Tampa Hit-And-Run Accident Lawyer

When you are hurt and looking for help after a hit-and-run collision, you need the help of an experienced Tampa hit-and-run accident lawyer from Jack Bernstein, Injury Attorneys. Just as Tampa is a city with a unique character, a hit-and-run accident lawyer from our Tampa personal injury law firm has an equally unique character.

At Jack Bernstein, Injury Attorneys, we have a deep connection to the city and the clients who walk into our office. When you are hurt in a car accident, contact a hit-and-run lawyer in Tampa at (813) 333-6666 right away.

The Alarming Rise of Hit-And-Run Accidents in Tampa

Cigar City has frightening accident statistics. According to the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles (FLHSMV), there were 6,473 hit-and-run accidents in Hillsborough County in 2024. These statistics show a 40% increase in Tampa hit-and-run accidents over the last decade.

These types of crashes are most common on dangerous roads, like I-275, Dale Mabry Highway, and intersections along Waters Avenue. However, hit-and-run accidents can potentially happen anywhere in Tampa. When you are injured in one, you need the services of a Tampa hit-and-run crash lawyer.

Understanding Hit-And-Run Accidents Under Florida Law

Leaving the scene after a car accident in Florida is against the law. When you are involved in a motor vehicle accident that involves damage to another vehicle or property, you are required to stop your vehicle and remain at the accident scene until you have properly shared information with the other driver. 

If the other vehicle is unattended, you must provide written notice to the vehicle owner and put it in a conspicuous place.

Furthermore, if the accident involves any type of injury, you must promptly notify Florida authorities of the collision. You also have a duty to render aid, as long as the circumstances reasonably allow that.

Failing in any of these duties can result in criminal charges. Due to enhanced penalties from the Aaron Cohen Life Protection Act, committing a hit-and-run can have life-changing consequences. Additionally, anyone filing a lawsuit against you is more likely to win their hit-and-run case if you flee the scene of an accident.

Criminal Penalties for Hit-And-Run Offenders in Florida

The criminal charges for a hit-and-run accident in Florida depend on the circumstances of that accident. If you only caused property damage, you will face 2nd-degree misdemeanor charges, which are punishable with up to 50 days in jail and a $500 fine.

In accordance with the Aaron Cohen Life Protection Act, the penalties for criminal charges involving injuries or fatalities are now in line with the penalties for drunk driving. 

Because of this act, you will be charged with a 3rd-degree felony, which may be penalized with five years in prison and a $5,000 fine if you injure someone. If someone dies, you could face four to 30 years in prison and a $10,000 fine.

The reason these penalties are so high is that there used to be a loophole in the laws, which allowed people to get lesser penalties by fleeing the scene of the accident after injuring or killing someone while under the influence. The Aaron Cohen Life Protection Act removes that loophole, discouraging drivers from fleeing after an accident.

Your Civil Rights as a Hit-And-Run Victim

If you are the victim of a hit-and-run accident, the offender may be subject to consequences beyond criminal prosecution. Accident victims have the right to recover compensation in a personal injury claim, even if the offender isn’t convicted at a criminal trial.

Under Florida’s no-fault PIP system, you can receive insurance benefits, even if the other driver is never determined. Additionally, if you have uninsured motorist insurance, you can receive additional benefits. 

However, if the driver is discovered, and you are seriously injured enough, you can pursue a lawsuit against them to get fair compensation for your injuries.

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Tampa’s Most Dangerous Intersections for Hit-And-Run Accidents

Certain intersections in Tampa are significantly more dangerous than others. Due to contributing factors, like traffic patterns and the presence of commercially zoned buildings, these intersections result in more accidents. The most dangerous intersections for motor vehicle accidents are:

• Waters Avenue West and Sheldon Road
• Waters Avenue West and Anderson Road
• Dale Mabry Highway and Waters Avenue
• Hillsborough Avenue and Sheldon Road
• Bruce B. Downs Boulevard and Fletcher Avenue East

These intersections are all just a few miles from Tampa General Hospital or St. Joseph’s Hospital. This means if you’re injured near one of these intersections and stay at the accident scene after an accident in Tampa, emergency services should arrive swiftly.

There would also be two courthouses near the scene of the accident, the George E. Edgecomb Courthouse and the Hillsborough County Courthouse Annex. 

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Immediate Steps To Take After a Tampa Hit-And-Run Accident

Wondering what to do in a hit-and-run accident? The immediate steps you take while at the accident scene can affect the amount of compensation you receive from an insurance claim or lawsuit.

The first thing you should do is prioritize your safety. This means you should call 911 right away and request medical attention. 

Depending on the severity of your injuries, you may need to seek additional medical care at Tampa General or St. Joseph’s Hospital. Tampa General is a level one trauma center, which means it is one of the best places in the country to receive care for life-threatening injuries.

You will also need to report the accident to the police. However, that should be accomplished when you call 911. The 911 dispatcher will also send police to the accident scene.

If it is safe to do so, you should collect evidence that will help your hit-and-run accident attorney in Tampa, FL, during the claim evaluation and throughout the case. This means you should gather evidence while at the accident scene and preserve any medical bills.

Finally, you should contact Jack Bernstein, Injury Attorneys, as soon as possible. Evidence can often disappear quickly after a hit-and-run accident, even if you take steps to preserve it. Witnesses may forget details in days or hours, or video evidence may be erased. 

By contacting our law firm promptly, you help us preserve important evidence swiftly.

Critical Evidence To Preserve at the Accident Scene

Even if the other driver fled the accident scene, you can still collect and preserve some evidence after a car accident. Do as much of the following as you can:

• Take photos of all vehicle damage, skid marks, debris, paint marks, or auto parts left behind.
• Gather contact information from witnesses, so your Tampa hit-and-run injury attorney can collect their statements.
• Note any nearby surveillance cameras.
• Record a description of the vehicle that hit you and any portion of the license plate you saw.
• Ask for any medical documentation from EMTs who responded.

Immediately gathering this evidence supports your hit-and-run case in the short and long-term. Our legal team will use it to evaluate your case, negotiate with the insurance company, and litigate your case in court when necessary.

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Florida’s No-Fault Insurance System and Hit-And-Run Claims

Every licensed driver in Florida is required to purchase an insurance policy that includes personal injury protection (PIP). Under the Florida no-fault system, if you are injured in an accident, your insurance company pays you compensation according to your PIP coverage, regardless of who was responsible for the accident.

PIP coverage pays 80% of your medical expenses and 60% of your lost wages, up to the value of your policy. This value must be at least $10,000, but may be higher. Your policy must also include a minimum level of property damage liability (PDL) as well.

Assuming you receive medical attention within 14 days of the accident, your insurance company must compensate you, even if the other driver flees the scene.

Uninsured Motorist Coverage for Hit-And-Run Claims

There is no specific insurance coverage for hit-and-run accidents. However, if you have an uninsured or underinsured motorist policy, you may be eligible to get additional compensation beyond what you get from your PIP coverage. This coverage applies when another driver flees the scene, and you can’t determine whether they are insured.

The amount of extra compensation you can receive from a hit-and-run accident case depends on the limit of your policy. If the insurance company refuses to compensate you under this policy, you may have legal options to force it to pay compensation.

Before filing a claim under this policy, you should make sure you understand the full details of your policy and what evidence you need to prove that the other driver fled the scene. Our legal team will help you gather a police report or other relevant evidence to prevent the insurance company from inappropriately denying your claim.

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Types of Compensation Available in Tampa Hit-And-Run Cases

One of the first things many potential clients ask about is compensation for a hit-and-run accident in Tampa. Filing a lawsuit in a car accident case can potentially result in a jury awarding several types of compensation. Depending on the circumstances of the accident, you may be able to get economic or non-economic compensation for:

• Medical expenses
• Lost wages and diminished earning capacity
• Property damage
• Pain and suffering
• Mental anguish or emotional distress
• Loss of enjoyment of life
• Loss of financial support in wrongful death claims

Experienced Tampa car accident injury lawyers at Jack Bernstein, Injury Attorneys, will reference major hospitals to determine accurate estimates for treatment costs. This allows our Florida hit-and-run car accident attorneys to negotiate for fair compensation with the insurance companies. 

With any luck, this prevents you from needing to file a lawsuit to get fair recompense for your injuries.

Regardless of whether your case goes to trial or ends with a settlement, the types of compensation you can get for a hit-and-run case in Tampa are the same. These types of compensation are well established by law, and insurance companies respect that. 

If an insurance company limits the types of compensation you receive, and it is less than the law allows, you can always file a lawsuit.

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How Jack Bernstein, Injury Attorneys, Can Help Your Hit-And-Run Case

If you are the victim of a hit-and-run accident, you need legal representation as quickly as possible. At Jack Bernstein, Injury Attorneys, we have six accident attorneys and 34 support staff. Our staff is available to help in an emergency 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

This means that no matter what the time of day, you can get immediate assistance and personal attention. This is particularly important in a hit-and-run case, where you may not fully understand the process.

The best part about contacting our Tampa auto accident lawyers is that the call won’t cost you anything. 

We offer a free consultation with one of our Tampa hit-and-run lawyers to all potential clients and take all cases on a contingency fee. That means our Tampa hit-and-run accident legal help will cost you nothing unless we successfully get you fair compensation for your accident claim.

If you decide to hire an attorney at our law firm, we will provide you with:

• Experienced investigative services.
• Consultations with experts in the medical field.
• Attorneys who have experience negotiating with insurance claim adjusters.
• Litigation preparation services.
• Courtroom representation.
• Clear communication throughout the entire process.

Our law firm also has a strong relationship with law enforcement and private investigators. This means we have the resources to potentially identify the driver of the vehicle that fled the scene. Identifying the driver increases your legal options for getting compensation and may result in significantly increased compensation.

Our Investigation Process for Hit-And-Run Cases

Because identifying the driver in a hit-and-run accident case is so important, our law firm dedicates significant resources to the investigation process. Our experienced team of investigators can:

• Reconstruct the accident scene based on physical evidence.
• Identify nearby surveillance cameras and get access to the footage.
• Identify witnesses and swiftly interview them.
• Compile medical records to determine details about the accident.

Between this evidence and a careful analysis of all appropriate insurance policies, we can determine the optimal way to maximize your compensation after an accident.

Dealing With Insurance Companies After Your Hit-And-Run Accident

Insurance companies create obstacles after a hit-and-run accident. Most will attempt to devalue your claim. An insurer may challenge evidence that supports your claim or offer a low settlement before all evidence has been collected.

If you don’t have legal representation during your communications with an insurance company, you could receive much less compensation than you deserve.

Our experienced Hillsborough County hit-and-run lawyers are familiar with all filing procedures and deadlines. This prevents an insurer from using bureaucracy to devalue your claim. We also use proven strategies in our negotiations to obtain fair settlements from even the most obstinate insurers.

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Understanding Your Legal Timeline in Florida Hit-And-Run Cases

The legal timeline in Florida is not very forgiving. While deadlines are manageable, it is easy to lose track of them, especially if you don’t have legal representation. The best way to stay on top of these deadlines is to hire a car accident lawyer in Tampa, Florida, as soon as possible after an accident.

The first deadline that applies is the 14-day rule for medical treatment. This is part of your PIP policy. You need to receive medical attention within 14 days of your car accident. However, this doesn’t mean you can’t get compensation for injuries not discovered within 14 days of your accident.

As long as you get an initial medical evaluation and treatment for any discovered injuries within those 14 days, you are eligible to get PIP compensation for other injuries discovered later.

However, a second equally important deadline applies to filing a lawsuit. According to the Florida statute of limitations for personal injury claims, you have two years from the date of the accident to file a lawsuit. In some rare circumstances, this deadline may be extended, but you will generally need to act relatively quickly.

Furthermore, criminal timelines are different than civil timelines. The driver in a hit-and-run criminal case may not end up being convicted for several years. This means you won’t be able to use a conviction to support your claim if your civil trial ends before the criminal trial.

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Common Challenges in Tampa Hit-And-Run Cases

The most common challenge in most hit-and-run cases is determining the identity of the driver. If you can’t identify the driver, your legal options are limited. 

Typically, this means your only choice is to file appropriate insurance claims against your insurance policies. Unfortunately, this means you are unlikely to get additional compensation beyond your policy maximums when your injuries are serious.

Even if you identify the driver, there is a chance that they are uninsured. While this still allows you to file a lawsuit against the driver, you are unlikely to get much compensation from them. A driver who can’t afford insurance probably also can’t afford to pay much, if anything, to resolve a civil judgment.

Another important challenge is proving the extent of your injuries and damages. If your injuries are simple enough, this isn’t very hard. However, when you are dealing with delayed symptoms or lifelong injury complications, you may have to expend extra resources to prove the severity of your injuries.

This process is complicated by comparative negligence. In many accidents, several parties are partially at fault. In this case, you can still get compensation, but it is limited by your percentage of fault. This means you need as much evidence as possible to support your claim.

Finally, insurance companies often use questionable tactics to deny claims. These tactics, along with all other challenges, are best tackled by hiring an experienced Tampa car accident attorney as soon as possible after a collision.

Why Drivers Leave the Scene of Accidents

The reason the other driver left the accident scene may also create a challenge to getting fair compensation. Drivers in hit-and-run accidents often flee for one or more of the following reasons:

• They were driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol.
• They didn’t have a license or insurance.
• They have outstanding warrants.
• They panicked because they feared the legal consequences of the accident.
• They are an undocumented immigrant.

Several of these reasons can make the case more complicated to litigate. For example, if a driver was under the influence of alcohol or had outstanding warrants, the criminal case would likely take priority over a civil case. Similarly, an undocumented immigrant could face deportation, preventing them from being able to participate in a civil trial.

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Serving All Areas of Hillsborough County and Tampa Bay

You don’t need to search for a “Tampa hit-and-run lawyer near you.” At Jack Bernstein, Injury Attorneys, we have served all of Hillsborough County for over 40 years. The areas we serve include:

• Tampa
• Brandon
• Plant City
• Temple Terrace
• Carrollwood
• Westshore
• Hyde Park
• Ybor City
• Town ‘N’ Country
• Egypt Lake-Leto
• Seminole Heights

Our offices are close to major highways, like I-275, I-4, and the Selmon Expressway. We are familiar with all local hospitals and courthouse locations, and our legal team can meet you in person when you are unable to travel to us.

This is particularly important if you are seriously injured after a hit-and-run accident in Tampa. We understand that you may be unable to get out of the hospital after a serious injury, making you unable to travel to our offices. Our skilled lawyers won’t allow your case to be delayed just because your injuries limit your movement.

No matter whether your accident occurs in the heart of downtown or while trying to find a space in the Busch Gardens parking lot, our attorneys are always available to give you a hand. That is the benefit of working with experienced, local Tampa hit-and-run crash lawyers.

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