Dog Bites & Animal Attacks in Tampa, FL

Tampa Police work crashes inside the city; the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office covers the unincorporated parts, and Florida Highway Patrol usually takes I-4, I-275, and I-75. All of it ends up with FLHSMV, so you can request the report through the state crash portal or from the agency that responded. If you were taken to a hospital and never spoke to an officer at the scene, ask anyway.

Hillsborough County Courthouse, and the trial court there is the Thirteenth Judicial Circuit. Smaller civil claims go to county court, larger ones to circuit court. Where that split falls depends on the amount at stake. We are not a law firm. An attorney who files in Hillsborough every week will know which side of the line you're on, and that's a short question for them.

Florida Highway Patrol usually does, since I-275 is a state road and the bridge spans the Hillsborough and Pinellas line. That county line matters later, because where the crash happened helps decide where a suit is filed, and the two sides of the bridge sit in different circuits. Get the case number. Then start the medical treatment before you talk numbers with anyone's insurer.

In Florida, the deadline is generally 2 years from the date of the accident. Reduced from 4 to 2 years by HB 837 (2023). Wrongful death 2 years. Medical 2 years. Deadlines are strict — the sooner you act, the more options you have.