In Florida, we have a no-fault system of insurance. What this means is that if you get into an accident and incur damage to your car and/or injuries, the payment for these comes from your own insurance, rather than the person at fault. However, if you are injured severely and exceed your personal limits, the other driver may be required to pay for certain damages. But, what happens if that driver also doesn’t have enough insurance to cover the full cost? Or even worse, what if they have no insurance at all? That’s where uninsured motorist coverage comes in.

The minimum personal injury protection (PIP) limit in Florida is $10,000, which at first glance seems like a lot. Many people look at their PIP amounts and think it will be more than sufficient to cover their needs in an accident. Hillsborough County is nearly $4,000, it’s easy to see how that $10,000 could disappear quickly. The cost of healthcare, especially in emergency settings, can be astronomical, and once that PIP is gone, you won’t be able to recover compensation for medical bills, lost income, or any of the other myriad expenses that can arise. Uninsured motorist insurance provides a supplement to your existing PIP levels so that if you do get into a situation in which the other driver can’t cover the costs, your medical bills will still be covered.

If you have questions about uninsured motorist coverage, or you’ve been in an accident with a driver who didn’t have adequate insurance, contact Barbas Law today. Our Tampa personal injury lawyers will be happy to answer any questions you may have.

When you’ve been involved in an auto accident in Tampa or any other Florida city, it can be seriously stressful. Unfortunately, oftentimes car repairs and medical bills aren’t the only expenses incurred, and sometimes you may receive a traffic ticket as well, even if you’re not at fault for the accident. Thankfully, getting a ticket doesn’t necessarily mean you’ll incur a heavy fine or get points on your license. In fact, depending on the type of ticket and the circumstances of your crash, you may be able to reduce the fine and avoid points altogether.

So, how is this possible? In Florida, most tickets are offered with three possible resolutions:

• Pay the fine/penalty and absorb the points
• Go to court and contest the ticket
• Go to traffic school

While online traffic school doesn’t erase financial penalty completely, it can reduce the amount you owe, and it does keep you from getting any points on your license. In addition, because you are deemed not guilty once you have completed the course, your insurance will not go up.

However, not everyone is eligible for this, and it depends on the type of ticket you got as well as the circumstances surrounding the ticket. For example a person who was speeding 15 MPH over the limit is likely to be able to go to traffic school to avoid points from that ticket. If that speeding caused or was a factor in an accident, they may not be allowed. If you’re unsure about whether or not you can attend traffic school to negate points on your license, look on the back of the ticket. It should list your options for resolution. Alternately, you can ask the police officer when he is issuing the ticket, or ask your car accident attorney.

For more information on ways to resolve a ticket from an auto accident, or if you have questions about your particular situation, contact Barbas Law and speak to an expert personal injury attorney in Tampa today.

Even if you haven’t been in an auto accident before, you doubtless have heard stories about dealing with insurance companies following a crash. Insurance companies are inherently skeptical of claims, and to a certain extent, they should be, since many unscrupulous people will try to take advantage of the situation. As for-profit groups, insurance companies aim to pay as little out as possible, and their adjusters and claims experts are trained to thoroughly investigate all aspects of it to find any incongruities, or reasons that the insurance company may not be liable. However, this cynical approach makes it very difficult for anyone to get a fair and timely settlement by themselves, including honest people who just want to have their medical bills covered and be justly compensated. Dealing with an insurance company may never be a joy, but there are some things you can do to make the process a little easier.

Here are 4 tips that may help you get fair compensation with minimal headaches:

1. Hire a personal injury lawyer – Any auto accident attorney in Tampa is trained and experienced in dealing with insurance companies, and they know how to “speak the language” of this industry. Not only can they effectively communicate with the companies, but they can investigate the claim themselves and your policy to make sure the insurance company takes care of everything it’s liable for.
2. Don’t give any statements right away – Contrary to what some people would have you believe, you are not obligated to give a written or verbal statement to your insurance company after a car accident, or to that of anyone else involved. In fact, it’s usually recommended that you not give any recorded statements directly afterwards, as they can come back to haunt you during the claims process. This isn’t to say that you can’t give a recorded statement at all; just that it’s advisable to wait until your head is clearer and you’ve had the chance to gather your thoughts and consult with your attorney.
3. Don’t sign anything right away – Sometimes, insurance agencies will want you to sign something after an accident, and while this may not always be a bad thing, in many cases it could mean you’re admitting fault or giving up certain rights. Even if you don’t think they’re trying to be malicious, it’s advisable to let your attorney look over the document to ensure you aren’t compromising your claims case.
4. Don’t settle for the first offer – Insurance companies almost always lowball you on the first offer because they leave room for negotiations. Don’t accept their first offer, and talk with your attorney to find out what a fair level of compensation is. In fact, you can even preempt them and write a demand letter, which states your proposed settlement deal.

These are just four things to consider after a car accident. A Tampa attorney may be able to help you further as well as provide aggressive representation of your rights if you have to go to court. If you have any questions or would like to speak with a lawyer about your case, contact Barbas Law.

When you’re on vacation, taking a work trip, or visiting loved ones out of town, the last thing you’re thinking about is a car crash. Unfortunately, these accidents can and do occur even when people are away from home, and this aspect adds even more confusion to an already difficult situation.

Before even considering who to hire as an attorney, it’s important to obtain proper medical care. Even if you don’t feel hurt, or don’t want to go to an unfamiliar hospital, the documentation of your visit may end up being important to your case. Once these immediate issues are resolved, then you can begin to consider who to hire for your auto accident. Tampa is full of lawyers, but not all of them are necessarily equipped to handle a long-distance case. Three important factors to consider when choosing are:

1. How high tech are they? Doing a long distance case requires an auto accident attorney to be more tech savvy than a normal case. If they can effectively use all of the tools at their disposal, like scans, e-mail, and even video calling, it can help them handle your case better. Conversely, an attorney who struggles with technology may not be able to communicate effectively with the opposition.
2. Are they knowledgeable of or experienced with working in the area of your accident? An attorney who has done out-of-town cases before knows better what to handle, and if they’ve worked in that particular location that the crash occurred, they may even already have contacts in the area that can help your case get through the court system quickly and properly.
3. How committed are they to your case? Handling an out-of-town case requires more work than one in Tampa. Your auto accident attorney needs to be willing to take on this challenge, even if it means driving long distances or more paperwork.

To avoid issues such as those above, you may initially consider hiring an attorney from the area in which your crash occurred. However, it’s important to remember that if they’re far away from you, they’ll still have to be tech savvy, knowledgeable, and committed because they need to communicate with you. But, then you may have to be as well just to communicate with them. For many people, though, it’s more important for them to be able to talk to the attorney face to face.

If you’ve been in an accident outside of Tampa and want to talk to an attorney, contact Barbas Law today. We offer a free consultation and can answer your questions regarding how to handle out-of-town accidents.

Unless you go to court to contest the ticket and win, you can’t get out of the fine. But, depending on the violation and the circumstances, you may be able to attend traffic school to avoid points and even to lower the fine. Look on the back of your ticket for ways to resolve it, or ask your accident attorney.

If you owe significantly more on your vehicle than it is worth, then you may want to consider GAP insurance. Think about if you could cover the cost of that difference in addition to any medical bills or other damages incurred in an accident. If you don’t think you could comfortably do so, then you should look into GAP insurance.