Free Unless You Win | Call 24/7: 1-800-800-1414
Free Unless You Win | Call 24/7: 1-800-800-1414
When a distracted driver in Sarasota injures you, Florida law gives you the right to seek payment for the harm they caused.
As Sarasota distracted driving accident lawyers, we understand the physics of these crashes and the immense financial pressure they put on families. Managing medical appointments is hard enough; you shouldn’t have to battle insurance companies at the same time.
If you’re unsure what to do next, our team at Hale Law Accident Attorneys can provide clear, direct answers. Call us for a free evaluation of your case at (941) 735-4529.
Choosing the right attorney after a crash is one of the most important decisions you’ll make. You want a team with real courtroom experience, a record of meaningful results, and the resources to take on large insurance companies.
Our firm has secured significant verdicts and settlements for injured Floridians.
Insurance companies pay attention to firms that actually try cases. From the first day we take your claim, we approach it as if a jury will eventually hear it.
That means gathering cell-phone records, consulting accident reconstruction experts if the case warrants it, and building a fact-based story of how the crash happened and what it cost you. This level of preparation leads to potentially stronger settlements because the other side knows we’re ready to prove the case in court.
Hale Law has been recognized among Florida’s Best Law Firms for multiple years. Partner Patrick Iyampillai was named to SRQ Magazine’s “35 Under 35”, highlighting his leadership in both the courtroom and the Sarasota community. These recognitions reflect a simple truth: our work is respected by clients, colleagues, and judges alike.
You’ll find us right here in Sarasota at 2803 Fruitville Road, Suite 240, Sarasota, FL 34237, a short drive away from the Sarasota Memorial Hospital campus.
When you call us, you reach an attorney who knows the local roads, the courts, and the realities of driving in this community. You won’t be passed to an out-of-state call center or left waiting for updates. You’ll have direct access to the lawyer handling your case.
You never pay out-of-pocket. Our firm works on a contingency fee, which means we only get paid if (and only if) we recover compensation for you. We front the costs of investigation and litigation so that financial pressure doesn’t stand between you and justice.
One of the biggest challenges is proving the other driver’s inattention caused the crash. Drivers rarely admit to texting or being on their phone. A successful claim depends on building a case with evidence that moves beyond a “he said, she said” argument.
Our work begins the moment you hire us. We use the legal process to gather facts that are not publicly available.
Florida is a “no-fault” state, which causes a lot of confusion for accident victims. What does that term actually mean for you?
It means every Florida driver must carry their own Personal Injury Protection (PIP) insurance. After an accident, your own PIP coverage is the first source of payment for your medical bills, regardless of who was at fault. But this system has serious limitations.
By law, Florida drivers are only required to carry $10,000 in PIP coverage. This policy will cover:
A single trip to the emergency room after a car accident can burn through this limit quickly. If your injuries are serious, requiring surgery, ongoing care, or extended time off work, your expenses will almost certainly exceed what your own PIP policy will pay.
This is why you file a claim against the at-fault driver. A personal injury claim allows you to pursue compensation for all the costs that PIP does not cover, including the remaining 20% of your medical bills and 40% of lost wages. More importantly, it is the only way to recover money for the non-financial impact of the crash, like pain and suffering.
The purpose of a personal injury claim is to provide financial stability after an accident rewrites your life. A fair settlement should cover the full range of losses you’ve experienced because another driver was not paying attention.
These damages fall into two main categories.
These are the direct, calculable financial losses tied to the accident.
These are the intangible losses that affect your quality of life.
Florida uses a “modified comparative negligence” system, which means that your final compensation can be reduced by your percentage of fault in the accident.
If you are found to be more than 50% at fault, you cannot recover any damages at all. Insurance companies conduct thorough investigations, looking for any evidence to argue you were partially at fault. Our role is to keep them accountable and ensure no amount of blame is unjustly put on you.
Florida’s laws specifically target distracted driving, and they are a useful tool for establishing the other driver’s negligence.
The law defines distraction as anything that takes your hands off the wheel, eyes off the road, or mind off the task of driving. This includes:
Florida Statute 316.305 makes it illegal to type on any wireless device while a vehicle is in motion. A citation for violating this law provides strong evidence of negligence. Additionally, a new “Florida Hands-Free Driving Law” is expected to take effect July 1, 2025, which will make it illegal to hold a cell phone for any reason while driving, with very few exceptions.
A citation isn’t required to prove distraction, but it does strengthen your case significantly.
Sarasota’s blend of residents, seasonal visitors, and tourists creates heavy and sometimes erratic traffic patterns. This congestion, particularly during the peak season from late winter through spring, increases the risk of distracted driving accidents.
While an accident can happen on any road, certain intersections in Sarasota County are well-known for a higher frequency of collisions. Based on traffic volume and local crash data, these areas include:
The statistics paint a clear picture of the risks on our local roads.
For most personal injury cases with accident dates after March 24, 2023, Florida’s statute of limitations allows you two years to file a lawsuit. However, it’s better to begin the process quickly to preserve evidence like witness memories and vehicle data.
If the at-fault driver was working at the time of the crash, their employer may also be liable. This can be an important factor because commercial vehicles typically carry much larger insurance policies, though their legal teams are also more experienced in defending against claims.
Yes. A police citation is helpful evidence, but it’s not a requirement. As mentioned earlier, we can use other methods like subpoenaing cell phone records, using witness statements, and hiring accident reconstruction experts to build a persuasive case that the other driver was negligent.
The great majority of personal injury cases settle out of court. We prepare every case as though it will go to trial at the Sarasota County Courthouse, which puts us in a strong negotiating position. If the insurance company refuses to offer a fair settlement, we are fully prepared to present your case to a jury.
We handle all personal injury cases on a contingency fee basis. This means you pay no upfront costs or attorney’s fees. We only get paid if we secure a financial recovery for you. Our fee is a percentage of the settlement or verdict we obtain on your behalf.
Worrying about the legal process should not stop you from securing your financial future. The other driver’s decision to look at their phone doesn’t get to define the rest of your life. Florida law gives you a clear path to hold them accountable, but you don’t have to walk it by yourself.
It starts with a simple, direct conversation about what happened. Let us explain your rights and your options.
Contact our Sarasota office today for a free, no-obligation consultation at (941) 735-4529.
When out on the roads, it seems that more and more drivers are changing lanes without using their turn signals, drifting into the shoulder of the road before making a sudden correction, running stop signs, and taking a long time before starting up again when stopped at a red light that turns green. It is not just in your imagination—drivers are more distracted than ever. Even though there have been many advancements in car safety and crash prevention technologies, traffic fatalities are holding even at about 40,000 deaths per year because drivers are choosing to allow distraction to control them when they get behind the wheel.
If you were injured in any traffic collision, that driver’s distraction is probably at least partially to blame. Hold them accountable for your damages by working with an experienced Sarasota distracted driving accident attorney at Hale Law.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), there are three types of distracted driving:
Visual distractions include looking in the backseat for a wallet or piece of paper, while manual distractions might be adjusting a side view mirror while driving. Cognitive distractions could be as simple as daydreaming or a loud child’s noise from the back seat. Of course, many forms of distraction check multiple boxes. Texting, for example, is a form of all three.
Using cell phones while driving is the ultimate form of distracted driving, causing an unknown number of fatalities and serious injuries every year. According to the National Safety Council, cell phone-caused collisions are under-reported, and there is no safe way to use a cell phone behind the wheel of a car, whether it is hands-free or not. While texting is obviously dangerous and illegal, talking on a hands-free or handheld phone is also extremely risky, as it causes drivers to miss seeing half of what is around them due to cognitive distraction alone.
Regardless of how or why the other driver was distracted, Hale Law’s experienced Sarasota distracted driving accident attorneys can help you prove they were negligent and hold them liable for your damages. Call (800)-800-1414 today to schedule a free consultation with a Sarasota attorney.
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