You did not choose to be a victim, and probably never wanted to need a lawyer or become involved in a legal claim. But if you are injured or a family member was injured, you may now have no choice.

Very important legal rights are involved, and it just makes sense to seek qualified, legal help. After an accident, you may, at some point, meet a representative of your insurance company or of the other party involved, to discuss settling your claim. These representatives - called adjusters - are trained professionals. They are skilled at talking injured parties into settlements.

While the adjusters look out for the interests of the insurance company, the Law Offices of Shapiro, Goldman and Babboni will look out for your interests alone.

You may be asking yourself: "Why can't I just take what the insurance company offers me and put this incident behind me?" It's tempting to accept an offer. But taking an inadequate or unfair amount will not put the accident or act of negligence behind you. It will only leave you less able to handle the continuing pain and other possible complications.

Unless you are an experienced lawyer, it is difficult to value a case or know how much the insurance company should and will pay. The Law Offices of Shapiro, Goldman, Babboni and Walsh can help you answer these questions. This incident may affect you for the rest of your life. We suggest that you don't make a hasty decision. There is no charge for our initial consultation, and if you don't make a money recovery you pay no legal fee.

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Yes, the final decision to settle is yours alone. Your attorney will be the person with whom the insurance companies deal and to whom they make an offer on your claim, but a final decision for settlement cannot be made without your consent.

Florida law requires (www/doi.state.fl.us) that a person owning a vehicle carry Personal Injury Protection (PIP) which pays medical bills and property damage to other person's vehicle to be repaired if you cause an accident. Florida law does not require that people carry bodily injury/liability coverage in the event that they cause an injury to someone else. The $10,000 in PIP coverage will not last very long if you are hospitalized as a result of an automobile accident. In addition to covering any outstanding medical bills, uninsured/underinsured motorist coverage will be available to you for pain and suffering, mental anguish and loss of the enjoyment for the capacity of life. In order to protect yourself from mounting medical bills and permanent injuries, we urge everyone to purchase uninsured and underinsured liability insurance coverage.

80% of reasonable and necessary medical expenses
60% of lost wages and replacement services if there is a disability note from a doctor
mileage reimbursement
prescription reimbursement
$5,000 in death benefits
This coverage is primary over regular health insurance and may have a deductible.

Report the accident to your insurance company. You can take the at-fault party to court. A judgment can be obtained against the owner of the car. If he/she fails to pay, report it to the Bureau of Financial Responsibility at the Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles so it can deal with the owner of the car. More importantly, if you have purchased valuable uninsured motorist coverage, you will have a claim for those benefits to compensate for your losses.

This is a legal principle providing that the amount of a person's negligence in an accident is determined by his contribution to the accident. In Florida, the percentage of the individual's negligence in the accident is usually subtracted from the amount one would otherwise recover.

This is the amount of money YOU need to pay per claim before the insurance company pays its part. Generally obtaining auto insurance with a deductible is not advisable since you become responsible for significant medical bills while you may be unable to work due to injuries.

If the cost at your body shop of choice is higher than where the insurance company can get it repaired, you will be responsible for the difference.