November 26, 2019

Tampa personal injury lawyer Edward Reyes represents people in Tampa and Hillsborough County, Florida who have suffered an injury in an incident or accident type of accident. Speak Directly to Me, At No Cost, Today 813.421.3411 You hired a Tampa personal injury attorney weeks ago, and now the phone has gone quiet. You’re still in pain, the bills are coming, and you’re wondering what’s actually happening with your case. Here’s the honest answer to “what’s the update?” — and why the silence usually means your lawyer is doing exactly what they should be. TL;DR — QUICK SUMMARY The single biggest factor controlling case updates is your medical treatment — most cases cannot move forward until you reach maximum medical improvement (MMI) or complete care. You have an absolute right to ask your attorney for an update any time, but the meaningful answer in the early months is usually “we’re waiting on medical records and the final narrative report from your doctor.” Demand packages, settlement negotiations, and lawsuit filing all happen after treatment wraps up — not during it — because Florida law requires the full extent of your injury to be documented before the case has real value. Florida Statute § 95.11(3)(a) gives you two years from the date of the crash to file a personal injury lawsuit, which is why even “slow” cases are on a real clock behind the scenes. The fastest way to get a real update is to keep your attorney informed of every doctor visit, every new symptom, and every change in your status — quiet on your end usually means quiet on theirs. The Reyes Firm Need a Real Update on Your Tampa Injury Case? Get clear answers about where your case stands. Had a bad day? Contact Us Now 2 Years FL statute of limitations Fla. Stat. § 95.11(3)(a) 6–12 mo Typical pre-suit timeline Industry standard estimate 1–3 yrs Litigated case timeline Florida court averages $10,000 Florida PIP benefit limit Fla. Stat. § 627.736 How do you actually get an update on your Tampa personal injury case? You can call your attorney’s office any time and ask — that’s the literal answer. But the more useful answer is this: the meaningful update in any personal injury case is tied directly to where you are in medical treatment, and your lawyer can only push the case as far as your medical records allow. The first question your firm will ask when you call is almost always the same one: “Are you still treating? Are you still seeing the doctors?” That question isn’t a brush-off. It’s the gating fact of the entire case. Until your treatment is complete, or until you’ve reached the point where your doctors can speak to your long-term prognosis, the case can’t be valued, can’t be packaged for settlement, and can’t be filed in court with the right damages number. So the early updates are short on purpose — there isn’t much to report yet beyond “still gathering records.” ⚠️ Deadline Warning: Under Florida Statute § 95.11(3)(a), you have two years from the date of your crash to file a personal injury lawsuit. Even when your case feels “quiet,” your firm is tracking that two-year deadline in the background. If you’ve been waiting months without hearing anything at all, call your attorney — silence is normal, total silence is not. Why do personal injury cases move so much slower than people expect? Most clients expect a personal injury case to feel like a transaction — file paperwork, get a number, get paid. The reality is that a personal injury case is more like a medical investigation that happens to have a legal wrapper. Your case is essentially the story your medical records tell, and that story takes months to fully develop because injuries take months to fully present, treat, and resolve. Three things have to happen before any meaningful settlement number can land on a table. Your treatment has to reach a point where doctors can speak to permanency. Your firm has to subpoena every relevant medical record, bill, and imaging report — providers often take 30 to 90 days to produce them. And your attorney has to package all of that into a demand the insurance company actually has to respond to. None of those steps can be skipped without leaving money on the table, which is why “slow” usually means “being done right.” What is your lawyer actually doing while you’re “still treating”? The quiet months are not idle months. A personal injury firm is constantly working behind the scenes during the treatment phase, and most of that work is invisible because it isn’t generating phone calls to you. What looks like silence from your end is usually paperwork, deadlines, and follow-ups on your end being handled without you having to think about it. During your treatment phase, your Tampa personal injury attorney is typically: Opening and managing the property damage claim, so your vehicle is repaired or totaled out promptly and a rental is arranged where coverage allows Securing your PIP benefits under Fla. Stat. § 627.736 so the first $10,000 in medical bills flows where it’s supposed to Putting the at-fault insurer on notice and gathering policy information, including any umbrella or excess coverage that might apply Requesting and tracking every medical record, bill, and imaging report from every provider you see, then chasing the slow ones until they produce Communicating with treating physicians about narrative reports and permanency opinions that will anchor the value of your case Investigating liability, preserving evidence, locking down witness statements, and identifying every potentially responsible party Tracking the statute of limitations and every pre-suit deadline, so you never lose a right because a calendar slipped 💡 Did You Know? According to FLHSMV’s 2024 “By the Numbers” report, Florida recorded more than 395,000 crashes in 2024, with roughly 247,000 injuries reported statewide. Each of those injury cases follows the same general arc — treat first, document, demand, negotiate, then litigate if