JONES LAW GROUPYour Lawyers for Life! Personal Injury Law Firm in St. Petersburg
Reviewed by Bobby Jones, Personal Injury Attorney, Jones Law Group | Published June 22, 2026 | Updated June 22, 2026
When a driver pulls out in front of a motorcycle, the rider pays for it with their body. There is no crumple zone, no airbag, just road. And on top of the injuries, riders face something car-crash victims usually do not: an insurance company that assumes the rider was reckless before it knows a single fact. A St. Petersburg motorcycle accident lawyer pushes back on that assumption with evidence. At Jones Law Group, we have recovered more than $50 million for injured clients across Tampa Bay, and we take motorcycle cases on contingency, so you pay nothing unless we win.
We ride the same roads you do, from the Pinellas Bayway to Gulf Boulevard, and we know how Pinellas insurers and juries treat riders. That knowledge matters in a case where bias is half the battle.
The biggest difference is insurance. Florida’s no-fault law requires PIP coverage for motor vehicles, which the statute defines as having four or more wheels. Motorcycles are excluded. So unlike a car driver, an injured rider generally cannot fall back on $10,000 of PIP to cover those first medical bills.
That changes the whole strategy. Instead of starting with no-fault, we pursue the at-fault driver and their liability insurance directly, and we look hard at your own coverage, especially uninsured/underinsured motorist coverage, which pays when the driver who hit you had too little insurance or none at all. Because riders often face six-figure medical bills, finding every available policy is not optional. It is the case.
Under Florida Statute § 316.211, riders 21 and older may legally ride without a helmet if they carry at least $10,000 in medical benefits coverage. Riders under 21 must wear one, no exceptions.
Here is where it gets used against you. If you were not wearing a helmet and you suffered a head injury, the insurer will argue you share the blame and try to cut your recovery under comparative negligence. But riding without a helmet is not automatically negligence if you complied with the law, and it has nothing to do with a broken leg or a shoulder injury. We keep that argument in its lane and do not let it bleed into the rest of your claim.
The single most common serious motorcycle crash is the left-turn collision: a driver turns left across your path and says the words every rider dreads, “I never saw the motorcycle.” Others come from drivers changing lanes into a rider sitting in a blind spot, opening a car door into the lane, or leaving road hazards a car would shrug off but a bike cannot.
St. Pete corridors like US-19, 34th Street, 4th Street North, and Gulf Boulevard see a heavy share of these crashes, and we use Pinellas County crash data from Forward Pinellas to show how a specific intersection behaves. One thing to know: lane-splitting is illegal in Florida, so if an insurer claims you were splitting lanes, that becomes a fault fight we have to win with the facts.
Motorcycle injuries are in a different category of severe. Road rash that requires skin grafts, traumatic brain injuries, spinal cord damage, multiple fractures, and amputations are all common. The most serious cases in Pinellas County are treated at Orlando Health Bayfront Hospital, the county’s only Level II trauma center. Severe injuries mean larger medical bills, longer recovery, and often a permanent change to how you live and work, all of which belong in your claim.
Adjusters and even some jurors walk in assuming the rider was speeding, weaving, or asking for it. That bias is not evidence, and we treat it as the obstacle it is. We rebuild the crash with the police report, witness accounts, scene photos, and when needed an accident reconstruction expert, so the story is about what the at-fault driver did, not about a stereotype of motorcyclists.
Has an adjuster already hinted the crash was your fault? Do not give a recorded statement until you have talked to a lawyer. Call (727) 571-1333 for a free consultation.
No lawyer can promise a number, because value turns on your injuries, the evidence, and the insurance available. Florida sorts your damages into two buckets. Economic damages cover measurable losses: medical bills, future treatment, lost wages, reduced earning capacity, and the bike itself. Non-economic damages cover pain and suffering, mental anguish, loss of enjoyment of life, and permanent scarring or disfigurement, which loom large in severe motorcycle cases.
Because riders are not protected by PIP and tend to be hurt badly, the available insurance is often the real ceiling on a claim, which is exactly why we hunt down every policy. For a fuller breakdown of how value is calculated, see our guide on how much a Florida injury settlement is worth, and our deadline guide on Florida’s two-year injury deadline.
Jones Law Group is led by attorney Bobby Jones, a U.S. Air Force veteran and Stetson Law graduate who has practiced personal injury law in Tampa Bay for more than 20 years. We have recovered over $50 million for injured clients and hold a 4.9 rating on Google. We take motorcycle cases seriously, build them to withstand the bias riders face, and work on contingency, so we only get paid when you do. You can see the full range of cases we handle on our St. Petersburg personal injury lawyer page.
Generally no. Florida’s no-fault PIP requirement applies to motor vehicles with four or more wheels, so motorcycles are excluded. An injured rider usually pursues the at-fault driver’s liability insurance and may rely on their own health insurance and uninsured/underinsured motorist coverage instead.
Often yes. Under Florida Statute § 316.211, riders 21 and older can legally ride without a helmet if they carry at least $10,000 in medical coverage. An insurer may argue a head injury was worse without a helmet, but that does not affect claims for other injuries, and complying with the law is not automatic negligence.
You generally have two years from the date of the crash to file a lawsuit, under Florida Statute § 95.11 as amended by HB 837 in 2023. Evidence like witness memories and scene conditions fades quickly, so it is best to start early.
Florida uses modified comparative negligence, which reduces your recovery by your share of fault and only bars it if you are found more than 50% at fault. Insurers often inflate a rider’s fault to cut the payout, which is why building the evidence matters so much.
A rider has no enclosure, airbags, or seatbelt, so the body absorbs the impact directly. Road rash, traumatic brain injuries, spinal damage, and fractures are common, and the most serious cases in Pinellas County are treated at the Level II trauma center at Orlando Health Bayfront Hospital.
Jones Law Group works on a contingency fee, with no up-front cost and no hourly bill. We only collect a fee if we recover money for you, and the initial consultation is free.
If a driver hit you and the insurance company is already treating you like the problem, get someone in your corner. Tell us what happened in a free consultation, with no obligation and no fee unless we win.Jones Law Group
5622 Central Avenue, St. Petersburg, FL 33707
Phone: (727) 571-1333
Email: [email protected]
Disclaimer: This page is for general information only and is not legal advice. Reading it does not create an attorney-client relationship. Every case is different, and prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome. The $50 million figure reflects total amounts recovered for clients over time, not a promise about any individual case. If you have a specific legal question, contact a licensed Florida attorney.
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Jones Law Group is a dedicated personal injury lawyer in St. Petersburg, FL, serving the Tampa Bay area since 2006. Our experienced attorneys specialize in car accidents, slip and fall cases, employment law disputes, construction law issues, and overtime wage claims, fighting for maximum compensation on a contingency fee basis. Contact us for a free consultation to discuss your case.
Call our personal injury law office at (727) 512-9847
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