Searcy Denney Scarola Barnhart & Shipley PA
Phone: 850-224-7600
Towle House, 517 N. Calhoun St.
Tallahassee, FL 32301-1231

Searcy Denney Scarola Barnhart & Shipley’s Tallahassee personal injury attorneys represent victims hurt in accidents stemming from negligence, including aviation disasters, medical malpractice, railroad disasters, trucking accidents, unsafe products, and vehicle defects. Each injury lawyer in our personal injury practice has experience in handling a wide range of cases and obtaining financial compensation for victims who have suffered losses due to the negligence of others.

As our client, you will benefit from our 45 years of experience in representing clients in personal injury claims. With our resources, skills, and history of successful advocacy, we will vigorously fight to obtain the compensation to which you are entitled. Contact us today for an evaluation of your accident case.

About Tallahassee 

Tallahassee is the capital of Florida, as well as a major center for the trade, agriculture, technology, and manufacturing industries. Tallahassee claims the title of the 12th fastest-growing metropolitan area in Florida. A regional center for scientific research and major universities such as Florida State University and Florida A&M University, Tallahassee boasts a wide variety of professional and governmental organizations and entities.

Tallahassee is also home to many historical buildings such as the Florida Supreme Court, the Governor’s Mansion, and the Florida State Capitol. In addition, the city is enriched with cultural sites such as the Challenger Learning Center, Lake Jackson Mounds State Archaeological Park, and the Mary Brogan Museum of Art and Science. Furthermore, Tallahassee residents and visitors alike enjoy a temperate climate consisting of long summers and mild winters.

Due to the high frequency of tourism and an already bustling population, visitors and residents alike have a higher chance of suffering a personal injury accident. However, victims and their loved ones may be entitled to compensation for their injuries and/or losses. Anyone who is hurt in Tallahassee due to another’s negligence is advised to turn to an experienced Tallahasse personal injury attorney to ensure their right to damages is protected. 

Why You Need an Experienced Tallahassee Personal Injury Lawyer

If you have been seriously injured in an accident, there are several reasons why you need an experienced Tallahassee personal injury lawyer on your side. Despite what they say, the insurance companies are not on your side, and they will not work with you to protect your legal rights.

In fact, they will do just the opposite. When you file a claim after a serious accident, the insurance companies’ goal is to pay you as little as possible. As a result, to make sure you receive just compensation, you need an advocate who has your best interests in mind.

When you hire a Tallahassee personal injury lawyer to represent you, your lawyer will examine all of the relevant facts and make an unbiased determination of liability. If you are entitled to financial compensation, your lawyer will then fight to recover the financial compensation you deserve. Your lawyer will help you decide when (and if) to settle, and if the insurance companies refuse to treat you fairly, your lawyer will take them to court.

Our Top-Rated Tallahassee Personal Injury Attorneys Explain When You Can File a Personal Injury Claim

If you or a member of your family has been seriously injured in an accident, in a hospital or doctor’s office, or under any other circumstances in which you suspect that someone else may be to blame, you are right to be asking questions about your legal rights. The financial costs of serious accidents can be devastating for many families, and the non-financial costs can impact victims’ lives for decades to come.

Accident claims are governed by “personal injury” law in Florida. Florida’s personal injury laws provide accident victims with important legal rights, but they place certain limitations on the exercise of these rights as well. If you believe that you may have a personal injury claim in Tallahassee, here are five key facts you need to know:

• Most personal injury claims are governed by the law of negligence. If another person(or a company was negligent in causing your (or your loved one’s) accident, then you are entitled to financial compensation under Florida law. Examples of negligence include mistakes such as driving while drunk or distracted, failing to remedy property hazards, and misdiagnosing patients’ illnesses and injuries.
• Some personal injury claims are governed by the law of strict liability. In cases involving defective products, the law of “strict liability” applies. Under Florida’s strict liability law, product designers, manufacturers, distributors and retailers can all potentially be held liable when a defective vehicle component, medication, medical device or other product causes a serious injury.
• Most successful personal injury claims settle out of court. When you hire an experienced Tallahassee personal injury lawyer to handle your case, the most likely outcome is an out-of-court settlement. While some personal injury cases go to trial, most settle without going to court.
• Personal injury claims are subject to a statute of limitations. In Florida, all personal injury claims are subject to a statute of limitations. This is a law that establishes the maximum amount of time an accident victim has to file his or her claim. If the statute of limitations for your claim expires, you could lose your rights completely.
• Getting Started Quickly Will Give You the Best Chance to Recover Maximum Compensation. Even though you may have several years to file your claim under Florida’s statute of limitations, waiting any longer than necessary could prove to be a costly mistake. In order to give yourself the best chance to recover maximum compensation, you should speak with a lawyer as soon as possible.

Our Tallahassee Personal Injury Attorneys Handle All Types of Serious Accident Cases

We represent people who need help recovering from all types of serious accidents. When you choose our firm to represent you, you will work directly with a personal injury lawyer who has extensive experience handling cases similar to yours, and you will have the opportunity to remain involved every step of the way. Contact us today to learn more about our experience helping victims in cases involving:

• Car Accidents
• Bicycle Accidents
• Motorcycle Accidents
• Watercraft and Boating Accidents
• Truck Accidents
• Product-Related Accidents
• Dangerous Drugs
• Unsafe Medical Devices
• Medical Malpractice
• Premises Liability
• Aviation Accidents
• Golf Cart Accidents
• Railroad Accidents

No matter what happened, no matter who may be to blame, and regardless of whether you think you are entitled to compensation, you owe it to yourself to speak with a Tallahassee personal injury attorney. At Searcy Denney Scarola Barnhart & Shipley, we are available 24/7, and we can arrange for you to discuss your case with one of Tallahassee’s top-rated personal injury attorneys in person or over the phone right away.

Searcy Denney Scarola Barnhart & Shipley PA is a Florida powerhouse with deep North Florida roots. Our Tallahassee personal injury attorneys have a strong passion for seeking justice for our clients who have been wronged by others.

For 45 years, Searcy Denney has been the trial lawyers called upon by victims of catastrophic accidents, negligence, and social injustice in North Florida, South Florida and across the nation.

We have established a substantial second office in North Florida in order to better serve clients and to bring improved service to the residents of Tallahassee, Pensacola, Fort Walton Beach and more. The partners and paralegals manning our efforts in North Florida represent some of our very best and have solid roots firmly planted in the north Florida area.

Our firm’s record of client advocacy is based on our commitment to helping clients find justice through a system that can be, at times, daunting and overwhelming. We understand the complexities of personal injury, commercial litigation, and other complex litigation cases and we continue to successfully confront the difficulties presented to our clients in these matters.

A firm with 45 years experience and a track record of success brings power to our clients’ causes and has provided us with the resources to confront even the most powerful of wrongdoers. We stand up for the rights of our clients not only in the courtroom but also in the board rooms of big corporations that have chosen profits over your safety.

Our Law Firm Offers Our Clients Experience . . . and Beyond.

• A North Florida presence that illustrates our regional commitment.
• A record of significant successes.
• A team of attorneys to aggressively pursue justice in your case.
• Skilled paralegals, investigators, and professional staff skilled in the areas of law we practice.
• A history of dedication to community service and aid to the foundation of justice.

We welcome you to browse through our web site, which highlights our North Florida office, to learn more about us and what we do. We also invite you to explore our South Florida office website for additional resources.

What you will discover is a firm, a group of Tallahassee injury attorneys, who have been there, have done that, and have been successful for clients for over 45 years.

It is our firm’s commitment, however, that your civil problem is not about us, we recognize it is about you and it is about your loved ones. We approach each case uniquely and understand that each demands our best creative efforts for new strategies and tactics specifically designed with your case in mind.

At Searcy Denney, we can’t separate who we are from what we are because they are identical.

As a Tallahassee injury law firm, we have 45 years of experience pursuing our passion for justice:

• A passion for defending people whose rights have been violated;
• A passion for making wrongdoers accountable for their actions; and
• A passion for upholding standards of fairness and equality for everyone.

In following our passion, we have amassed a formidable track record in a number of major practice areas. In addition, there are several specialties in which our Tallahassee injury attorney expertise has proved outstanding. We have learned from our experience that there is no magic formula, no silver bullet, for obtaining justice for every client. No two cases are the same, so each case is prepared differently, depending upon its circumstances.

There is one thing, however, that all of our clients have in common: each one gets our utmost respect, our personal attention, and the fullest extent of our resources for seeking justice.

At Searcy Denney, our personal injury practice is devoted to representing clients who have been seriously injured and who have lost loved ones due to traumatic accident-related injuries. We handle cases ranging from vehicle collisions to railroad and aviation disasters, and we have particular experience securing compensation on behalf of clients who have been harmed by dangerous and defective products. We have secured billions of dollars in compensation for our clients; and, with offices in the Historic Towle House in downtown Tallahassee, we are committed to securing justice for individuals and families in our local community.

Here are 5 Reasons Why Accident Victims in Tallahassee Choose Searcy Denney Scarola Barnhart & Shipley for Their Injury Attorneys 

As an accident victim, the choices you make now could truly impact the rest of your life. This includes your choice of legal representation. Here are five reasons why victims of all types of serious accidents in Tallahassee have trusted the personal injury attorneys at Searcy Denney Scarola Barnhart & Shipley for more than 45 years:

Negligence: The Legal Doctrine from Which Most Personal Injury Lawsuits Arise

For most accident victims in Tallahassee, filing a personal injury claim involves proving negligence. Negligence is the legal doctrine from which most personal injury lawsuits arise. Under Florida law, property owners, drivers, businesses, government agencies, and other individuals and entities all owe a legal duty to exercise reasonable care. If they breach this duty—and if their breach leads to an injury—they can be held liable for negligence in most cases.

Speeding, drunk driving, failing to clean up spills, and failing to repair potholes and sinkholes are all common examples of negligence. But there are numerous other examples as well. If you have been injured under any circumstances in which you believe someone else’s negligence may be to blame, you should speak with a Tallahassee personal injury lawyer as soon as possible.

Tallahassee’s Roads Present Serious Dangers for Motorists, Cyclists and Pedestrians

While the State of Florida has made significant strides in preventing roadway accidents, injuries, and fatalities, the reality is that too many people continue to suffer serious injuries and fatalities as a result of vehicle accidents. In Leon County, traffic accidents have decreased in the past several years, dropping to just over 5,000 accidents in 2010, the most recent year for which data is available. Thirty-six of these accidents led to fatalities, and over 3,500 of these accidents led to injuries. Of those accidents, just 305 were alcohol-related in 2010, but roughly 60% of those alcohol-related accidents led to injuries.

In addition to car accidents, four motorcycle accident fatalities occurred in Leon County in 2010, as well as 105 motorcycle accidents leading to injuries. Only one fatal bicycle accident occurred in Leon County that year, but 65 such accidents led to injuries. Additionally, 10 pedestrians were killed in the area due to traffic accidents in 2010, and another 131 pedestrians received injuries of varying degrees. In 2010 alone, over 200 accidents occurred in Leon County that involved commercial vehicles, resulting in six fatalities and 161 injuries.

How Personal Injury Claims Work in Tallahassee

What can you expect when you hire a lawyer to file a personal injury claim in Tallahassee? The short answer is, “It depends.” For example, if you have been injured in a car accident, recovering your losses will most likely involve dealing with the insurance companies, and, depending on the severity of your injuries, you may (or may not) be limited to seeking personal injury protection (PIP) coverage under your own policy.

If you have a claim for a slip-and-fall accident, boating accident, or another type of accident, filing a personal injury claim usually involves dealing with the negligent party’s insurance company as well, although PIP doesn’t come into play. While most successful personal injury claims (of all types) result in insurance settlements, if a fair settlement isn’t on the table, your Tallahassee personal injury lawyer may need to take your case to trial.

Filing a Tallahassee Personal Injury Claim: A Step-by-Step Guide

With this in mind, if you believe you may have a personal injury claim (or don’t know and would like to find out), there are some steps you should take promptly. For example, to protect your legal rights after an accident in Tallahassee, you should:

• Get treatment for your injuries. Protecting your health is a key step toward protecting your legal rights. After an accident, you should get treatment for your injuries as soon as possible.
• Document the accident. If you took photos or videos at the accident scene, keep these to share with your Tallahassee personal injury lawyer. Also, as soon as you are able to do so, take 10-15 minutes to write down as many details as you can remember.
• Contact your insurance company (if applicable). If you have a personal injury claim for a car accident, you will need to report the accident to your insurance company. If you don’t, you could potentially lose your coverage.
• Hire a Tallahassee personal injury lawyer. Asserting your legal rights effectively requires experienced legal representation. You can hire a lawyer to represent you at no out-of-pocket cost.
• Rely on your lawyer to make informed decisions. As you move forward, you will need to rely on your lawyer’s advice to make informed decisions. You only get one chance, and you do not want to settle for anything less than just compensation.

While these aren’t the only steps involved in filing a personal injury claim in Tallahassee, they are some of the most important steps that you can take—and that you should take today if possible. Our team is available 24/7, and we can explain everything you need to know (and do) to maximize your chances of a full financial recovery.

A Tallahassee Personal Injury Lawyer Addresses Injuries: Expectation vs. Reality

Our legal team has handled many personal injury cases, and our experience has taught us that many people’s expectations regarding their injuries are not in line with reality. Therefore, our personal injury lawyers can address some of the most common misconceptions we have seen.

Insurance Companies and Injuries in Tallahassee Car Accidents

Expectation: My insurance company is on my side and will willingly pay me what my injuries and damages are worth.

Reality: Unfortunately, your insurance company is not on your side or eager to pay you what you deserve for your car accident-related injuries. As a matter of fact, it is the insurance companies’ job to minimize how much they have to pay you. Unlike you, personal injury cases are their business, and they know all the tricks of the trade. They will try to low-ball you with a settlement offer that is seldom worth what you should be able to recover. This is why retaining a personal injury lawyer is a must. 

The Cost of a Tallahassee Personal Injury Lawyer

Expectation: Even if I need help with my claim for the injuries I received in my accident, I could never afford an attorney.

Reality: The potential cost of a personal injury lawyer should never stop you from getting legal help. This is because most of them will not charge you anything upfront. Instead, when you become their client, you agree that when you are paid, and only if you are paid, they will get a certain percentage of what you receive. This is called a contingency fee and means the lawyer is taking all the risk. If your case fails to bring you money either through a settlement or through trial, you owe your attorney nothing. 

To keep from paying you what your case is worth, there are several arguments that insurance companies like to make. They include:

• The accident in which you sustained your injury was at least partly your fault.
• The police report fails to state that you were in any pain following the accident.
• Your injuries are not severe enough to cause any long-term repercussions. And even if they are, the insurance company will argue, you lack sufficient proof.
• The physician you are using is not qualified to access your injuries, and the insurance company will claim that you need to be examined by one of their doctors.
• You did not mention all your symptoms to the ER doctor.

Schedule a Free Initial Consultation with One of Our Best Tallahassee Personal Injury Attorneys

If you or a family member has suffered serious injuries in an auto accident or another type of vehicle accident, you may be entitled to compensation for losses such as medical bills, lost wages due, and rehabilitation expenses. Our experienced Tallahassee personal injury law firm can help you navigate the confusing world of insurance claims and personal injury law. Contact our office for a free consultation today, You can learn about the options available to you and the relief that you may be eligible to receive.

Tallahassee Personal Injury Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

What types of accidents lead to a personal injury claim?

Several types of accidents can lead to a personal injury claim in Tallahassee. These include car accidents, truck accidents, boat accidents, slip-and-fall and trip-and-fall accidents, and product-related accidents—among many others. If you have been injured in any circumstances in which you believe someone else is to blame, you should talk to a Tallahassee personal injury lawyer promptly.

How long after a personal injury can you sue in Tallahassee?

Under Florida’s new statute of limitations for negligence claims, you have two years from the date of your injury to sue in most cases. With that said, unnecessary delays can prove costly, so it is best to speak with a personal injury lawyer in Tallahassee as soon as possible.

How does a personal injury lawsuit work in Tallahassee?

While the inner workings of personal injury lawsuits are complicated, all you need to know right now is that you can—and should—hire a lawyer to help you at no out-of-pocket cost. Your lawyer can guide you through the process step-by-step, deal with the insurance companies for you, and present evidence of liability and damages in court if necessary.

What factors can affect personal injury cases in Tallahassee?

Several factors can affect personal injury cases in Tallahassee. While negligence is the most important factor in most cases, “comparative negligence” can also be a key factor. This is the role that you played (if any) in causing your injuries. Traffic patterns, weather conditions, timing, the availability of eyewitnesses and other evidence, and other factors can all play a key role in different types of personal injury cases as well.