How Long Do I Have to File a Car Accident Claim in Florida?

Two years from the date of the crash, in most cases. A 2023 change to Florida law cut the deadline for negligence claims from four years to two. The clock generally starts on the crash date, not when you learn how serious the injury is, so it pays to speak with a lawyer early rather than late.

What If I Was Partly at Fault for My Port Charlotte Car Accident?

You can still recover, as long as your share of fault is 50% or less. Florida follows a modified comparative negligence rule. Your compensation is reduced by your percentage of fault, and at more than 50% you recover nothing. Insurers know this, which is why they often work to pin extra blame on the injured person.

How Does No-Fault Insurance Work After a Florida Crash?

Florida is a no-fault state, so your own PIP coverage pays first: 80% of medical bills and 60% of lost wages, up to $10,000, regardless of who caused the crash. You generally must see a doctor within 14 days to qualify. PIP does not cover pain and suffering. For that, your injury has to be serious enough to step outside no-fault.

How Is the Value of My Car Accident Claim Determined?

It depends on the specifics: how serious the injury is, the medical care still ahead, lost income and lost earning capacity, and how the crash has changed daily life. There is no fixed formula, and no honest lawyer will hand you a number on day one. A careful valuation counts the costs still coming, such as future treatment.

How Much Does It Cost to Hire a Port Charlotte Car Accident Lawyer?

Buckman, Buckman & Castellano P.A. handles car accident claims on a contingency fee basis. There is no fee unless you win. The fee is a percentage of the recovery, set within Florida Bar limits and agreed in writing before any work starts. Clients may be responsible for certain case costs. The first consultation is free.

What Should I Do Right After a Car Accident in Port Charlotte?

Call 911 so the crash is documented, and get medical care quickly, within 14 days, to protect your PIP benefits. Photograph the scene and your injuries, and collect contact details from witnesses. Be cautious with the other driver’s insurer, and hold off on a recorded statement until you have spoken with a lawyer.

Injured? We Fight Until You Get Paid.

Florida No-Fault Insurance and the Deadline to File

Florida runs a no-fault insurance system. After a crash, your own personal injury protection (PIP) coverage pays first, whoever caused the wreck: 80% of medical bills and 60% of lost wages, up to a $10,000 limit. PIP does not pay a cent for pain and suffering.

The catch sits in the calendar. You generally have to be seen by a doctor within 14 days of the crash to use your PIP benefits at all. Miss that window and the coverage can slip away when you need it.

For serious injuries, Florida law lets you step past no-fault. A permanent injury, significant scarring, the loss of an important bodily function: any of these can open a claim directly against the at-fault driver for what PIP leaves on the table. Fault becomes the fight at that point. Under Florida’s modified comparative negligence rule, suppose a jury values your claim at $200,000 but assigns you 25% of the blame. You collect $150,000. Push past 50% and you collect nothing.

One deadline governs all of it. A 2023 change to Florida law gives you two years from the crash to file an injury lawsuit, cut from the old four. The clock starts the day of the wreck, not the day the pain finally sinks in.