Sarasota Car Accident Injury Lawyer
Which road were you on?
It sounds like an odd first question. It is the one I ask, because in this county the answer decides a great deal about the claim that follows.
A crash on Interstate 75 is worked by the Florida Highway Patrol. A crash on Bee Ridge Road or out at Palmer Ranch is worked by the Sarasota County Sheriff's Office. A crash on Main Street downtown belongs to Sarasota Police, and one on Gulf of Mexico Drive belongs to Longboat Key's own department. Four agencies, four records systems, and people routinely spend a fortnight asking the wrong one for a report.
My name is David Harris. I have handled car accident claims in and around Sarasota since 2003, and I still take the first phone call myself.
The corridors that produce the work
If you drive here you already know them. The files follow the same map:
- Tamiami Trail, six lanes with a continuous turn lane and retail on both sides, which produces left turns across oncoming traffic and rear-enders behind stopped turning cars
- Interstate 75 and the interchanges at Clark, Bee Ridge, Fruitville and University, where traffic decelerating off the highway meets traffic already at the posted limit
- Bee Ridge Road, a plaza driveway every few hundred feet between Beneva and McIntosh
- Clark Road, State Road 72, a freight route that keeps highway speeds past schools and residential entrances
- The bridge approaches to Siesta Key and Longboat Key, where visitor traffic meets a queue that stops several times an hour
- University Parkway and the UTC district, where a decade of building outpaced the junction design
What actually decides your claim
Fault
Fault is a legal term describing who is responsible for causing an accident. Proving that another driver, property owner, or business was at fault is essential to recovering money for your injuries and losses.
Personal Injury Protection
Personal injury protection (PIP) is auto insurance that pays for medical bills and sometimes lost wages after a crash, no matter who caused it. A car accident lawyer in Sarasota can help you coordinate PIP benefits with your liability claim.
Liability
Liability means legal responsibility for an accident and the resulting injuries. Proving liability is one of the most important jobs of a personal injury lawyer, who uses evidence like photos, witness statements, and expert reports.
Bodily Injury
Bodily injury (BI) refers to physical harm to your body, such as broken bones, sprains, or head trauma. BI coverage on an insurance policy can help pay for medical bills and other losses when you are hurt by a negligent driver.
Negligence
Negligence is the failure to use reasonable care, such as texting while driving or ignoring a spill on a store floor. Personal injury claims are built on proving that someone’s negligence directly caused your injuries.
The report you cannot read yet
Whichever agency responded, section 316.066 makes a Florida crash report confidential for sixty days after filing. Inside that window it goes to the people involved in the crash and their representatives, and to nobody else.
This matters more than it sounds. The adjuster who calls you on day three has not read it either. They are working from their own driver's account and whatever you are willing to add. You are allowed to say you will discuss it once you have seen the report.
Evidence with a shelf life
- Plaza and doorbell cameras facing the road overwrite within one to two weeks
- Roadway marks survive until the next serious rainstorm, which here is not long
- A vehicle's event data recorder holds speed and braking data until the car is repaired or scrapped
- Witnesses who stopped exist only as a line in a report you cannot obtain for sixty days
Florida's limitation period for most negligence claims is two years. That protects your right to file. It does nothing to preserve any of the four items above, which is the real reason I would rather hear from you in the first week than the second month.
How I work
I keep a small number of files so that the person you spoke to on day one is the person who argues your case if it reaches the Sarasota County courthouse. There is no case manager between us. If your crash does not need a lawyer I will tell you that on the phone, and some weeks I tell several people exactly that.
The consultation costs nothing and the fee comes out of the recovery or there is no fee.
Free Consultation · 100% Confidential
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What Our Clients Say
"David did exactly what he said he would do, always responded to our questions very quickly. I would highly recommend using him."
"I was represented better than I could have ever imagined. David Harris put my needs first and gave me personal attention at all times. He went above and beyond and did everything he could to ensure a great outcome. Thank you!!"
"I highly recommend David Harris as a personal injury lawyer. He listened to our case, told us what he could do for us, set up a plan, then executed it, employing that “extra push” when necessary. He is honest, trustworthy, reliable, and accessible. He helped us work through issues with the issuance companies which at times became overwhelming for us. It felt reassuring to have him on our side."