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Never Settle For Less ®
The Gainesville car accident lawyers at Frankl Kominsky Injury Lawyers help drivers and passengers recover the compensation they deserve after being injured in a Gainesville-area collision caused by another person’s negligent behavior. When someone else carelessly causes a crash, and you suffer financial and personal losses, contact the experienced auto accident injury lawyers at Frankl Kominsky to help you rebuild your future.
We are available to take your call and discuss your unique situation during a free consultation, 24/7. There’s no obligation to take action, but you can learn more about your legal rights and options by reaching out to us today at (561) 800-8000. You pay no legal fees unless we recover compensation for you. Contact us today.
Why Choose Frankl Kominsky for a Gainesville Car Accident Case?
Frankl Kominsky Injury Lawyers is not based in Gainesville, but we are fully equipped to handle car accident cases throughout the state. What we offer Gainesville and Alachua County residents is the experience, resources, and support of an established Florida personal injury firm without requiring you to travel to South Florida for legal help.
When you work with our team, we can:
- Handle the insurance company for you. We communicate with insurers and their representatives, investigate disputed issues, document your losses, and pursue the compensation available under Florida law.
- Bring substantial experience to your case. Our attorneys have more than 60 years of combined experience in personal injury law and have recovered over $250 million for injured Floridians.
- Build the evidence your claim requires. Serious crashes can require extensive investigation, records, expert analysis, and other evidence. We have the resources to develop complex cases anywhere in Florida.
- Work with you wherever you are. We can handle many aspects of a Gainesville car accident case by phone and video, and we’ll arrange in-person meetings when needed.
- Represent you without an upfront attorney's fee. Your initial consultation is free, and we handle personal injury cases on a contingency fee basis, so you do not pay attorney's fees unless we obtain a recovery for you.
Being represented by a statewide firm should not mean receiving distant or impersonal service. We combine the resources needed to take on insurance companies with direct communication and attention to your individual case.
Call 561-800-8000 for a free, 24/7 consultation with Frankl Kominsky Injury Lawyers.
Basic Gainesville Car Accident Statistics
Gainesville sees thousands of crashes every year. According to the Florida Traffic Safety Dashboard, the Gainesville metro area reported 2,359 crashes last year, including 4 deaths and 55 serious injuries. As the largest city in Alachua County and home to the University of Florida, Gainesville concentrates much of that risk on a handful of busy corridors.
Pedestrians and cyclists are especially vulnerable here. City data shows more than 1,000 pedestrians and bicyclists have been involved in Gainesville crashes over roughly six years, with more than 800 injured and an average of about seven deaths each year. These numbers are driven in part by the city’s large student population, who walk and bike to campus.
Two factors make certain days and roads far more dangerous. I-75, the region’s main freight route, brings heavy commercial-truck traffic and high-speed crashes to the city’s edge. And on football game days, the University of Florida’s stadium — which seats about 88,500 and regularly draws crowds over 90,000 — sends enormous traffic surges through a city of roughly 140,000, spiking crash risk across town.
Gainesville Accident Hot Spots
Certain Gainesville corridors produce far more crashes than others. Knowing the roadway and its crash patterns helps us build your case from the very beginning of our representation.
I-75 Through Gainesville
Interstate 75 is the busiest freight corridor in the region, funneling heavy commercial-truck traffic past the city. The interchanges at Archer Road and NW 39th Avenue mix fast-moving trucks with merging local traffic, and highway-speed crashes here often cause catastrophic injuries.
Archer Road (SR-24)
Archer Road is the main corridor serving the University of Florida and UF Health Shands Hospital, packed with students, buses, cyclists, and pedestrians. Constant foot and bike traffic alongside heavy vehicle volume make it one of Gainesville’s most crash-prone roads.
Newberry Road (SR-26)
Newberry Road runs west through fast-growing suburban development, lined with shopping centers and driveways. Heavy turning movements and stop-and-go traffic drive a high rate of rear-end collisions.
NW 13th Street (US-441)
This student housing corridor carries heavy local and rideshare traffic day and night. Frequent stops, pedestrians, and drivers unfamiliar with the area lead to regular intersection and rear-end crashes.
Waldo Road
Waldo Road is one of the high-risk corridors flagged in Gainesville’s Vision Zero plan. The city recently added a red-light camera at Waldo Road and NE 39th Avenue after crash data singled the intersection out as especially dangerous.
University Avenue
University Avenue runs along the north edge of campus through downtown and the bar district. It has seen repeated — sometimes fatal — pedestrian crashes, particularly at night, and remains a focus of local safety efforts.
How the University of Florida Shapes Gainesville Crashes
The University of Florida shapes traffic here like nothing else. With more than 55,000 students — many of whom get around on foot, by bike, or by scooter rather than by car — the roads around campus see constant interaction between vehicles and vulnerable road users, and pedestrian and cyclist crashes are a persistent problem.
Rideshare use is also heavy. Students lean on Uber and Lyft, especially at night, which adds a layer to local crash claims: when a rideshare driver is involved, the available insurance coverage depends on exactly what that driver was doing at the moment of impact.
Game days are the highest-risk days of all. The Gators play roughly seven home games each fall, and each one draws more than 90,000 fans into the stadium and tens of thousands more into the city, overwhelming roads that already run near capacity. If you’re hurt in a game-day crash, we can help you sort out liability in the chaos.
Types of Gainesville Car Accident Cases We Handle
- Commercial truck accidents. Crashes with commercial trucks on I-75 are among the most serious we handle. They can involve the driver, the trucking company, and federal safety rules — and the injuries are often catastrophic.
- Pedestrian and cyclist accidents. With so many students walking and biking near campus, these crashes are common and devastating because there’s no protection in a collision with a vehicle.
- Rideshare accidents. Uber and Lyft crashes raise coverage questions that depend on the driver’s app status at the time of impact. We identify every insurance policy that may apply.
- DUI accidents. The nightlife around University Avenue and campus brings impaired drivers onto the road. We move quickly to preserve the evidence these cases depend on.
- Rear-end accidents. In suburban corridors like Newberry Road, stop-and-go traffic produces frequent rear-end crashes and the whiplash and back injuries that follow.
Florida’s No-Fault Law and HB 837 in Gainesville Cases
Gainesville car accident claims follow the same Florida rules as the rest of the state. Florida is a no-fault state, so your own Personal Injury Protection (PIP) coverage pays your initial medical bills and part of your lost wages up to $10,000, regardless of fault. It’s important to note that you must seek medical treatment within 14 days to keep those benefits.
An accident victim may meet Florida’s serious injury threshold when they experience a permanent injury, significant and permanent scarring or disfigurement, or the permanent loss of an important bodily function. In these cases, they can step outside the no-fault restrictions and sue the at-fault driver for full compensation, including pain and suffering.
Two important features of Florida’s 2023 tort reform (HB 837) shape car accident claims:
- A 2-year deadline. For crashes on or after March 24, 2023, you have a two-year statute of limitations from the accident date to file a lawsuit. The law previously allowed injured people four years to bring a lawsuit. If you miss the two-year deadline, you almost certainly lose the right to recover your losses from the negligent party.
- The 51% fault bar. If you’re found more than 50% at fault, you cannot recover from the responsible party. If you are found to be 50% or less, your recovery is reduced by your share. In an I-75 truck crash or a crowded game-day pileup, insurers will try hard to shift as much blame onto you as possible. We fight to assess your liability based on the evidence, not the insurer’s theories.
Both changes make seeking early legal help important. The sooner you partner with the team at Frankl Kominsky, the faster we can gather and preserve crash evidence, which makes it harder for an insurer to blame you and cut your recovery.
What Our Attorneys Look for When Investigating a Gainesville Car Accident
A police crash report can provide useful information, but it rarely tells the entire story of how an accident happened or what an injured person has lost. When the team at Frankl Kominsky Injury Lawyers investigates a Gainesville car accident, we look beyond the initial report to identify evidence that can establish fault, available insurance coverage, and the full impact of the crash.
Depending on the circumstances, our investigation may include:
- Evidence showing how the collision occurred. We may examine photographs, video footage, vehicle damage, witness accounts, crash reports, and other available evidence to determine what happened and address disputes about fault.
- Potential sources of insurance coverage. We review applicable policies to identify liability coverage and determine whether uninsured or underinsured motorist coverage or other insurance may apply.
- Whether another party shares responsibility. Some crashes involve more than two drivers. A commercial vehicle owner, employer, vehicle owner, or another party may also be liable, depending on how the collision occurred.
- Documentation of your losses. Medical records and bills, wage information, property damage records, and other documentation can help establish how the accident has affected you financially and personally.
- Evidence that could disappear. Surveillance or traffic-camera footage may not be retained indefinitely, and witnesses can become more difficult to locate over time. Identifying potentially important evidence early gives us an opportunity to seek its preservation.
- The insurance company's version of events. Insurers may dispute fault, question whether losses resulted from the accident, or argue that an injured person shares responsibility. We compare those positions against the available evidence rather than simply accepting the insurer's conclusions.
Every accident presents a different set of facts. Our job is to determine which evidence matters in your case, preserve what is available, and build a claim supported by facts rather than assumptions.
Gainesville Car Accident FAQs
What if the other driver is a UF student?
The process is the same. Liability and insurance work the same way whether the at-fault driver is a student, a visitor, or a local. Their auto insurance — and yours — still applies, and we pursue the responsible party and every available source of coverage just as we would in any crash.
How long do I have to file a car accident claim in Florida?
For crashes on or after March 24, 2023, you generally have two years from the accident date to file a lawsuit. Missing the deadline almost always ends the claim, so it’s best to speak with a lawyer quickly.
How much does a Gainesville car accident lawyer cost?
At Frankl Kominsky, you pay nothing up front. We work on a contingency fee basis, so our fee is a percentage of what we recover. If we don’t win, you owe no attorney’s fee. Your consultation is also free. Call 561-800-8000 to find out if you have a case.
What should I do after a car accident in Gainesville?
Call 911, seek medical care within 14 days to protect your PIP benefits, photograph the scene and vehicles, exchange information, and gather witness contact information. Avoid admitting fault or giving the other insurer a recorded statement, and call a lawyer before accepting any settlement offer.
Talk to a Gainesville Car Accident Lawyer at Frankl Kominsky Today
Injured in a Gainesville car accident? You don’t have to determine your legal options alone, and you don’t have to travel to get experienced help. Frankl Kominsky Injury Lawyers has recovered over $250 million for injured Floridians, and we handle Gainesville and Alachua County cases with the same intensity we bring to all Florida accident claims. We’ll even come to you, and there’s no fee unless we win.
Call (561) 800-8000 for a free consultation 24/7.
Never Settle For Less ®.
Steven L. Frankl
Steven L. Frankl represents clients in cases of catastrophic injury, wrongful death, motor vehicle accidents, trucking accidents, medical malpractice, and product liability, as well as slip/trip fall accidents and nursing home neglect. Mr. Frankl’s practice is built on the pursuit of justice and fair compensation for his clients.
