Orlando Personal Injury & Criminal Defense Lawyers

Two years from the date of the accident for most negligence claims, cut from four years by HB 837 for claims arising after March 2023. Separately and much sooner, you must get initial medical treatment within 14 days of a motor vehicle crash to preserve your PIP benefits. Claims against government entities and wrongful death claims follow different timelines — call us to speak with an attorney who can confirm which deadline applies to you.

At the jail, not the courthouse. Orange County’s Booking and Release Center at 3855 South John Young Parkway houses the first appearance courtroom along with the Clerk of Court, State Attorney, and Public Defender, so the hearing happens in the same building where you were booked. It must occur within 24 hours of arrest. Session times shift with overnight booking volume. Booking itself usually takes 3 to 8 hours for a misdemeanor and 6 to 12 hours for a felony.

No. Under Florida law, a waiver printed on a ticket or posted on signage does not excuse a business from liability for its own negligence, and courts closely examine such clauses, especially where injuries are severe or a child was involved. What does complicate these cases is that Florida parks with over 1,000 employees are exempt from state ride inspections and only report injuries requiring more than 24 hours of hospitalization. Most of the evidence sits with the park, which is why acting quickly matters.

Yes. We regularly represent out-of-state and international clients injured in Orange County. Your claim is governed by Florida law and handled in Florida, but you will not need to travel back for routine steps in the case. Get your injury documented before you fly home if at all possible. The 14-day treatment rule still applies, and a gap between the incident and your first medical visit is the first thing an adjuster will point to.

It depends on what the driver’s app was doing. Offline or personal use: only the driver’s personal policy, which may exclude commercial use. From the moment a ride request is accepted through the end of the trip: Uber and Lyft’s commercial liability coverage of up to $1 million. Establishing which period applied requires the company’s app data.

Yes. I-4 is consistently ranked among the deadliest highways in the United States and averages roughly 34 fatal crashes a year. The tourist-heavy stretch between Kirkman Road and Universal Boulevard is among the worst segments, combining unfamiliar drivers, heavy merging, and abrupt slowdowns. I-4 crashes often involve multiple vehicles and disputed fault, which under Florida’s modified comparative negligence rule can determine whether you recover anything at all.

It frequently doesn’t. PIP caps at $10,000 and pays only 80% of medical expenses. To pursue the at-fault driver for the remainder plus pain and suffering, you generally must meet the serious injury threshold in Florida Statute § 627.737: permanent injury within reasonable medical probability, significant and permanent loss of an important bodily function, significant and permanent scarring or disfigurement, or death. Whether your injuries clear that threshold is a medical and legal argument, and it is usually the argument that determines what your case is worth.

Case reviews are free. Personal injury cases are handled on a contingency basis, which means we don’t charge attorney’s fees unless we win your case. Criminal matters are quoted individually depending on the charge, and we explain the fee before you retain us.