Florida Car Accident Attorneys

Representing Injured Drivers and Passengers in Orlando, Winter Park, and Throughout Florida

More than 32 years of combined trial experience. Prepared to fight for the compensation you deserve.

A car accident can disrupt far more than your daily commute. Pain, medical appointments, missed work, and uncertainty about paying the bills can quickly become overwhelming. While you are trying to recover, insurance companies may already be requesting statements, questioning your injuries, or offering a settlement.

At Tonelli & Tonelli, we help people injured in car accidents understand their rights and pursue compensation for the harm they have suffered. From our office in Winter Park, we represent clients throughout Florida, providing clear guidance and determined advocacy.

You do not need to have the crash report, know the available insurance limits, or understand the claims process before contacting us. Speaking with us is free, and there is no obligation to hire our firm.

Who Is Responsible for a Car Accident?

A car accident claim generally requires showing that another party’s negligence caused the crash and your injuries. Negligence may involve distracted driving, speeding, following too closely, failing to yield, running a red light, or driving while impaired.

Responsibility is not always limited to the person behind the wheel. Depending on the circumstances, a vehicle owner, an employer, or another party may also bear legal responsibility.

We examine how the collision occurred and the evidence supporting your claim. That may include photographs, witness statements, dashcam footage, nearby surveillance video, vehicle data, and the findings of qualified experts.

If you are accused of sharing responsibility, the evidence matters. Your compensation may be reduced by your percentage of fault, and Florida law can bar recovery in certain circumstances. An insurance company’s accusation does not determine the outcome of your case.

Injuries Can Affect Every Part of Your Life

Car accidents can cause neck and back injuries, herniated discs, fractures, concussions, traumatic brain injuries, and other serious harm. Some injuries are immediately apparent. Others become more noticeable in the hours or days after the crash.

The consequences can extend beyond the diagnosis. Pain may interfere with sleep, work, driving, exercise, and caring for your family. Treatment may require repeated appointments, injections, surgery, or ongoing rehabilitation. Even after treatment ends, some people continue to experience lasting limitations.

A preexisting condition does not automatically defeat a claim. If a crash aggravated an existing injury or condition, that worsening may be compensable. Careful review of the medical history and evidence helps distinguish the effects of the collision.

We work to understand both the injuries and their practical impact on your life.

Understanding Florida’s No-Fault Insurance System

Florida’s no-fault system can be confusing. No-fault does not mean no one is responsible for the crash. It generally means that applicable personal injury protection, or PIP, coverage provides certain benefits regardless of who caused the accident.

Under Florida’s PIP statute, Section 627.736, coverage generally pays a portion of qualifying medical expenses and lost income, subject to limits and other requirements. Initial qualifying medical care must occur within 14 days of the accident to qualify for PIP medical benefits.

PIP does not necessarily cover all your losses. Depending on the circumstances, you may also have a claim against the responsible parties and their insurers.

Florida law generally requires a qualifying injury—such as a permanent injury, significant and permanent loss of an important bodily function, or significant and permanent scarring or disfigurement—to recover pain and suffering damages in motor vehicle cases where the statutory threshold applies. We evaluate the medical evidence and explain how these requirements affect your claim.

What if the Other Driver Has Little or No Insurance?

A serious injury can quickly exceed the insurance available from the at-fault driver. Some drivers have no bodily injury liability coverage at all.

Uninsured or underinsured motorist coverage, commonly called UM coverage, may provide an additional source of recovery when an at-fault driver has no applicable bodily injury coverage or insufficient limits. Depending on the policy and circumstances, coverage may be available through your own policy or another policy that covers you.

Hit-and-run accidents can also raise potential UM claims, although coverage requirements and the available evidence must be carefully reviewed.

We investigate potentially applicable policies and explain the available avenues for recovery. A statement that there is “no coverage” deserves careful examination before you assume there are no options.

What Compensation May Be Available?

Depending on the circumstances, applicable coverage, and legal requirements, compensation may include:

Medical expenses, including emergency care, diagnostic testing, surgery, and rehabilitation.
Future medical treatment and care.
Lost income and reduced earning capacity.
Physical pain and suffering.
Emotional distress and loss of enjoyment of life.
Permanent impairment, scarring, or disfigurement.

When a collision causes a death, eligible survivors and the estate may have a wrongful death claim.

An early settlement offer may arrive before your treatment is complete or your long-term medical needs are understood. We work to document your losses and evaluate the evidence before helping you assess a proposed resolution.

What to Do After a Car Accident

Your immediate safety and medical care come first. Once you are safe, the following steps can help protect important evidence and document your injuries:

Contact emergency services when needed. Report the crash to law enforcement and request medical assistance for anyone who is injured.
Exchange information. Obtain the drivers’ names, contact information, vehicle information, and insurance details.
Photograph the scene. If it is safe, document vehicle positions, damage, road conditions, traffic signals, and visible injuries.
Identify witnesses. Save their names and contact information.
Preserve video promptly. Save original dashcam recordings and identify nearby cameras that may have captured the collision.
Seek prompt medical evaluation. Describe your symptoms accurately and follow your medical providers’ recommendations.
Keep records. Preserve medical bills, missed-work information, receipts, and communications with insurers.
Get advice before signing a release. Understand what rights you may be giving up before accepting a settlement.

You do not need to complete every step before reaching out. We can help identify what information is still needed.

Protect Yourself With Front and Rear Dash Cameras

One of the most practical steps you can take before a crash is to equip every vehicle in your household with front and rear dash cameras. A collision can happen in any vehicle you drive, and cameras facing both directions provide a more complete record of what occurred.

When drivers give conflicting accounts, video can help establish vehicle movements, traffic conditions, and the sequence of events. A front camera may capture a driver running a red light or turning across your path. A rear camera may capture an approaching vehicle and the moments before a rear-end impact. Together, those recordings can preserve details that photographs taken afterward may miss.

Choose cameras that reliably record and save footage, and periodically confirm that both cameras are working. After a collision, preserve the original recordings promptly before the cameras’ loop-recording function overwrites them. Keep a separate backup and provide the footage to your attorney for review.

Dash cameras cannot prevent every crash, but they can preserve important evidence when responsibility is disputed. Our recommendation is simple: front and rear cameras in every vehicle.

Strong Evidence Matters More Than Ever

On March 24, 2023, Florida enacted sweeping changes to its civil justice laws, creating additional obstacles for injured people seeking accountability and fair compensation. Among those changes, an injured person found more than 50% responsible for their own harm can be barred from recovering damages in negligence cases governed by that rule.

That makes evidence establishing responsibility especially important. When another driver disputes what happened or an insurer attempts to shift blame, front and rear dashcam footage can help demonstrate how the collision occurred and challenge an inaccurate account. Preserving that footage promptly can make a meaningful difference in your case.

These changes underscore the importance of choosing attorneys who know how to develop the evidence, anticipate the defense, and present your case to a jury.

At Tonelli & Tonelli, we draw on our trial experience to explain both responsibility for the crash and the full impact of your injuries. We pursue fair resolutions through negotiation and prepare to take your case to court when necessary.

How to Get a Copy of Your Crash Report

Visit the Florida Crash Portal to purchase and download a copy of your official Florida traffic crash report.

Obtaining your crash report is one of the first steps we take after you retain our firm. You do not need to order it yourself or wait for it to become available before contacting us.

A crash report is an important starting point, but it may not capture every fact or resolve every question about responsibility. We review it alongside the other available evidence as we investigate your claim.

Additional Insurance and Legal Resources

The following official resources explain Florida automobile insurance and laws that may affect your claim:

How Tonelli & Tonelli Helps

A car accident claim requires more than forwarding medical bills to an adjuster. Insurers may dispute fault, challenge whether the crash caused your injuries, or underestimate future treatment and lasting limitations.

We investigate the collision, preserve available evidence, identify responsible parties, and review potentially applicable insurance coverage. We also work to document your medical treatment, financial losses, and the effect of your injuries on daily life.

We handle communications and negotiations with insurers and opposing counsel, explain significant developments, and help you evaluate decisions throughout the case. When appropriate, we consult qualified experts to address disputed issues.

If litigation is necessary, we prepare to present the evidence and pursue your claim in court.

Our commitment is straightforward: take your concerns seriously, give you clear answers, and do the work necessary to advocate for you.

Why It Is Important to Seek Advice Early

Many Florida car accident negligence claims are subject to a two-year filing deadline under current law. The applicable deadline depends on the claim, the date of the accident, and other circumstances. Insurance claims and cases involving government entities may involve different deadlines or additional requirements.

The 14-day requirement for initial PIP medical care is separate from the deadline for filing a lawsuit.

Evidence can disappear much sooner. Surveillance footage may be overwritten, dashcam recordings deleted, and vehicles repaired or disposed of. Seeking advice early allows an attorney to assess deadlines and take steps to preserve evidence while you focus on your recovery.

Talk With Us About What Happened

If you were injured in a car accident, contact Tonelli & Tonelli. Speaking with us is free, and there is no obligation to hire our firm. We will listen, review the circumstances, and explain whether a claim may be available.

Call 407.883.HURT (407.883.4878) or contact us online.

Serving Winter Park, Orlando, Central Florida, and clients throughout Florida.

Car Accidents