Personal Injury Lawyers in Viera, FL

Viera is unincorporated: no city government, no city police, no mayor. Law enforcement is the Brevard County Sheriff's Office, and the precinct that covers Viera is the West Precinct at 2725 Judge Fran Jamieson Way, Building E. That is who typically works a Viera crash and whose report we pull. On Interstate 95, it is the Florida Highway Patrol instead, because the interstate is theirs. Your rights are the same as anywhere in Florida; what changes is which agency's report we go get, and we know which one before we start.

Not quite, and Viera's layout makes it a real question. Under Chapter 316, Florida Statutes and Chapter 106 of Brevard County's ordinances, golf carts may use Viera's neighborhood streets, may not use any road posted above 30 miles per hour, and are separately prohibited on eight named roads: Wickham Road, Pineda Causeway, Viera Boulevard, Murrell Road, Stadium Parkway, Lake Andrew Drive, Tavistock Drive, and Judge Fran Jamieson Way. Carts run instead on signed multi-use sidewalks shared with walkers and cyclists, at 10 miles per hour or less, crossing a major road only at a signal or a marked crosswalk. So a cart, a stroller, and a fast arterial sit feet apart, and the coverage questions differ from a car crash.

For most Florida crash and injury claims caused by someone else's carelessness, you generally have two years from the date of the crash to file a lawsuit. Florida shortened that deadline from four years to two, and the change applies to crashes after March 24, 2023. If your crash happened on or before that date, the older four-year deadline may still apply, which means a 2022 crash may be viable into 2026 and a crash from early 2023 may be viable into 2027. Deadlines also work differently for claims against a city, county, or state agency, which require written notice to the agency before any lawsuit, and for wrongful death and defective product claims. Do not assume a child's claim gets extra time, because in most Florida injury cases it does not. Don't assume you're too late either. Call us and we'll check your date for free.

A second clock runs on your own insurance. Florida's no-fault law requires your first medical visit occur within 14 days of the crash to use your PIP benefits. Miss that window and your own insurance can deny the coverage you already pay for. PIP pays 80 percent of covered bills, up to $10,000 in combined medical and disability benefits when a qualified provider finds you had an emergency medical condition, and only up to $2,500 when no one makes that finding. The emergency department at Viera Hospital on North Wickham Road, a walk-in urgent care, or your own doctor all count. Go get checked, even if you feel okay.

These timelines cover car crash and other injury claims based on someone's carelessness. Medical malpractice, wrongful death, claims against government agencies, and claims involving a defective product follow their own separate rules and deadlines. If your situation is one of those, call us and we'll tell you which deadline applies.

For newer car accident claims, Florida uses a modified comparative negligence rule. If you're found more than 50 percent at fault, you recover nothing. If your share is 50 percent or less, you still recover, but your award is reduced by your percentage of fault. Whether the new rule or Florida's older rule applies to your case depends on timing questions courts are still sorting out, and different rules apply to medical malpractice claims and claims involving intentional conduct, so ask us about your situation. In Viera, expect that fight at the roundabout at Wickham Road and Lake Andrew Drive, because who yielded to whom in a circle is exactly the kind of question two drivers remember differently.

The consultation costs nothing. Injury cases run on a contingency fee set in a written fee agreement under Florida Bar rules, and you owe no attorney fee unless we recover for you. At Douglas R. Beam, P.A. there is no attorney fee if no recovery. Clients can be responsible for costs if there is no recovery. Three things come out of any settlement before money reaches you: the attorney fee, case costs, and repayment of medical bills or liens, like hospital or health-insurance liens. The number that matters is your net, which is why lien reduction is real legal work; negotiating medical liens down often changes your net more than any other single step. Ask any lawyer you interview to walk through that math.