plastic surgery clinics in an attempt to ensure surgery safety.