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Jacksonville, FL Auto Accident Lawyers
Hit on the road? Start with what happened.
After a car crash in Jacksonville or Northeast Florida, we help injured drivers, passengers, and families understand fault, Florida PIP, available insurance, medical documentation, and what may come next.
14 YearsRepresenting Policyholders
Jacksonville officeDowntown access
Free crash reviewsNo upfront cost
Contingency feesNo fee unless we win
What to do after a car accident in Florida
The first hours shape the whole claim.
What you do at the scene and in the days after a crash can protect your health and the evidence a claim depends on. If you are safe enough to do so, this is a practical order to work through.
01
Get to safety and check for injuries
Move out of traffic if you can, turn on hazards, and check yourself and others. Call 911 for injuries or blocked lanes.
02
Call the police and get a report
An official crash report documents the scene, drivers, and often a preliminary view of fault. Ask how to obtain a copy.
03
Photograph everything
Vehicle damage, positions, license plates, road and traffic signs, skid marks, injuries, and the wider scene from several angles.
04
Exchange information
Names, phone numbers, driver's license, license plate, and insurance details for every driver involved.
05
Find witnesses
Get names and numbers of anyone who saw the crash. Independent witnesses can matter when fault is disputed later.
06
Get medical care within 14 days
Adrenaline masks injury. In Florida, no-fault PIP benefits generally require initial medical care within 14 days of the crash — and prompt care ties the injury to the crash in the record.
07
Notify your own insurer
Report the crash promptly and factually. You can report it without giving a recorded statement about fault or injuries.
08
Be careful what you sign or say
Avoid recorded statements to the other insurer, broad medical authorizations, or early settlements before you understand the claim.
When the insurer starts building its crash file
Your recovery is personal. The insurance process is not.
While you are treating, arranging transportation, and trying to get back to normal, insurers may already be collecting statements, assigning fault, reviewing medical care, and measuring the claim against the smallest possible version of the crash.
01
Fault disputed
The other driver or insurer argues that you caused or contributed to the crash — using reports, photos, witnesses, traffic controls, and Florida comparative-fault rules.
02
Crash minimized
The collision is described as too minor to explain your injuries or treatment, based on vehicle damage, impact location, and symptom timing.
03
Care questioned
Treatment timing, bills, prior conditions, or gaps in care are used to reduce the claim.
04
Early offer
A settlement is offered before recovery, work impact, vehicle loss, or future care is fully known.
How fault affects a Florida car accident claim
Being partly at fault is not the end of the claim.
Florida's modified comparative fault, in plain terms
As of a 2023 change to Florida law, most crash claims follow a "modified comparative fault" rule. If you share some blame, your recovery is reduced by your percentage of fault — but a person found more than 50% at fault generally cannot recover damages in claims covered by the statute.
Because a few percentage points can change a claim substantially, insurers often push to assign you more fault than the evidence supports. The crash report, scene photos, witness accounts, traffic-control evidence, and vehicle damage should all be weighed before accepting an insurer's version of who was responsible.
Example
$100k → $80k
A claim valued at $100,000 where you are found 20% at fault would generally be reduced to $80,000. If you are found more than 50% at fault, recovery may be barred entirely.
Illustrative only. Actual outcomes depend on the specific facts, evidence, and law.
Florida is a no-fault state
Your own PIP coverage usually pays first.
Florida requires Personal Injury Protection (PIP). After a crash, your own PIP generally pays a portion of your medical bills and lost wages regardless of who caused it — but only if you act inside the deadline, and only up to your limit.
Step 1 · The clock
Care within 14 days
To keep PIP benefits available, you generally must get initial medical care within 14 days of the crash. Miss it, and PIP may be lost.
Step 2 · The coverage
Up to $10,000
PIP typically covers a portion of medical bills and lost wages up to $10,000, and a lower amount may apply without an "emergency medical condition."
Step 3 · Beyond PIP
Stepping outside no-fault
With a serious or permanent injury, you may step outside no-fault and pursue the at-fault driver for pain, full losses, and more.
Why the 14-day rule trips people up
Many crash injuries feel minor at first. People wait to "see how it goes," pass the 14-day mark, and unknowingly forfeit the PIP benefits that would have paid their early bills — while also weakening the medical record that connects the injury to the crash.
Getting evaluated promptly protects both the coverage and the claim. A free review can help you understand how PIP, UM/UIM, and the at-fault driver's liability coverage fit together in your situation.
The deadline
14 days
The window to seek initial medical care and preserve Florida PIP benefits after a crash. It runs whether or not you feel seriously hurt.
General information about Florida no-fault, not legal advice. Coverage and exceptions depend on your policy and the facts.
Florida crash filing deadlines
In Florida, the clock usually starts at the crash.
Car accident claims come with legal deadlines — and Florida no-fault adds an early medical one. Miss the deadline that applies, and an otherwise strong crash claim can be lost, so it is worth asking early rather than assuming a date.
2 yr
Injury from a crash
Under Florida's 2023 change, many negligence actions for crash injuries must be filed within two years of the collision.
2 yr
Wrongful death
Fatal-crash claims also generally fall under a two-year window, measured from the death.
14 days
PIP medical care
Florida no-fault (PIP) benefits generally require initial medical care within 14 days of the crash.
Varies
Exceptions
Minors, government vehicles, uninsured-motorist terms, and discovery rules can change the deadline that applies.
These are general timeframes, not legal advice. The deadline that applies to a specific crash depends on the facts and parties, so confirm it early — a free review can help.
Check my deadline — free review
Jacksonville auto accident cases we handle
Choose the situation closest to what happened.
Focused guidance for rear-end collisions, intersection crashes, uninsured drivers, impaired or distracted driving, highway crashes, and passenger injuries across Jacksonville and Northeast Florida.
Low-speed, real injury
Rear-end crashes
Whiplash, head and disc injury, delayed symptoms, and low-speed arguments even when vehicle damage looks limited.
Start a review → Right of wayIntersection / T-bone
Disputed fault, traffic-control and right-of-way questions, side-impact injuries, and multi-driver accounts.
Start a review → Your own coverageHit-and-run / uninsured
Uninsured and underinsured motorist coverage, unidentified drivers, and preserving evidence after the fact.
Start a review → Clear negligenceDrunk / distracted driving
Impaired, texting, or reckless drivers, added evidence sources, and serious-injury or wrongful-death claims.
Start a review → High speed, high stakesHighway / multi-vehicle
I-95, I-10, and JTB highway crashes, chain-reaction collisions, multiple insurers, and disputed sequence of impacts.
Start a review → Not the driverPassenger injuries
Injured passengers with claims against one or more drivers, and questions about which policy applies.
Start a review →
Common injuries after car accidents
The vehicle damage is not the whole injury story.
An auto accident claim should explain the diagnosis, the treatment it requires, the work it interrupts, developing symptoms, and the ways the crash changed everyday life.
Head, neck & back
Symptoms may appear or worsen after the crash.
Concussions, traumatic brain injuries, whiplash, disc and nerve injuries, headaches, dizziness, and cognitive changes.
Fractures & surgery
Recovery can extend far beyond the ER.
Broken bones, shoulder and knee injuries, torn ligaments, internal injuries, surgery, rehabilitation, limited mobility, and time away from work.
Soft tissue & internal
Not every crash injury shows on the first scan.
Sprains, strains, disc injuries, internal or organ injuries, and pain that develops or worsens in the days after the collision.
Permanent & fatal harm
Some crashes change a family's future.
Spinal injuries, disability, disfigurement, chronic pain, reduced independence, permanent restrictions, and wrongful death.
From crash to claim value
The complete crash claim may reach beyond the first offer.
An insurer may focus on immediate bills, visible vehicle damage, or a quick settlement figure. A complete review considers every supported way the crash affected health, work, transportation, finances, and daily life.
Past & future medical care
Ambulance, emergency treatment, hospital care, specialists, imaging, therapy, surgery, rehabilitation, and long-term needs.
Lost income & earning ability
Missed work, reduced hours, job restrictions, career disruption, and diminished ability to earn.
Vehicle & transportation losses
Repair or total-loss issues, rental costs, transportation, towing, and related out-of-pocket expenses.
Pain, limits & family loss
Physical pain, driving anxiety, activity limits, permanent injury, disfigurement, and wrongful-death losses.
Recoverable damages depend on the facts and law. These are review categories, not a promise that each applies.
Diminished value after a car accident
A repaired car is often worth less than before the crash.
Even a well-repaired vehicle can lose market value simply because it now has an accident on its history. In Florida, that lost value — "diminished value" — may be part of an auto claim, separate from your injury claim.
Inherent diminished value
The stigma of an accident history.
The drop in resale value that remains after quality repairs, because buyers pay less for a car with a reported collision.
Repair-related diminished value
When the repair itself falls short.
Value lost because repairs were incomplete, used lesser parts, or could not fully restore the vehicle.
What supports the claim
Evidence of the loss.
Pre-crash value, repair records, the accident report, mileage and condition, and an independent valuation can support a diminished-value figure.
Dealing with the insurance adjuster
The friendly first call has a purpose.
An adjuster's job is to resolve the claim for as little as possible. That is not personal — it is the business. Knowing what to do, and what not to do, helps protect the claim while your injuries and losses are still developing.
Reasonable to do
- Report the crash to your own insurer promptly and factually.
- Keep records: reports, photos, bills, letters, and a simple timeline.
- Get and continue medical care, and follow the treatment plan.
- Write down claim numbers, adjuster names, and what was said.
- Ask questions before agreeing to anything, and take your time.
Be cautious before you
- Give a recorded statement to the other driver's insurer.
- Sign a broad medical authorization releasing your full history.
- Accept a fast settlement before you know your full recovery.
- Guess about fault, injuries, or details you are unsure of.
- Say "I'm fine" or downplay symptoms that are still developing.
You are generally not required to give the other driver's insurer a recorded statement, and a free review can help you understand any request before you respond.
How we handle auto accident claims
A clear crash review before the next move.
Auto claims get harder when fault evidence, medical care, insurance coverage, vehicle loss, work impact, and the insurer's position are not organized around the issue being challenged.
01
Listen to what happened and identify urgent issues
We begin with the collision, injuries, treatment, vehicle condition, insurance contact, deadlines, and evidence that may need to be preserved.
02
Review fault, coverage, and crash evidence
Reports, photographs, witnesses, video, traffic controls, vehicle information, driver conduct, and insurance policies help define the case.
03
Document the injuries and complete losses
Medical records, bills, treatment plans, work loss, vehicle damage, transportation costs, limitations, and future needs connect the crash to the full harm.
04
Build, present, and litigate when necessary
The presentation connects fault, available insurance, medical proof, financial losses, and vehicle issues — and we litigate if the insurer will not resolve it fairly.
About the attorneys
The people reviewing the claim matter.
Before you share the details of an insurance dispute or injury, it helps to know who is reviewing the problem. Our attorneys focus on what happened, what the insurance company has said, and what evidence may matter next.
Client reviews
David M. Graham, Esq.
Founder / Lead Attorney
Focused on helping policyholders understand coverage, valuation, and the evidence a claim depends on before the next move is made.
Thomas Eross, Jr., Esq.
Attorney at Law
Brings steady communication and practical review to policy language, claim documentation, and insurance disputes.
Client stories
Hear the crash story, not just the star rating.
Hurricane damage
“They fought for us the whole time”
This association almost lost hope when their insurance company denied their claim after suffering significant hurricane damage.
Fred B. · ★★★★★ Client Review
Insurance claim
“The damage was significant.”
A bigger problem than they realized. Hear why clients trust us to handle their insurance claim disputes, even referring their own friends and family.
Melissa J. · ★★★★★ Client Review
Property damage
“The walls were buckling.”
She was forced to leave her home. The insurer caused extensive damage by condemning it — we got her compensated for her damages.
Julie K. · ★★★★★ Client Review
Local presence
A Jacksonville office when you need clear direction.
Many reviews can begin by phone or online, with an in-person office available when a face-to-face conversation is more helpful.
David Graham Insurance Lawyers, P.A.
Office210 E Forsyth St
Jacksonville, FL 32202
Jacksonville, FL 32202
Service reachJacksonville, Duval County, Orange Park, Fleming Island, Ponte Vedra, St. Augustine, the Beaches, and surrounding Northeast Florida.
Roadway contextCrashes across I-95, I-10, I-295, J. Turner Butler, Beach, Atlantic, and Blanding Boulevards, and downtown streets.
How to beginShare reports and medical records online, by phone, or through an in-person appointment.
What it costs to hire us
No fee unless we win.
Auto accident cases are handled on a contingency fee, so getting help after a crash does not depend on what you can pay today. The fee comes from the recovery, not out of your pocket up front.
$0
To start
The initial crash review is free, and there is no up-front charge to begin working on your claim.
$0
If there's no recovery
If the case does not result in a recovery, you do not owe an attorney fee for the work.
%
Only if we win
The fee is an agreed percentage of the recovery, explained clearly in writing before you decide to move forward.
Costs and fee terms are set by written agreement and are explained before you sign. This is general information, not a fee quote or legal advice.
Auto accident help
Tell us what happened in the crash and how you were hurt.
Explain where and when the collision happened, the drivers or vehicles involved, the medical care you received, and what any insurance company has said so far. Bring what you have — a crash review does not require a perfect file.
Rear-end and intersection crashes
Hit-and-run and uninsured drivers
Highway and multi-vehicle collisions
Passenger and serious-injury claims
Disputed fault or medical causation
Low settlement offers and wrongful death
Start here
Free Auto Accident Case Review
Jacksonville auto accident lawyer FAQ
Questions crash victims ask before calling.
Many people call after a crash when they are hurt, unsure who is at fault, being contacted by insurance, missing work, dealing with vehicle loss, or considering a settlement.
Florida is a no-fault auto state, so your own Personal Injury Protection (PIP) coverage generally pays a portion of your initial medical bills regardless of fault. To use PIP benefits, you typically must seek initial medical care within 14 days of the crash.
Under a 2023 change, many Florida negligence actions must generally be filed within two years, but the correct deadline can change based on the claim, parties, government involvement, wrongful death, minors, and other exceptions. The PIP 14-day medical requirement is separate and much earlier.
Florida uses modified comparative fault. Fault can reduce a recovery, and a person found more than 50% at fault generally may not recover damages in covered actions. The crash report, scene evidence, and traffic rules should be reviewed before accepting an insurer's percentage.
Be careful before giving a detailed or recorded statement, accepting payment, or signing a release. A free review can help you understand what the request may affect.
Symptoms can develop or become clearer over time. Medical care, follow-up records, imaging, and a consistent account of how symptoms changed may matter to the claim.
Your own auto policy may become important. Save the police report, policy documents, claim number, photographs, witness information, and medical records, and ask about uninsured or underinsured motorist (UM/UIM) coverage.
Depending on the facts, a claim may involve medical expenses, future treatment, lost income, reduced earning ability, pain, limitations, vehicle loss, rental and transportation costs, out-of-pocket expenses, permanent injury, or wrongful-death losses.
Helpful items may include the crash report, photographs, videos, witness information, medical records, bills, insurance letters, policy information, settlement offers, repair or total-loss documents, work-loss records, and a simple timeline.
The initial review is free, and auto cases are handled on a contingency fee — no fee unless there is a recovery. Fee terms are explained in writing before you decide to move forward.
Car accident & insurance terms explained
The words insurers use, in plain English.
A quick reference for terms that show up in car accident claims and insurance letters in Florida.
- Personal Injury ProtectionPIP
- Florida no-fault coverage that pays a portion of your own medical bills and lost wages after a crash, regardless of fault, if care begins within 14 days.
- Comparative fault
- How Florida splits responsibility. Your recovery drops by your share of fault, and is generally barred if you are found more than 50% at fault.
- Uninsured / underinsured motoristUM / UIM
- Coverage on your own policy that can apply when the at-fault driver has no insurance or not enough to cover your losses.
- Medical payments coverageMedPay
- Optional coverage that helps pay crash-related medical bills regardless of who was at fault, up to your policy limit.
- Bodily injury liabilityBI
- The at-fault driver's coverage for injuries they cause to others. Policy limits often shape what a claim can recover.
- Diminished value
- The market value a vehicle loses simply because it now has an accident on its history, even after quality repairs.
- Subrogation
- When an insurer that paid your bills seeks reimbursement from the at-fault party or their insurer out of your recovery.
- Demand letter
- A written presentation of your claim — the facts, injuries, losses, and amount sought — sent to the insurer to open serious negotiation.
- Total loss
- When repair costs exceed a set portion of the vehicle's value, so the insurer pays its pre-crash value instead of repairing it.
- Recorded statement
- A recorded account of the crash requested by an insurer. You are generally not required to give one to the other driver's insurer.
- Statute of limitations
- The legal deadline to file a claim. Under Florida's 2023 change, many injury actions must be filed within two years, with exceptions.
Plain-language summaries for general information, not legal advice. How a term applies depends on your policy and the facts of your crash.
Injured in a car accident in Jacksonville or Northeast Florida?
Start with a free crash review.
Tell us what happened, where the crash happened, how you were hurt, and what the insurance company has said so far.