Personal injury lawyer help in Hendry County, Florida

Hendry County, Florida includes 3 named communities, the largest being Clewiston, LaBelle. Whether an accident happened on a county road, in a small town or in one of the larger communities, the same Florida rules apply: a 2-year filing deadline for most injury claims, modified comparative negligence (51% bar), and lawsuits filed in the Hendry County Circuit Court. This page is the county-wide guide, with links to a page for each community.

Ask Legal Matters is a free claim-review request service, not a law firm. Requests from Hendry County may be shared with independent attorneys and legal services partners who handle car, truck, motorcycle and pedestrian accidents, slip and fall injuries, workplace injuries and workers' compensation, medical malpractice and wrongful death matters in Florida. There is no charge to submit a request and no obligation to hire anyone.

Each community below has its own guide with the local court, insurance rules and every type of injury claim.

• Clewiston, FLpop. 7,505
• LaBelle, FLpop. 4,753

Smaller communities in Hendry County include Felda. Residents of these areas follow the same Florida rules, use the same Hendry County Circuit Court, and can request a free claim review from anywhere in the county.

Florida generally gives an injured person two years from the date of injury to file a personal injury lawsuit (Fla. Stat. § 95.11(4)(a)); medical malpractice claims generally must be filed within two years, and wrongful death claims typically run from the date of death. Reduced from four years to two years for negligence claims accruing after March 24, 2023 (HB 837), which also moved Florida to a modified comparative negligence rule. Claims against a city, county, school district or state agency require a formal notice of claim far sooner, sometimes within a few months. Once the deadline passes, the Hendry County Circuit Court will dismiss the case regardless of how clear the fault was, so the practical rule in Hendry County is to get legal advice early.

Florida follows modified comparative negligence (51% bar). In plain terms, you can recover as long as you were not more than 50% at fault, and your award is reduced by your share of fault. Insurance adjusters apply this rule from the first phone call, which is why the way an accident is described and documented in the days after it happens in Hendry County has a direct effect on what a claim is worth.

After a car accident in Hendry County, your own personal injury protection (PIP) coverage pays initial medical bills and a portion of lost wages regardless of who caused the crash. A lawsuit against the at-fault driver for pain and suffering is available only when injuries meet Florida's serious-injury threshold or costs exceed PIP limits. Minimum required coverage in Florida is 10/20/10 (PIP $10,000).

Lawsuits arising from accidents in Hendry County are typically filed in the Hendry County Circuit Court, the trial court of general jurisdiction for Hendry County, although cases can sometimes be filed where the defendant resides or does business, and claims against out-of-state trucking companies or manufacturers may end up in federal court. Most claims settle before trial, but the credible ability to try a case in Hendry County is what moves insurers to pay fair value.

Employees injured on the job in Hendry County are generally covered by Florida workers' compensation, administered through the Florida Division of Workers' Compensation. Report the injury to your employer immediately and file a claim within the state's deadline (generally about two years). Workers' compensation does not pay for pain and suffering, so when a third party such as a subcontractor, driver or equipment manufacturer caused the injury, a separate personal injury claim is often worth pursuing alongside it.

• Glades County, FL
• Okeechobee County, FL
• Lee County, FL
• Collier County, FL

See the Florida personal injury guide for every county in the state.