Pasco County Car Accident Lawyer
A wreck on U.S. 19, State Road 54, or the Suncoast Parkway can leave you with medical bills, a damaged vehicle, and an insurance adjuster asking for a recorded statement before you have even left the hospital. King Law Group is a Florida criminal defense firm serving Pasco County, Pinellas County, Hillsborough County, and the wider Tampa Bay area, and the firm handles only criminal matters. That focus shapes what we can honestly tell you about a car accident: our work begins where a crash turns into a criminal case.
That matters more often than people expect. When a collision involves alcohol, a death, a suspended license, or a driver who left the scene, the same event that created a Pasco County car accident lawyer search can also create a criminal investigation, and what you say, sign, or concede in the first days can follow you into both a courtroom and a civil claim. Florida’s rules on fault and filing deadlines also changed in recent years, and they affect anyone injured in a crash, so the sections below cover those rules and the points where criminal exposure and accident claims overlap.
Why Choose King Law Group When a Crash Brings Criminal Exposure
King Law Group is led by founder Cameron King, a Tampa Bay native and criminal defense attorney who built the firm to focus on criminal law alone. We serve clients in Pasco County and across Pinellas and Hillsborough Counties, including New Port Richey, Clearwater, St. Petersburg, and Tampa, and we are available 24/7 because arrests and investigations do not keep business hours. We offer a free consultation, and we help people from the moment of arrest through trial and beyond, including bail and bond hearings, plea negotiations, and record sealing and expungement.
Cameron King earned his law degree at Florida State University, concentrating in criminal law, then worked as a Florida state prosecutor handling everything from murder to DUI. He later spent years as a criminal defense attorney at a prominent litigation firm. That means he has seen how crash-related cases are built from the prosecution side: which evidence the state leans on, how officers document a scene, and where a case is vulnerable. Former clients describe him as honest, straightforward, effective, and a tireless advocate, and several mention prompt callbacks and thorough explanations at every stage.
If you were hurt in a collision and need a civil injury claim pursued against another driver or an insurer, we will tell you plainly that this is outside our practice. If you were involved in a crash and face, or fear, criminal consequences, that is exactly the situation we handle.
Crash-Related Criminal Charges We Defend in Pasco County
- DUI With Property Damage or Injury: A DUI that causes or contributes to damage to another person’s property or body is a first-degree misdemeanor, carrying up to one year in jail. Crashes along the U.S. 19 corridor and near Gulf Harbors and Holiday often begin as routine traffic stops or collision responses that turn into DUI investigations.
- DUI Manslaughter: Causing the death of a person or unborn child while committing DUI is a second-degree felony under Florida law, with a mandatory minimum prison term of four years on conviction and permanent license revocation.
- Vehicular Homicide: Reckless driving that kills is charged separately from DUI manslaughter. Under Trenton’s Law, which took effect on October 1, 2025, vehicular homicide becomes a first-degree felony when the accused already has a prior conviction for DUI manslaughter, vehicular homicide, or the vessel equivalents.
- Driving on a Suspended License: A knowing violation is a second-degree misdemeanor on a first conviction and a first-degree misdemeanor afterward. A third or later offense can become a felony when the underlying suspension arose from DUI, test refusal, a crash causing death or serious injury, or fleeing police.
- Leaving the Scene and Fleeing: Drivers who leave after a collision, or who flee from officers, face serious charges that can also feed into felony driving-while-suspended exposure later.
- Habitual Traffic Offender Driving: Driving after being designated a habitual traffic offender is a third-degree felony, punishable by up to five years in prison.
- Probation Violations After a New Crash: A new arrest from a collision can trigger a violation of probation on an older case, and the two matters often have to be resolved together.
What to Do After a Pasco County Crash When Police Are Involved
Get medical attention first, because injuries are the priority and the records they create matter later. Report the crash to law enforcement, but be careful about how much you say. You have the right to remain silent, and statements made to a deputy or trooper at the roadside, in an ambulance, or at the hospital can be used in a criminal case. Give your identification, insurance, and basic facts, and decline to speculate about speed, drinking, medication, or what you might have done differently. If an officer asks you to submit to testing or to sign a statement, it is reasonable to say you want to speak with a lawyer first.
If you are arrested, the case will be heard in the Sixth Judicial Circuit, which serves both Pasco and Pinellas Counties. West Pasco cases are handled at the West Pasco Judicial Center in New Port Richey, while the Robert D. Sumner Judicial Center in Dade City handles circuit and county criminal cases for eastern Pasco. Which courthouse your case lands in depends largely on where the crash occurred, so details like the location of the collision matter.
Do not discuss the crash on social media, do not give a recorded statement to an insurance company before speaking with counsel when criminal exposure exists, and do not ignore paperwork from the Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles, since license consequences run on their own track from the criminal case. Photograph the scene, save damage estimates and medical records, and write down what you remember while it is fresh. Contact a criminal defense lawyer quickly, because early decisions on bond, evidence preservation, and statements shape everything that follows. If you are held after arrest, we can seek your release on bond or without bail money at a bail and bond hearing.
Florida’s Fault Rules and Filing Deadlines After a Collision
Whether or not criminal charges are filed, anyone hurt in a Florida crash should understand two rules that changed with HB 837, signed on March 24, 2023. First, the deadline to file a negligence lawsuit was cut from four years to two for claims that arose on or after that date, as described in section 95.11 of the Florida Statutes. Claims that accrued before that date kept the older four-year window. Wrongful death claims also generally run two years.
Second, Florida moved away from pure comparative negligence. Under section 768.81, a person found more than 50 percent at fault for their own harm recovers nothing in a negligence action. At 50 percent or less, recovery is reduced by the person’s percentage of fault, and someone assigned 50.1 percent receives nothing. This is where criminal and civil cases collide: a DUI arrest, a citation, or a guilty plea can be used to argue fault in a civil claim, in either direction. A plea that looks like a convenient way to end a criminal case can hand an insurer an admission. That is why we advise talking to a criminal defense lawyer before accepting any plea, and why anyone pursuing an injury claim should also consult a civil injury attorney about timing.
License, Penalty, and Plea Realities After a Crash Arrest
When a crash involves alcohol, the penalties stack. A first DUI carries a fine of $500 to $1,000 and up to six months in jail, rising to $1,000 to $2,000 and up to nine months when the breath or blood alcohol level was 0.15 or higher or a minor was in the vehicle. A second conviction carries a fine of $1,000 to $2,000, or $2,000 to $4,000 in the higher tier, with up to twelve months in jail in that tier. Courts must place DUI offenders on monthly reporting probation and require a licensed DUI program, including a psychosocial evaluation. The legal limit is 0.08 grams of alcohol per 210 liters of breath, though a person can also be charged based on impairment without reaching that number.
License loss is separate and often more disruptive than the sentence. A first DUI conviction without a death means revocation of at least 180 days and up to one year, and a first offense involving bodily injury carries a minimum three-year revocation. A second conviction within five years means at least five years, with possible hardship reinstatement after one year, and a third within ten years means at least ten years. A fourth conviction, or any conviction for DUI manslaughter, results in permanent revocation. Because we negotiated cases from both sides, we look hard at the stop, the crash investigation, the testing, and the timing of statements before discussing any plea, including the possibility of reduction or dismissal.
Questions About Crashes, Charges, and Claims in Pasco County
Do you handle personal injury claims for car accident victims?
No. King Law Group handles only criminal defense. If you were injured by another driver and want to pursue compensation, you would want a civil injury lawyer. If you were also arrested or are being investigated after the crash, we can defend you on the criminal side.
Can I be charged with a crime after an accident even if the police did not arrest me at the scene?
Yes. Prosecutors can file charges days or weeks later after reviewing blood test results, crash reconstruction, witness statements, and vehicle data. A delayed charging decision is common in serious injury and fatality cases.
Should I talk to the other driver’s insurance company?
If there is any chance of criminal exposure, be cautious. A recorded statement can contain admissions about speed, drinking, or attention that the state can obtain. Speak with a lawyer before giving one.
How long do I have to file a lawsuit after a Florida car accident?
For negligence claims that arose on or after March 24, 2023, the deadline is generally two years under section 95.11. Claims that arose earlier kept the four-year period. Wrongful death claims also generally run two years.
What if I was partly at fault for the crash?
Under section 768.81, you can still recover if you are 50 percent at fault or less, with your recovery reduced by your share. If you are found more than 50 percent at fault, you recover nothing. A criminal conviction or plea can influence how fault is argued.
What is the penalty for DUI manslaughter in Florida?
It is a second-degree felony, which carries up to 15 years in prison, and a conviction requires a mandatory minimum of four years. The driver’s license is permanently revoked.
Can a crash lead to felony driving on a suspended license?
A third or later knowing violation can be a third-degree felony, but only when the current or most recent suspension was tied to DUI, refusing testing, a traffic offense causing death or serious injury, or fleeing or eluding.
Which court would hear my crash-related criminal case?
Pasco and Pinellas Counties both fall in the Sixth Judicial Circuit. In Pasco, western cases are generally heard in New Port Richey and eastern cases in Dade City. Hillsborough County is in the Thirteenth Judicial Circuit.
Will a DUI arrest from a crash hurt my injury claim?
It can. Insurers and opposing lawyers often use impairment evidence to argue you bear fault, and a finding above 50 percent bars recovery. How the criminal case ends, and what you say along the way, matters for the civil side.
Can a crash-related arrest be sealed or expunged later?
Some arrests that did not end in a conviction may qualify. An expunction petition requires a certificate of eligibility from the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, valid for 12 months, plus a certified statement from the state attorney. Anyone ever adjudicated guilty of a criminal offense is generally not eligible.
Is it worth hiring a defense lawyer for a first-offense DUI after a minor fender bender?
Often, yes. Property damage or injury elevates a DUI to a first-degree misdemeanor with up to a year in jail, and license revocation and probation conditions apply regardless of how minor the crash seemed.
Serving Pasco County Crash-Related Criminal Defense Clients Across Tampa Bay
We represent clients throughout Pasco County, from New Port Richey, Port Richey, and Holiday in the west to Hudson, Land O’ Lakes, and Zephyrhills along the central and northern corridors, and into Dade City, San Antonio, and Wesley Chapel in the east and south. We also serve drivers in Trinity, Odessa, and Shady Hills, as well as communities near the Suncoast Parkway and State Road 54.
Beyond Pasco, we defend clients across Pinellas County in Clearwater, St. Petersburg, Largo, Dunedin, and Tarpon Springs, and across Hillsborough County in Tampa, Brandon, and Plant City. Wherever a collision turns into an arrest or investigation in the Tampa Bay area, we can step in early.
Speak With a Pasco County Car Accident Attorney About the Criminal Side
If a crash has led to an arrest, a DUI investigation, or a call from a detective, speaking with a Pasco County car accident attorney who also understands criminal defense can change how the case unfolds. King Law Group takes calls at all hours and offers a free consultation. Call us to talk through your situation, your exposure, and the decisions in front of you before you give a statement or accept any plea.
