Mark H. Wright, PLLC
Protecting the Injured Throughout Florida
Mark H. Wright has spent more than thirty years recovering millions of dollars in damages for accident victims injured in Florida. Mr. Wright has dedicated his entire professional practice to helping individuals in need. He specializes in serious injury and wrongful death cases, premises liability, products liability, negligent security, insurance disputes, automobile crashes, truck crashes and motorcycle collisions.
Mark Wright cares most about providing individualized, tailored service to his clients. Whereas other law firms see clients as interchangeable, Mr. Wright prides himself on treating each client and each case with individual attention and care. No matter is below his attention, and the welfare and recovery of his clients are paramount.
Mr. Wright also serves of counsel to the celebrated elite Tampa law firm Barnett Bolt Kirkwood Long Koche & Foster, P.A., renowned for their tax, litigation, and trust & estates practices. Mr. Wright brings his large firm connections to bear in assisting his personal injury clients, offering advice concerning the tax consequences of injury settlements, creditor issues, and trust & estates planning. Clients of Mark H. Wright, PLLC get the added value and benefit of knowing they are getting the maximum value for their settlement and that those funds will be properly structured and adequately protected.
Areas of Practice
Personal Injury. Mark H. Wright, PLLC, is a full-service personal injury law firm, helping victims injured in all manner of accidents and incidents. If you or a loved one were harmed as a result of someone else’s negligence, attorney Mark H. Wright is ready to fight for your rights against negligent drivers, property owners, nursing homes, vehicle and consumer product manufacturers, insurance providers, and any other parties who should be held legally responsible for the losses you and your family have suffered.
Traffic Accidents. Mark H. Wright, PLLC, provides advice and representation to victims and their families after all types of traffic accidents. Mr. Wright represents victims of Tampa traffic crashes involving:
- Car Accidents
- Truck Accidents
- Motorcycle Accidents
- Bicycle Accident
- Pedestrian Accident
- Drunk Drivers
- Distracted Drivers
- Uninsured Drivers
- Rideshare Accident
- Scooter Accident
- Boating Accident
Premises Liability. Whether you were injured in a slip-and-fall accident, an animal attack, elevator collapse, or due to inadequate security, a dangerous swimming pool, or any other hazard on someone else’s premises, you have the right to recover from the property owner. Mr. Wright will help you hold negligent landowners and property managers responsible.
Nursing Home Neglect and Abuse. When the organizations we trust with our most vulnerable loved ones betray that trust and our family members are hurt as a result, nursing homes and other long-term care facilities must be held liable. Nearly one in ten seniors over the age of 65 across the U.S. suffer some form of elder abuse every year. This conduct cannot be allowed to stand. Mr. Wright helps families protect their elderly and disabled loved ones and helps families recover damages for any harm these unscrupulous facilities have caused.
Construction Accidents. Construction is necessary but dangerous work. Mark H. Wright, PLLC assists construction workers injured on the job at worksites across central Florida and helps the families of workers killed in construction accidents recover for their loss.
Insurance Disputes. If you are dealing with a complicated insurance claim, a wrongful denial, or bad faith tactics by a health or property damage insurance company, Florida insurance dispute attorney Mark H. Wright is prepared to step in and shoulder the burden.
Florida Personal Injury FAQs
Mark H. Wright has spent more than thirty years fighting for the rights of accident victims in the Tampa Bay area. Below, Mr. Wright addresses some of the more common questions he regularly receives from injured clients and their families. If you have any additional questions, or if you need assistance with a personal injury or wrongful death claim in Florida, call the dedicated legal team at Mark H. Wright, PLLC, for help.
What is a Personal Injury Settlement?
A personal injury settlement is an agreement between an injured victim and either an insurance company or an at-fault defendant to end the case in exchange for a set amount of money. The insurer or defendant agrees to pay the accident victim, and the victim agrees to relinquish their remaining legal claims regarding the injury.
How Much Does a Personal Injury Lawyer Cost?
Personal injury attorneys typically work on a contingency fee basis. That means that they will be paid a percentage of your ultimate recovery, and if you do not win any damages, you do not pay your attorney anything. You should discuss your attorney’s compensation in your initial consultation.
Why File a Personal Injury Lawsuit?
If you are injured as a result of someone else’s negligence, you are likely facing time away from work to recover, rising medical costs, and painful recovery. By filing a personal injury lawsuit, you are seeking to have the person responsible for your harm pay for the damage they have caused you. You are asking the responsible party to pay you for the direct financial harm they created in the form of medical bills and lost wages, as well as for the pain and suffering and psychological damage a serious accident can generate.
How Much Is My Personal Injury Case Worth?
The value of a personal injury case depends on a variety of factors, including the extent of the harm caused, the costs generated as a result, and the conduct of the defendant. Your first line of recovery is your actual, economic harm: medical bills, lost wages, etc. For a severe injury, you may also be able to collect pain and suffering and other psychological damages. If the defendant was especially reckless, such as if they were driving drunk, you might be able to seek punitive damages. Depending on the extent of your injuries and the conduct of the defendant, you may be able to recover anywhere from tens of thousands to hundreds of thousands.
Compensation (Damages) in a Personal Injury Lawsuit
Recovery in a personal injury lawsuit is generally broken into economic and noneconomic damages. Economic damages refer to things that are easy to quantify, such as medical costs and lost income. Noneconomic damages refer to items that are harder to quantify, such as pain and suffering and emotional distress. If a defendant’s conduct was extraordinarily reckless, a victim might also be able to seek punitive damages, which are awarded on top of other costs in order to punish the defendant.
What Your Lawyer Does in a Lawsuit
Your personal injury lawyer is there to help you build the strongest case for recovery and deal with all of the legal aspects of your claim. Your attorney will investigate the circumstances of your injury, collect evidence, interview witnesses, hire experts, file court documents, negotiate with defense attorneys and insurance companies, argue motions in court, and represent you at trial. Your dedicated personal injury attorney will become the master of the facts and the law in your case.
Your Role in a Lawsuit
When you have a personal injury claim, your primary role is to focus on your physical recovery. Get the medical care you need and follow your physician’s advice. Your secondary role is to help your attorney prepare your case. Keep copies of any documents generated, such as police reports, medical bills, and communication with your insurance provider and employer. Share these with your attorney, and help them understand everything about the circumstances of your case. You may need to sit for a deposition or testify in court. You also hold the ultimate decision-making authority for your claim. Your attorney will work to get you the best settlement offer possible, but it will be up to you whether to take the offer or continue pursuing your claims in court.
Steps in a Personal Injury Lawsuit
Personal injury lawsuits generally proceed along the following timeline:
- Accident or injury occurs
- Consult with a lawyer
- Investigate the case
- File a claim with the insurance company
- Send a demand to the responsible parties
- File a lawsuit
- Collect evidence (discovery) and build your case
- Negotiate and mediate with opposing parties for a settlement
- If no settlement is reached, go to trial
- Appeal, where appropriate
Statutes of Limitations for Personal Cases
Most personal injury cases in Florida must be filed within four years of the date of the accident. This time limit is known as the “statute of limitations.” Special kinds of cases may have shorter limitations periods, and, under certain circumstances, the deadline may be extended.
If you have questions about any area of personal injury law, please reach out to our Tampa offices. We are happy to address any additional questions you may have about the law generally or your case specifically.
Damages Available in a Personal Injury Case
In Florida, personal injury victims can recover a few different categories of damages depending on the type of accident and the nature of the injuries suffered. Generally, personal injury plaintiffs can recover two types of compensatory damages (meant to compensate the victim for their injuries): economic and noneconomic damages.
Economic damages are for losses that can be specifically quantified. They include items like:
- Medical expenses
- Lost wages
- Lost future earning capacity
- Physical therapy, medical devices and other future medical care
- Property damage
Noneconomic damages refer to injuries that are hard to pin to a specific number but are no less real. Noneconomic costs include harm such as:
- Pain and suffering
- Emotional distress
- Disfigurement
- Loss of bodily function
- Loss of companionship
If a defendant’s conduct was particularly reckless, wanton, or intentionally malicious, the plaintiff might be able to recover punitive damages. Punitive damages are awarded on top of other losses and are intended to punish the defendant, rather than compensate the plaintiff. Some of the largest personal injury awards come in the form of punitive damages, such as awards against companies who hide dangerous defects in their products, drunk drivers, or companies that intentionally disregard safety regulations.
Wrongful Death
If a person dies as a result of someone else’s negligence, then surviving family members may have grounds for a wrongful death claim. Wrongful death claims are available whenever a person would have had a personal injury claim but for the fact that they perished as a result of the incident giving rise to their claim. Different states have different rules about who may bring a wrongful death claim and what damages are available.
In Florida, the following parties may bring a wrongful death claim:
- Surviving spouse
- Surviving child
- Surviving parents
- A designated representative of the estate
Florida allows the surviving parties to recover a variety of damages, similar to those available in a typical personal injury claim. Depending on the plaintiff bringing the claim, damages possible in a wrongful death claim may include:
- Loss of future earnings
- Medical expenses
- Reasonable funeral and burial expenses
- Lost support and services
- Loss of companionship or guidance
- Pain and suffering
Call Mark H. Wright, PLLC Today
If you or a loved one has been injured as a result of someone else’s negligence in Tampa, St. Petersburg, or anywhere in Central Florida, call attorney Mark H. Wright, PLLC today for a consultation.
