St. Petersburg Personal Injury Lawyers - Paul Knopf Bigger

Were you seriously injured in St. Petersburg because of someone else’s negligence? If so, they could be financially liable for the consequences, from your medical bills and lost wages to the pain and discomfort you’ve suffered and its effects on your quality of life. But to get them to pay up, you need the help of tenacious, committed attorneys. You need Paul Knopf Bigger.

We started our firm to help people recover from life-altering injuries and to fight injustice wherever we see it. We’ve found that the best way to do that is by taking a team approach to legal representation, which enables us to provide much more effective advocacy and service than each team member could individually. We aim to ensure you never feel treated like just another number. Your interests and goals remain the center of every one of our decisions.

So, if you’ve been hurt in an accident in St. Petersburg and need help getting justice, turn to a proven and trusted team that knows how to get the job done. Contact Paul Knopf Bigger for a free consultation to discuss your legal options with a St. Petersburg attorney.

Common Personal Injury Cases

At Paul Knopf Bigger, our attorneys and staff advocate for the rights and interests of clients who have been hurt in:

Typical Injuries in Personal Injury Accidents

Our team works tirelessly to help clients pursue physical, emotional, and financial recovery from injuries such as:

How to Determine if You Have a Personal Injury Claim

If you have been injured due to someone else’s failure to act with appropriate care or discretion, you likely have a personal injury claim against them. Here are some practical examples of that in play:

Still not sure? Then contact Paul Knopf Bigger today. We offer free consultations, so there’s no risk or obligation in getting your questions answered.

What Must Be Proven in a Personal Injury Claim?

Most personal injury matters involve allegations of negligence against the party or parties responsible for causing an accident. An injury victim wishing to prove negligence in their personal injury lawsuit must show that the party at fault for the accident owed a duty of care, and that their actions or misconduct breached this duty. Next, an injured person must prove that the at-fault party’s breach of duty directly caused their injuries. Finally, the injured person must show that they suffered injuries that have led to losses that money can compensate for.

Damages You Could Recover in a Personal Injury Case

The goal of any personal injury case is to compensate the victim for what they suffered so that they have the financial means to undo as many of the consequences of their injury as possible. As such, you can ask for money to offset financial losses that you have incurred or will incur in the future, such as:

• Medical/rehabilitation expenses
• Costs of long-term care for permanent disabilities
• Ongoing and future losses of income if you cannot work or suffer a reduction of your earning capacity
• Repair/replacement costs for your damaged property.

Personal injury compensation can also provide you with money for intangible losses that result from your injuries, including:

• Physical pain
• Emotional trauma/distress
• Lost enjoyment or quality of life due to disabilities or disfigurement/scarring
• Reduced life expectancy

Finally, in rare cases, a personal injury victim may receive an award of punitive damages. Juries can award punitive damages in cases where an at-fault party causes injuries due to intentional or especially reckless conduct. Punitive damages do not compensate an injured person for specific losses but instead punish the at-fault party for their conduct and deter others from engaging in similar conduct.

Could You Recover Compensation if You’re Partly to Blame for the Accident?

In Florida, you may have the right to pursue a personal injury lawsuit even if you share some responsibility for causing the accident or your injuries.

The state follows a modified comparative negligence rule for injury claims, which allows you to recover compensation from other at-fault parties so long as you are not primarily responsible for your injuries. However, you are barred from compensation if you are found to be more than 50 percent at fault for your injuries. Further, the rule may affect how much money you recover; a court can reduce your compensation award in proportion to your share of fault for the accident and your injuries.

For these reasons, bringing your case to experienced attorneys at Paul Knopf Bigger is important. We’ve helped accident victims minimize their share of fault and maximize their compensation.

How Long Does a Common Personal Injury Case Last?

A personal injury case can take anywhere from a couple of months to a couple of years to finish. Various factors will affect the duration and timeline of a personal injury claim, such as:

• The severity of your injuries
• The duration of your medical care and rehabilitation
• Whether you suffer long-term or permanent disabilities
• Whether you miss time from work or become temporarily or permanently disabled from your regular job
• The number of potentially liable parties in your case
• The number of other people also injured in the accident
• Whether you share any responsibility for causing the accident or your injuries
• The complexity of the evidence or legal issues in your case
• The availability of insurance coverage
• The insurance company’s responsiveness
• Whether you need to file a lawsuit in pursuit of your personal injury claim and the schedule/availability of the trial court
• Whether you can settle your case or need to take your claims to trial

How Long Do You Have to File a Personal Injury Lawsuit?

Under Florida’s statute of limitations, you typically have two years to file a personal injury lawsuit after getting hurt in an accident. While this might seem like plenty of time, you should not delay: filing after the deadline will likely result in the court tossing the case as untimely, meaning you lose your chance to recover the compensation you need.

Why You Need to Get Started Immediately on a Personal Injury Claim

Although two years seems like plenty of time to start preparing a personal injury claim, you should immediately talk to a personal injury attorney about your case. The longer you wait to start your claim, the bigger the risk that you may lose critical evidence for your case. As time passes after an accident, the scene will get cleaned up or repaired, organizations may lose or delete records, and witnesses’ memories of the accident will fade. By starting your personal injury case promptly, your attorney has the best chance of recovering the valuable evidence you’ll need while it’s still available.

Starting your personal injury case promptly after an accident will also ensure you have the full scope of legal options. Specific options or legal claims may have short deadlines after an accident. When you talk to an attorney from Paul Knopf Bigger right after an accident, we can help you to keep every available avenue for financial recovery open.

How a Personal Injury Attorney Handles Your Case

With a personal injury attorney from Paul Knopf Bigger on your side, you can trust that you have an experienced advocate handling the details of your case, freeing you to focus your time and energy on your physical and emotional recovery. Let our firm pursue the financial recovery and justice you deserve by:

• Thoroughly investigating the accident to secure evidence to support your claims
• Identifying liable parties and options for compensation, including applicable insurance coverage
• Gathering documentation to support your claim for your ongoing and future anticipated losses and needs
• Filing your claims and demand letters and aggressively negotiating on your behalf for a fair and full settlement
• Bringing your claims to court and trial when necessary to demand the compensation you deserve and to hold those responsible for your injuries accountable for their conduct

Contact a Personal Injury Attorney Today

Learn how a personal injury attorney in St. Petersburg can demand financial compensation for the harm you’ve suffered. Contact Paul Knopf Bigger today for a free, no-obligation consultation.