Personal Injury Lawyer Serving Tampa, Florida
Contact me today for your free consultation!
Personal Injury Lawyer Serving Tampa, Florida
Contact me today for your free consultation!
When You're Hurt in Tampa, Experience Is Everything.
Tampa is a big city, and big city accidents come with big city complications. Insurance companies here have experienced adjusters, staff lawyers, and sophisticated strategies for minimizing what they pay you. Going up against them without legal representation puts you at a serious disadvantage at the exact moment your life is already hard enough. Martin J. Hernandez, P.A. has been based in Tampa since 2001, and for more than two decades our practice has been built on one thing: getting injured people in Hillsborough County the results they deserve. If you were hurt in an accident that was not your fault, call us today at 813-755-9500. Your consultation is free and there is no obligation
About Tampa, Florida
Tampa is the third largest city in Florida and the seat of Hillsborough County, one of the fastest growing counties in the entire southeastern United States. With a city population of more than 400,000 residents and a county population approaching 1.6 million, the Tampa metro area is a genuine economic engine. The Port of Tampa is one of the largest in the Gulf of Mexico. MacDill Air Force Base anchors a significant military and defense presence. The University of South Florida draws tens of thousands of students, faculty, and staff from across the country. And the professional sports landscape, from the Buccaneers and Lightning to the Rays, brings visitors and excitement to the region year round.
Tampa is also a city that has changed dramatically over the past two decades. Channelside, Water Street, Armature Works, and the Westshore district have transformed what people think of when they imagine downtown Tampa. Ybor City, rooted in the city’s rich Cuban and Spanish cigar-making history, draws visitors every night of the week. The Tampa Riverwalk connects neighborhoods along the waterfront in ways that put more people on foot and on bikes than ever before.
All of that activity, energy, and growth is genuinely exciting. It also means more cars, more trucks, more rideshare vehicles, and more pedestrians sharing roads that were not always designed with that volume in mind.
Tampa's Roads Are Among the Most Dangerous in the Country
This is not an exaggeration. Hillsborough County recorded more than 26,000 traffic crashes in 2024 alone, resulting in over 17,000 injuries and 181 fatalities. Pedestrians, motorcyclists, and cyclists bore an especially heavy burden, with dozens of deaths in each category in a single year. A study released in 2021 identified the stretch of Interstate 4 between Tampa and Daytona Beach as the most dangerous highway in the entire nation, with 1.2 deaths per mile. Tampa consistently ranks among the worst cities in the country for drivers, pedestrians, and cyclists alike.
Several corridors in and around Tampa are responsible for a disproportionate share of serious crashes:
Dale Mabry Highway from Hillsborough Avenue north to Bearss Avenue is one of the most dangerous stretches of surface road in Hillsborough County, combining heavy commercial traffic with residential driveways, pedestrian crossings, and multiple lane changes in close succession.
Hillsborough Avenue from Longboat Boulevard to Florida Avenue moves an enormous volume of traffic through densely developed commercial and residential neighborhoods and has been flagged repeatedly in county planning data as a high-priority crash corridor.
Fletcher Avenue from Armenia Avenue to 50th Street is particularly hazardous given its proximity to the University of South Florida campus, where pedestrian and bicycle traffic from students adds another layer of complexity to an already busy commuter road.
Bruce B. Downs Boulevard from Fowler Avenue north to Bearss Avenue runs through one of the fastest-growing parts of New Tampa and Wesley Chapel and sees consistent rear-end, sideswipe, and pedestrian crashes driven by volume and speed.
Interstate 275 and Interstate 75 carry the combined weight of local commuter traffic, long-haul trucks, and tourists navigating unfamiliar interchanges, and fatality data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has identified the Hillsborough County stretch of I-75 as one of the deadliest in the nation.
Brandon Boulevard from Falkenburg Road east to Dover Road rounds out the list, reflecting how far the dangerous road conditions extend into the suburbs that surround the city core.
Personal Injury Cases We Handle for Tampa Residents
We handle a wide range of personal injury cases throughout Tampa and Hillsborough County. Whatever type of accident brought you here, we want to understand your situation and tell you honestly what your options look like.
Why Hire Martin J. Hernandez for Your Tampa Personal Injury Case?
There are a lot of personal injury lawyers in Tampa. What sets Martin apart is not just his track record, though that track record is real. He has been practicing since 2001 and has tried more than 100 jury trials, putting him in a very small category of Florida attorneys with genuine courtroom experience at that level. Insurance companies track that kind of thing. When they know your lawyer has actually been in front of juries and won, the entire dynamic of your case changes.
But beyond the numbers, Martin cares about his clients in a way that is not common in larger firms. He started his career in public service. He meets personally with nearly every client at the outset of the case, regardless of its size. He returns calls. He answers questions. He does not believe that being represented by a lawyer should feel like being processed through a machine.
When you call our office, you will speak with someone who can actually help you. And when you hire us, you will meet the lawyer doing the work.
No Fee Unless We Win. Our firm works entirely on a contingency fee basis. You pay nothing to hire us, nothing while we build your case, and nothing at all unless and until we recover money for you.
Built for the Courtroom. Every case we take is prepared as though it is going to trial. That is not just a phrase. It is how we get results.
Responsive, Honest Communication. You will never wonder what is happening with your case. We keep our clients informed and we do not sugarcoat things.
Deep Hillsborough County Knowledge. Martin has spent over two decades working within the Tampa court system, building relationships with local judges and opposing counsel, and understanding how juries in this community think. That local knowledge translates directly into better outcomes for clients.
Understanding Compensation After a Tampa Accident
Florida is a no-fault state for auto insurance, which means your Personal Injury Protection coverage, commonly known as PIP, will cover a portion of your medical expenses and lost wages after a crash regardless of who caused it. But PIP has limits, and serious injuries almost always exceed those limits quickly. When your injuries meet Florida’s serious injury threshold, you have the right to step outside the no-fault system and pursue a claim directly against the at-fault driver.
Compensation in a Tampa personal injury case can include medical bills you have already paid, the cost of future medical treatment and rehabilitation, wages you lost while recovering, the income you may lose in the future if your injuries affect your ability to work, pain and suffering, and emotional distress. In cases involving especially reckless conduct, such as drunk driving or street racing, punitive damages may also be available.
Getting to the full value of your case requires thorough documentation, the right medical experts, and a lawyer who knows how to present what you have been through in a way that is compelling and credible. That is exactly what we do.
Do Not Wait to Call a Tampa Personal Injury Lawyer
Florida law limits most accident victims to two years from the date of their injury to file a personal injury claim. That clock starts running the moment the accident happens, not when you decide you are ready to deal with it. Claims against government entities, including crashes involving city or county vehicles, can have notice requirements as short as three months. And evidence, whether it is surveillance footage, a police report, or a witness’s memory, starts to deteriorate from day one.
The sooner you have a lawyer in your corner, the stronger your position will be. Call Martin J. Hernandez, P.A. today at 813-755-9500, text us, or send us an email to schedule your free, no-obligation consultation. We are available 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and there is never any obligation or cost to get answers.
Frequently Asked Questions: Personal Injury Claims in Tampa, FL
For most cases arising from incidents that occurred on or after March 24, 2023, Florida law gives you two years to file a personal injury lawsuit. Cases involving wrongful death, government entities, or certain other circumstances may have shorter deadlines. If your accident happened before that date, different rules may apply. Talk to an attorney right away rather than assuming you have time.
Florida requires drivers to carry Personal Injury Protection insurance, which pays a portion of your medical bills and lost wages after a crash regardless of fault. However, PIP only goes so far. If your injuries are serious enough, you can pursue a claim directly against the at-fault driver for damages that exceed your PIP limits, including pain and suffering.
Hit-and-run crashes are unfortunately very common in Hillsborough County. If the at-fault driver cannot be identified, your own uninsured motorist coverage may step in to cover your losses. We also investigate whether any other parties, such as a vehicle owner, employer, or establishment that over-served alcohol, might share liability.
Possibly, yes. Florida uses a modified comparative negligence standard. If you were partially at fault, your compensation is reduced by your percentage of responsibility. However, if you were found to be more than 50 percent at fault, you would be barred from recovering anything at all. That is a significant reason to have a lawyer who can fight the narrative that the insurance company tries to build around you.
It depends on the complexity of the case and the severity of your injuries. Straightforward claims where liability is clear and treatment is complete can sometimes resolve in a matter of months. Cases involving disputed liability, serious injuries requiring surgery, or commercial vehicles can take considerably longer. We give every client an honest assessment of the timeline and keep you updated throughout.
Yes, and it is worth having that offer reviewed before you sign anything. Insurance companies routinely make early offers that are well below the actual value of a claim, counting on the fact that injured people need money and may not know what their case is really worth. Once you accept a settlement and sign a release, you typically cannot go back for more. Let us look at what they are offering before you make that decision.
Proudly Serving Tampa and All of Hillsborough County
Our Tampa offices are located at 3002 W. Kennedy Blvd. and 13301 N. Dale Mabry Hwy, putting us right in the heart of the communities we serve. We represent clients throughout Tampa and across Hillsborough County, including Brandon, Riverview, Westchase, Town N Country, New Tampa, Plant City, Carrollwood, and the surrounding areas. No matter where in the county your accident happened, if someone else’s negligence caused your injuries, we want to hear from you.
We are available 24 hours a day, seven days a week.