FAQs

Because a car accident is not simply an accidental brush against someone on a sidewalk. A car accident involves damages to another person’s property as well as any seen or unseen injuries in the aftermath. Above all else, after an accident, we recommend (1) calling the police, (2) exchanging insurance information, and (3) following up with your insurance company.

Chances are, your case will usually be resolved at what’s called a mediation. A mediation is when we sit down with you and the defense, and a third party mediator. A mediator is a neutral person who has no interest in the outcome of your case. It’s at this time that most cases are resolved without having to go to trial.

First, in the case of a manageable and minor accident, wherever possible, pull your car off the roadway. In years gone by, accident victims have felt obligated to leave everything as it was and stay put. Unfortunately, that blocks routes and frustrates other drivers and could lead to additional accidents. So get yourself to a safe place.

Second, call the police. In any situation involving an accident, you need to have a trained police officer assess the situation. Filing a police report with your account of what happened in the accident is vital to determining, in the days the follow, who can and will be held responsible for the crash.

Third, get medical attention as soon as possible. Car accidents often involve violent collisions that contort the body and lead to any number of injuries, the kinds of injuries that catch victims off guard in the second, third, or fourth day after the accident. Whiplash, TMJ, and traumatic brain injury can each be devastating in their own way.

And fourth, call an experienced personal injury attorney to advise you in protecting your rights.

Yes. Yes. And yes. Drivers are human and prone to forget a few things at the scene of an accident, but cameras will always be an impartial and critical resource.

Use your phone to snap pictures of the following:

1. Any Damage (whether it be to your car, someone else’s car, or a piece of property).
2. Potential Skid Marks (behind one or more vehicles)
3. Conditions and Debris on the Road
4. Appropriate Landmarks

If you qualify for Personal Injury Protection (PIP), the PIP carrier will cover 80% of any and all medical expenses related to injuries sustained in the accident up to $10,000. Medical providers will submit bills to the PIP carrier (typically your insurance company), and will be paid directly on 80% of the balance. Once the insurance company has paid $10,000 in benefits, it will consider your PIP coverage to be exhausted. This does not mean that you cannot still treat with a doctor. And you should consult with a qualified attorney.

Your case may go through several different phases before it is finally resolved. If a settlement cannot be agreed to within a reasonable amount of time, your attorney would file a lawsuit on your behalf. The Florida rules of civil procedure govern the amount of time that it takes to fully litigate and try a personal injury case in civil court. This time can be lengthy based on factors such as the jurisdiction, the caseload of the judge, and complexity of the cause of action, so there is no easy answer.

Personal Injury actions must be brought within four years of the accident. This means that waiting more than four years after your accident to attempt to file a claim will bar your recovery completely. Even more stringent is Florida’s statute of limitations governing wrongful death cases, which must be brought within two years of the death. It is very important that you protect yourself from these strict time limits by getting quick medical attention after your accident and contacting a Florida Personal Injury Attorney as soon as you can.

According to Florida State Statutes, the only persons who may file a claim of wrongful death are spouses, children, or parents of the deceased. Other exceptions may include blood relatives or adoptive siblings who are dependents of the individual lost.

If you are injured in an accident with a hit and run driver, you will need to contact your insurance company immediately. Ask your insurance carrier if you carry collision and uninsured motorist coverage. If you do carry collision coverage under your insurance policy, your insurance company will pay to have your vehicle repaired. And if the accident resulted in bodily injury, you can file an uninsured motorist claim for your personal injuries and any pain and suffering. However, if you do not carry uninsured motorist coverage you may not receive proper compensation for your injuries. Our office strongly recommends you contact your insurance carrier to ensure you already carry or have purchased uninsured motorist coverage.

When someone leaves the scene of an accident, chances are, they feared the consequences of sticking around. But fear should never trump responsibility. Leaving the scene of a car crash (what most of us now just call a hit-and-run accident) carries far more legal punishment than anything the driver may have done initially.

In the case of an accident with one or more injuries, insurance companies can pay up to the limit of your elective coverage, otherwise known as Bodily Injury Protection or BI. But the limits of BI coverage are normally defined as a limit per person, per accident. For example, a $10,000/$20,000 BI policy indicates that the insurance company will pay up to $10,000 per injured person, but no more than $20,000 for all injured parties.

To minimize the impact on their bottom line, insurance companies hire Bodily Injury Adjusters that can be very friendly and even come across as trustworthy. But don’t be fooled. The pleasantries may lead you to believe that there is no such thing as Bodily Injury Protection, or that you can’t even bring a claim against their insured. Not true.

Every case is different. It’s impossible to determine what your case may be worth without fully reviewing all the circumstances of your accident. Typically, the plaintiff in a personal injury lawsuit can seek compensation for medical costs (including rehabilitation costs and future medical costs), but also for loss of wages (including future wages), inhibited earning capacity stemming from a permanent injury, pain and suffering, and in cases of extreme neglect, punitive damages. If a loved one has been killed in an auto accident, we can relieve some of the burden and help your family file a wrongful death claim against the negligent party.

“Board Certification” according to The Florida Bar “is the highest level of evaluation by The Florida Bar of the competency and experience of attorneys in the 24 areas of law approved for certification by the Supreme Court of Florida.” Only 1% of the entire membership of The Florida Bar, that is only 1,076 out of more than 90,000 lawyers in Florida, has earned The Florida Bar board certification in civil trial.

According to Florida State Statute 627.737(2):

In any action of tort brought against the owner, registrant, operator, or occupant of a motor vehicle…or against any person or organization legally responsible for her or his acts or omissions, a Plaintiff may recover damages in tort for pain, suffering, mental anguish, and inconvenience because of bodily injury, sickness, or disease arising out of the ownership, maintenance, operation, or use of such motor vehicle only in the event that the injury or disease consists in whole or in part of:


(a) Significant and permanent loss of an important bodily function.
(b) Permanent injury within a reasonable degree of medical probability, other than scarring or disfigurement.
(c) Significant and permanent scarring or disfigurement.
(d) Death.

It’s important to note that not every case is the result of just one person’s negligence. Often more than one person, sometimes including the injured party, is to blame for the resulting damage. In this situation, an accident victim can recover a percentage of the damages that he or she sustains. Speaking to an experienced personal injury attorney is crucial when it comes to receiving compensation for this type of situation.

Drivers involved in a car accident sometimes, for reasons of time and weather and legality, forgo any calls to the police. Instead, they just exchange information. But this can cause serious problems for any future causes of action that might be necessary to make against the negligent driver. So please remember that after an accident, call 911 to get police involved, then contact your local, experienced Florida attorney.

Both practically and legally speaking, the root cause for pain and suffering is that of inconvenience. Prior to an accident, you made breakfast for your kids, spent an hour at the gym, and never missed a day of work. But after an accident, you struggled to lift a pan for grilling bacon, you had to limit your number and range of exercises, and you started missing several days of work to recover from the last several. Perhaps you got rear-ended at a stop light. Perhaps you fell from a ladder at a construction site. Perhaps you even slipped on an office floor that had no sign. The reason “pain and suffering” often gets thrown around is because each case is a little bit different, but in the end, it simply means that after an accident, you were inconvenienced by the consequences of that accident, whether the individual or business that caused it intended harm or not.

Lost Wages / Motor Vehicle Accident Attorneys / Personal Injury Lawyers / Orlando Oviedo Winter Springs / Beers and Gordon P.A. Car accident victims who have been injured can almost always seek compensation for lost wages from the time of an injury through to the conclusion of their lawsuit. Even if the victim was unemployed, he or she could receive compensation for lost wages if the attorney can prove that the accident limited his or her earning potential. But around this time of year, that begs a very real question: do I owe taxes on the lost wages I was given back in a settlement? The answer depends on how you look at the question.

In the State of Florida, “if you go back to work on light or limited duty” while in the midst of a lawsuit “and are still under the care of the authorized doctor, you will pay taxes on any wages earned while working.” If, however, in the midst of a lawsuit, you are still not working and it can be demonstrated that work would have been done during that time, then most likely no, you will not owe taxes on those lost wages. But even that can seem vague when it appears the IRS is expecting you to pay taxes on the settlement. For more information about how the IRS taxes settlements and what they require of those who receive them, read the Taxability of Settlements.

If someone you love has been the victim of a motor vehicle accident or a personal injury, please contact the law offices of Beers and Gordon P.A. for a free consultation. Our firm serves all of Seminole, OrangeVolusia, Lake, and Brevard counties, including Oviedo, Winter Springs, Altamonte Springs, Sanford, Longwood, Winter Park, Lake Mary, and Greater Orlando. Our attorneys have over 50 years of combined experience ready and willing to go the distance on your case.

Motor Vehicle Accident Ticket / Orlando Oviedo Winter Springs Sanford Winter Park Attorneys / Personal Injury Lawyers / Beers and Gordon P.A. While it is true that most people who get ticketed for an accident are probably at fault, this is not always the case. The reality is that a ticket cannot be used as evidence in the courtroom to show fault to either party. Most cases that we see and hear actually involve a shared level of fault on both parties. For insurance purposes, the initial decisions on who should pay for the damages goes to the person ticketed. But this is simply done because the insurance company was not there to witness the accident and will initially rely on the officer or deputy’s decision. You may never know for sure what a judge or a court might say unless you speak to someone who can examine both sides on your behalf. That’s where we come in.

If you or someone you love has been the victim of a motor vehicle accident, please contact the law offices of Beers and Gordon P.A. for a free consultation. Our firm serves all of Seminole, OrangeVolusia, Lake, and Brevard counties, including Oviedo, Winter Springs, Altamonte Springs, Sanford, Longwood, Winter Park, Lake Mary, and Greater Orlando. Our attorneys have over 50 years of combined experience ready and willing to go the distance on your case.

Pain and Suffering / Motor Vehicle Accident / Civil Trial Attorneys / Beers and Gordon P.A. Accident victims often steer clear of a lawsuit because they believe they have no case, or worse, that they actually have a case and no one will understand or compensate their loss. But the list of economic damages are not always obvious. Below is a list of economic damages that can be taken into account when we listen to prospective clients:

Medical Expenses: This could include expenses for past emergency room visits, hospitalization(s), emergency surgeries, any assistive devices and future appointments with a medical professional.

Future Medical Expenses: If a car accident victim can prove that they will need continued medical care as a result of the crash, they may be able to recover the cost of future medical expenses.

Lost Wages: Car accident victims who have been injured can seek compensation for lost wages from the time of injury to the conclusion of the lawsuit. Even if the victim was unemployed, he or she could receive compensation for lost wages if the attorney can prove that the accident limited his or her earning potential.

Loss of Earning Capacity: If you sustained injuries that prevent you from working, you may be able to receive compensation by proving that your earning capacity was negatively impacted by the incident. In this case, the jury will typically determine the amount the victim could have earned if the car accident had not occurred.

If you or someone you love has been the victim of a personal injury or a motor vehicle accident, please contact the law offices of Beers and Gordon P.A. for a free consultation. Our firm serves all of Seminole, OrangeVolusia, Lake, and Brevard counties, including Oviedo, Winter Springs, Altamonte Springs, Sanford, Longwood, Winter Park, Lake Mary, and Greater Orlando. Our attorneys have over 50 years of combined experience ready and willing to go the distance on your case.

Car Accident Attorneys / Oviedo Lawyers / Winter Springs / Altamonte Springs / Beers and Gordon P.A. From year to year, nearly 85 million tourists visited Florida to enjoy our wonderful sunshine, our larger-than-life attractions, and all-around family fun. And since tourism and vacations remain a central part of our local economy, those numbers will only increase. Naturally, that means people will be flying into our area and renting cars. And what happens when one of them, with a driver who isn’t familiar with the area, is at the head of an accident in which you are involved?

If you are injured by the driver of a rental vehicle, that driver’s insurance company is primarily responsible. And if you are involved in an accident with the driver of a rental vehicle, it is important that you attempt to get that person’s personal auto insurance, as it will be the primary source of compensation for your injuries and vehicle damage. Granted, a driver traveling with family may not have that information on hand, but it’s crucial that either you or the law enforcement officer, at the very least, acquires the full name, address, and driver’s license number.

By law, in the State of Florida, a rental company, like Hertz or Avis, is only required to provide $10,000 of coverage to the renter, which acts as secondary coverage. So if, for example, you are injured by the driver of a rental vehicle, you may bring claims for your injuries and damages against both the driver’s personal auto insurance and the Rental Company. But unless the renter elects extra coverage, the Rental Company will only be liable for $10,000 of your injuries and damages. Furthermore, this $10,000 will only be available if the renter does not have personal auto insurance or has inadequate coverage to compensate the injured party.

If you or someone you love has been the victim of a personal injury or a motor vehicle accident, please contact the law offices of Beers and Gordon P.A. for a free consultation. Our firm serves all of Seminole, OrangeVolusia, Lake, and Brevard counties, including Oviedo, Winter Springs, Altamonte Springs, Sanford, Longwood, Winter Park, Lake Mary, and Greater Orlando. Our attorneys have over 50 years of combined experience ready and willing to go the distance on your case.

Car Accident Attorneys / Oviedo Lawyers / Winter Springs / Altamonte Springs / Beers and Gordon P.A. In the event that you were involved in an auto accident and did not have an active insurance policy at the time, we may still be able to get you the medical treatment you need without paying anything out of pocket. Beers and Gordon can provide your doctor with a Letter of Protection. This will allow your doctor to treat you even though you may not have any medical (PIP) coverage through an active auto insurance policy.

The Letter of Protection ensures that the doctor’s bill will be paid upon the resolution of your case. Don’t allow the lack of insurance to interfere with getting the medical treatment you need. Let Beers and Gordon assist you in making sure your medical bills are covered without having to pay anything out of pocket.

If you or someone you love has been the victim of a motor vehicle accident or a personal injury, please contact the law offices of Beers and Gordon P.A. for a free consultation. Our firm serves all of Seminole, OrangeVolusia, Lake, and Brevard counties, including Oviedo, Winter Springs, Altamonte Springs, Sanford, Longwood, Winter Park, Lake Mary, and Greater Orlando. Our attorneys have over 50 years of combined experience ready and willing to go the distance on your case.

Medical Bills / Catastrophic Brain Injury / Beers and Gordon P.A. When you or someone you love has been injured, whether minorly or catastrophically, it can be difficult to determine right away just how many factors are at work in determining the value of your case. A good portion of that value is not monetary. Especially if you have been wronged, to the point of injury, that value may have a lot to do with knowing someone helped you make it right. But when it comes to financial value, the factors below should all be considered:

1. Total medical bills.
2. Possible future medical expenses
3. Percentage of fault each party is responsible for.
4. Past and future lost wages.
5. Effect of the injuries on lifestyle, work, family, and other important aspects of life.
6. Characteristics of all of the parties involved
7. Which insurance company represents the defendant.

If you or someone you love has been the victim of a motor vehicle accident or a personal injury, catastrophic or otherwise, please contact the law offices of Beers and Gordon P.A. for a free consultation. Our firm serves all of Seminole, OrangeVolusia, Lake, and Brevard counties, including Oviedo, Winter Springs, Altamonte Springs, Sanford, Longwood, Winter Park, Lake Mary, and Greater Orlando. Our attorneys have over 50 years of combined experience ready and willing to go the distance on your case.

Boeing Lost Wages / Personal Injury Attorneys / Orlando Oviedo Winter Springs Altamonte Springs Winter Park Attorneys / Beers and Gordon P.A. Remember that story from a few months ago, about the grounding of all 737 MAX airliners in the United States by the president and the FAA? At the time, that particular airliner had been involved in two separate crashes within five months, and the fatalities of nearly 350 people. But the consequence of grounding an entire fleet of planes has directly impacted the earning capacity for upwards of 10,000 pilots, for some 30,000 flights that were cancelled and not renewed. All of which begs an important question: how do you calculate lost wages?

In the case of a car accident, where an injured victim is unable to return to work, lost wages simply refers to seeking compensation for the duration of injury. In other words, lost wages accounts for any time that a victim was, or may still be unable to earn an income. The benefit of having an experienced attorney involved in a claim over lost wages is that your attorney can take additional factors into account, including the loss of earning potential, for future hours not yet tabulated, but still impacted.

If someone you love has been the victim of a wrongful death, a personal injury, or a motor vehicle accident, please contact the law offices of Beers and Gordon P.A. for a free consultation. Our firm serves all of Seminole, OrangeVolusia, Lake, and Brevard counties, including Oviedo, Winter Springs, Altamonte Springs, Sanford, Longwood, Winter Park, Lake Mary, and Greater Orlando. Our attorneys have over 50 years of combined experience ready and willing to go the distance on your case.

Uninsured Underinsured Motorist / Motor Vehicle Accident / Car Crash Attorneys / Oviedo Winter Park Lawyers / Beers and Gordon P.A. After an insurance company has exhausted the limits of your PIP coverage, if the other driver has no insurance or a small amount of coverage that is insufficient to cover the costs related to your injury, your uninsured or underinsured motorist coverage is there to cover the damage caused by the negligent party. However, if the negligent party was underinsured, your insurance will only cover the difference between your losses and the amount you received from the other party’s insurance company. In other words, we suggest that if you do not have this coverage, you should contact an attorney to obtain compensation for injuries resulting from the accident. An attorney may be able to seek damages from the negligent party’s homeowners’ insurance, your own insurance carrier, or your health insurance provider.

If you or someone you love has been the victim of a motor vehicle accident, please contact the law offices of Beers and Gordon P.A. for a free consultation. Our firm serves all of Seminole, OrangeVolusia, Lake, and Brevard counties, including Oviedo, Winter Springs, Altamonte Springs, Sanford, Longwood, Winter Park, Lake Mary, and Greater Orlando. Our attorneys have over 50 years of combined experience ready and willing to go the distance on your case.

Time to File a Lawsuit / Auto Accident Attorneys / Oviedo Winter Springs Lawyers / Beers and Gordon P.A. Car accidents weigh heavy on all parties involved. Whether you caused it, were hurt by it, or were simply caught in the wrong place at the wrong time, an accident means dealing with any number of decisions that can last for weeks and even months. So what happens when you realize, over time, that the costs of your accident are becoming a financial burden that you never saw coming? Can you still contact an attorney for help or advice or even to make a case? The short answer is yes.

In Florida, the statute of limitations to file an automobile accident lawsuit is four years from the date of the accident. If a wrongful death occurs as a result of an accident, however, the survivors have two years from the date the death occurred, not the date of the accident, to bring a claim. For injury claims against a city, county or state government, the time limit is three years.

If you or someone you love has been the victim of a motor vehicle accident, please contact the law offices of Beers and Gordon P.A. for a free consultation. Our firm serves all of Seminole, OrangeVolusia, Lake, and Brevard counties, including Oviedo, Winter Springs, Altamonte Springs, Sanford, Longwood, Winter Park, Lake Mary, and Greater Orlando. Our attorneys have over 50 years of combined experience ready and willing to go the distance on your case.

Medical Study / Brain Injuries / Catastrophic Injury Attorneys / Oviedo Winter Garden Lawyers / Beers and Gordon P.A. Television and radio are both littered with advertisements and commercials, each airing referral services like 411-PAIN and 1-800-ASK-GARY. But most of these ads have only created confusion. In fact, a recent 411-PAIN radio spot features a non-attorney spokesperson stating that if you fail to seek medical treatment within 14 days following an accident, then “it just doesn’t matter.” This is only partially accurate. And a little bit misleading. Based upon changes to Florida’s no-fault statute that went into effect on January 1, 2013, an accident victim must commence medical treatment within 14 days or personal injury protection benefits will not be applicable. However, based on the new provisions to the no-fault statute, a victim only has $2500.00 in personal injury protection benefits unless a physician states the individual has an “emergency medical condition.” Prior to January 1, 2013, an auto accident victim had $10,000.00 in personal injury protection benefits regardless of emergency medical condition.

We have resolved numerous cases with fruitful settlements on cases in which our clients waited far longer than 14 days to commence treatment. In a perfect world, every auto accident victim would commence treatment immediately. But this is not often the case. Many individuals will wait an extended period of time to see if their pain or discomfort will subside as opposed to running to a physician as a knee jerk reaction. There is no reason for such individuals to be punished for waiting to see whether the pain and discomfort would resolve on its own. The advertisements you hear on the radio are self-serving as the legal referral services have a vested interest in you seeking immediate medical treatment so they may bill your PIP benefits.

If you or someone you love have been the victim of a personal injury or a motor vehicle accident, please contact the law offices of Beers and Gordon P.A. for a free consultation. Our firm serves all of Seminole, OrangeVolusia, Lake, and Brevard counties, including Oviedo, Winter Springs, Altamonte Springs, Sanford, Longwood, Winter Park, Lake Mary, and Greater Orlando. Our attorneys have over 50 years of combined experience ready and willing to go the distance on your case.

Insurance Payout / Car Crash / Motor Vehicle Accident Attorneys / Oviedo Winter Springs Lawyers / Beers and Gordon P.A. Chances are, in an accident where your car is totaled or, at the very least, significantly damaged, you will be shaken. Those kinds of accidents take a toll on both drivers and passengers. But as soon as possible, if you can gather your thoughts, remember that yes, taking pictures is crucial to assessing damage. The sooner the better.

Any pictures of damage to your vehicle can be very useful in putting pressure on insurance companies that refuse to acknowledge your injuries. Your attorney will be able to use them to show the severity of the accident, and demonstrate the seriousness of your injuries. Pictures can sometimes be the difference in obtaining a reasonable settlement and being forced to carry a case through litigation.

Try to get at least a few pictures of each side of your vehicle. A good way to do this is to walk around your car with a camera or camera-phone and snap pictures as you go. But remember, while pictures are important, safety is a much bigger priority after your accident.

If you or someone you love has been the victim of a motor vehicle accident or personal injury, please contact the law offices of Beers and Gordon P.A. for a free consultation. Our firm serves all of Seminole, OrangeVolusia, Lake, and Brevard counties, including Oviedo, Winter Springs, Altamonte Springs, Sanford, Longwood, Winter Park, Lake Mary, and Greater Orlando. Our attorneys have over 50 years of combined experience ready and willing to go the distance on your case.

Motor Vehicle Accident / Personal Injury Attorneys / Oviedo Winter Garden Lawyers / Beers and Gordon P.A. After an injury, most of us are not thinking about all the costs that come with the aftermath. We just want life to get back to the way it was before the accident. But after several months, those costs can still add up, leading some to wonder how long they can wait before filing a claim. Fortunately, there is a gracious amount of time within which you can address the issue with an attorney.

Personal Injury cases are subject to a statute of limitation, which limits the amount of time a person can wait before initiating a lawsuit. Different types of cases have different time limitations. In claims for personal injury, the statute of limitation is four years on claims against the (third party) at-fault person and five years on an uninsured/underinsured claim against your own insurance carrier.

If you or someone you love has been the victim of a personal injury or motor vehicle accident, please contact the law offices of Beers and Gordon P.A. for a free consultation. Our firm serves all of Seminole, OrangeVolusia, Lake, and Brevard counties, including Oviedo, Winter Springs, Altamonte Springs, Sanford, Longwood, Winter Park, Lake Mary, and Greater Orlando. Our attorneys have over 50 years of combined experience ready and willing to go the distance on your case.

Personal Injury Protection / No Fault Law / Beers and Gordon P.A. Every automobile in the State of Florida requires, at the very least, a form of liability insurance called Personal Injury Protection, or PIP. The purpose of PIP has been to ensure that drivers, if they are injured during an accident, can receive quicker compensation through their own insurance company for medical expenses up to $10,000, regardless of who is at fault. Since 1971, when Florida became the second state to introduce these “No Fault” laws, the legislature has modified several iterations of PIP, but the gist has long been the same.

Florida Personal Injury Protection was originally rooted in the Automobile Reparations Reform Act of 1972. The law altered liability coverage from being voluntary to being compulsory. But one legal study, conducted in the same year as the law took effect, conceded that compulsory insurance would not equate to universal coverage. At the time, it was estimated that 76% of Florida drivers were already insured with some form of accident protection. But as of 2012, that number seems only to have reached 78%. In other words, Florida drivers are still largely covered with their own No-Fault Personal Injury Protection, but an alarming number of drivers remain uninsured.

If you or someone you know have been involved in a motor vehicle accident or suffered any kind of personal injury, please contact the law offices of Beers and Gordon P.A. for a free consultation. We service the Greater Orlando area including Seminole, OrangeVolusia, Lake, and Brevard counties. Our attorneys have over 50 years of combined experience ready and willing to go the distance on your case.

Lost Wages / Beers and Gordon P.A. / Personal Injury A serious personal injury case, whether it relates to a car, work, or private property accident, usually means the victim of that accident will have to take some time off from work. Should the injury be more catastrophic, or cause any debilitation in potential job performance and, thereby, income, this could also become an issue. Lost wages are basically the dollar figure that cannot be made or earned as a result of an injury. And lost wages, from a legal standpoint, are considered a calculated estimate of what the injured party has already and will, most likely, lose financially on the job. These might include time not worked, loss of earning potential, and even the possibility of missing other opportunities beyond the original employer.

If you or someone you love has been the victim of a motor vehicle accident or a personal injury, please contact the law offices of Beers and Gordon P.A. for a free consultation. Our firm serves all of Seminole, OrangeVolusia, Lake, and Brevard counties, including Oviedo, Winter Springs, Altamonte Springs, Sanford, Longwood, Winter Park, Lake Mary, and Greater Orlando. Our attorneys have over 50 years of combined experience ready and willing to go the distance on your case.

What are Damages / Tort Reform / Oviedo Winter Garden Longwood Attorneys / Personal Injury Wrongful Death Lawyers / Beers and Gordon P.A. Lawyers often toss around terms that might be deemed legalese. Jargon. Jibberish. Technical terms that seem hard to understand and sometimes contrary to their otherwise normal definition. Among these words is one you’ve probably seen a lot: damages.

More often than not, when you think of damages, especially in terms of an accident, you’re thinking about the dents, the scratches, and the physical toll your vehicle or body has taken after being hit. But in legal terms, the word “damages” simply refers to the monetary reward given to an offended party, either through settlement or through the decision of a court. But this can be broken down a little further as well. Namely, compensatory damages and punitive damages. The former, compensatory damages, refers to a somewhat direct compensation for losses. The latter, punitive damages, refers to the award given as the punishment of someone who was in the wrong.

If you or someone you love has been the victim of property damage or personal injury, please contact the law offices of Beers and Gordon P.A. for a free consultation. Our firm serves all of Seminole, OrangeVolusia, Lake, and Brevard counties, including Oviedo, Winter Springs, Altamonte Springs, Sanford, Longwood, Winter Park, Lake Mary, and Greater Orlando. Our attorneys have over 50 years of combined experience ready and willing to go the distance on your case.

Car Insurance / Motor Vehicle Accident Attorneys / Personal Injury Protection Lawyers / Beers and Gordon P.A. Personal Injury Protection, or simply PIP, is mandatory coverage provided by your insurance company in the event of an accident. It is governed by Florida Statute 627.736(1). Under the PIP Statute, an insurance company is required to provide their insured with a minimum of coverage, should they be involved in an auto accident. The minimum coverage is $10,000 per person, and it will cover or reimburse the following expenses:

1. 80% of any and all medical bills relating to injuries sustained
2. 60% of any loss of income (wages) or earning capacity
3. 80% of prescriptions for medication prescribed as a result of injury
4. Reimbursement of mileage to and from any medical facility

If you or someone you love has been the victim of a motor vehicle accident, please contact the law offices of Beers and Gordon P.A. for a free consultation. Our firm serves all of Seminole, OrangeVolusia, Lake, and Brevard counties, including Oviedo, Winter Springs, Altamonte Springs, Sanford, Longwood, Winter Park, Lake Mary, and Greater Orlando. Our attorneys have over 50 years of combined experience ready and willing to go the distance on your case.

Pain and Suffering / Motor Vehicle Accident / Civil Trial Attorneys / Beers and Gordon P.A. Most of the time, after an accident, drivers will stop, get out, check on each other, check on their cars, and make the necessary phone calls. But once in a while, after an accident, one of the drivers most likely at fault, will drive away from the scene. But if you’re the one who got hit and you have no idea who struck your vehicle, what is your recourse? How do you deal with the costs of injury and damage without having any idea who the person is that hit you? In the case of a hit-and-run where the negligent driver is never identified, plaintiffs can sometimes recover under Florida’s underinsured/uninsured motorist policies.

Your first line of defense is to ensure that you have an active auto insurance policy with the state, requiring $10,000 in Personal Injury Protection (PIP) benefits. This coverage will ensure that 80% of your medical bills will be covered regardless of fault. However, what happens when the person who causes the accident has no insurance or no Bodily Injury Coverage? Is there any way you can recover for the remaining 20% of your bills? How about money for pain and suffering? How about lost wages and future medical expenses?

One of the best ways that you can protect yourself is to elect Uninsured Motorist Coverage or (UM) through your own insurance company. UM is elective coverage that allows the victim of an auto-accident to receive compensation if they are injured by an uninsured vehicle that caused the accident through automobile negligence.

If you or someone you love has been the victim of a motor vehicle accident, please contact the law offices of Beers and Gordon P.A. for a free consultation. Our firm serves all of Seminole, OrangeVolusia, Lake, and Brevard counties, including Oviedo, Winter Springs, Altamonte Springs, Sanford, Longwood, Winter Park, Lake Mary, and Greater Orlando. Our attorneys have over 50 years of combined experience ready and willing to go the distance on your case.

Loss of Earning Potential / Motor Vehicle Accident Attorneys / Personal Injury Lawyers / Orlando Oviedo Winter Springs / Beers and Gordon P.A. If you sustained injuries that prevent you from working, you may be able to receive compensation by proving that your earning capacity was negatively impacted by the incident. In this case, the jury will typically determine the amount that a victim could have earned if the car accident had not occurred. But this begs a relevant question: what is the difference between lost wages and earning capacity?

Lost wages have to do with monies already demonstrably lost, such as any documented time off for medical procedures and the immediate loss of paychecks in the days, weeks, and months that followed an accident. However, the loss of earning capacity has more to do with projection, and the potential of any victim to be limited, as a result of the accident, in their ability to earn a paycheck in the future. Considering the severity of an accident, the loss of earning capacity may well be severely hampered, demanding a more serious compensation.

If someone you love has been the victim of a motor vehicle accident or a personal injury, please contact the law offices of Beers and Gordon P.A. for a free consultation. Our firm serves all of Seminole, OrangeVolusia, Lake, and Brevard counties, including Oviedo, Winter Springs, Altamonte Springs, Sanford, Longwood, Winter Park, Lake Mary, and Greater Orlando. Our attorneys have over 50 years of combined experience ready and willing to go the distance on your case.

Scales of Justice / Medical Bills / Who Pays the Balance / Personal Injury Protection Attorneys / Orlando Oviedo Winter Springs Sanford Lawyers / Beers and Gordon P.A. While it may seem like an odd and seldom used word, “tort” has a long history in the legal profession as referring to a civil wrong or, even simpler, an injustice against someone that brings harm or injury. Tort law, therefore, is primarily about issuing accountability for those wrongs, be they intentional, accidental/negligent, or even indirect (such as the promotion or sale of a defective or harmful product). Tort law stands out from, say, the criminal justice system in which a wrong is deemed to have a greater impact on the public and/or society at large.

Another way to separate the two in your mind is to consider the generally sought-after result as being very different. Usually. In tort or civil law, attorneys seek out damages and compensation for the victim(s) of a wrong. In criminal law, attorneys seek out punishment for the perpetrator of a specific crime. Simply put, one has to do with helping victims get back on their feet and the other has to do with legally avenging the actions of an alleged criminal.

If someone you love has been the victim of a wrongful death, a personal injury, or a motor vehicle accident, please contact the law offices of Beers and Gordon P.A. for a free consultation. Our firm serves all of Seminole, OrangeVolusia, Lake, and Brevard counties, including Oviedo, Winter Springs, Altamonte Springs, Sanford, Longwood, Winter Park, Lake Mary, and Greater Orlando. Our attorneys have over 50 years of combined experience ready and willing to go the distance on your case.

Teenage Drivers / Motor Vehicle Accidents / Personal Injury / Beers and Gordon P.A. You may find it shocking to know that Florida has the fifth highest rate of uninsured drivers in the whole country. Almost a quarter of Florida drivers do not have auto insurance. In other words, one out of every four cars you see while driving on I-4, SR417, or any familiar backroad may be driven by an uninsured driver. This means that if they cause an accident due to automobile negligence, there is no coverage available for the injured parties, like yourself, to pursue. So what can you do to protect yourself?

Your first line of defense is to ensure that you have an active auto insurance policy with the state, requiring $10,000 in Personal Injury Protection (PIP) benefits. This coverage will ensure that 80% of your medical bills will be covered regardless of fault. However, what happens when the person who causes the accident has no insurance or no Bodily Injury Coverage? Is there any way you can recover for the remaining 20% of your bills? How about money for pain and suffering? How about lost wages and future medical expenses?

One of the best ways that you can protect yourself is to elect Uninsured Motorist Coverage or (UM) through your own insurance company. UM is elective coverage that allows the victim of an auto-accident to receive compensation if they are injured by an uninsured vehicle that caused the accident through automobile negligence.

If you or someone you love has been the victim of a motor vehicle accident, please contact the law offices of Beers and Gordon P.A. for a free consultation. Our firm serves all of Seminole, OrangeVolusia, Lake, and Brevard counties, including Oviedo, Winter Springs, Altamonte Springs, Sanford, Longwood, Winter Park, Lake Mary, and Greater Orlando. Our attorneys have over 50 years of combined experience ready and willing to go the distance on your case.

Filing a Police Report / Motor Vehicle Accident Attorneys / Oviedo Lawyers / Winter Springs Attorneys / Beers and Gordon P.A. Perhaps you already have Personal Injury Protection and a cadillac of coverage to ensure you, your family, and your property is covered in the case of an accident. That would be ideal. But what if you were in an accident and did not have even the most basic of PIP coverage? Do you still qualify after the fact?

After a motor vehicle accident, regardless of who is at fault, every person involved will report to their own insurance company for PIP benefits. That said, if you are not covered on an auto insurance policy, you may still qualify for PIP through other means such as residing with a relative who owns an insured vehicle, or riding in a vehicle that is insured. Remember that not having Personal Injury Protection, PIP, does not stop you from seeking immediate medical attention or pursuing a claim against an at-fault driver.

If you or someone you love has been the victim of a motor vehicle accident, please contact the law offices of Beers and Gordon P.A. for a free consultation. Our firm serves all of Seminole, OrangeVolusia, Lake, and Brevard counties, including Oviedo, Winter Springs, Altamonte Springs, Sanford, Longwood, Winter Park, Lake Mary, and Greater Orlando. Our attorneys have over 50 years of combined experience ready and willing to go the distance on your case.

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