- Who we help: Hancock Injury Attorneys serves clients injured by someone else's negligence in Carrollwood, Northdale, and surrounding North Tampa communities. Cases include car, truck, motorcycle, and pedestrian accidents, slip and falls, and wrongful death accidents.
- Who we are: Mike and Claire Hancock are lifelong Tampa residents. The firm has represented injured clients in Florida since 1996, and Mike has more than 30 years of personal injury litigation experience.
- Deadline to file: In Florida, a lawsuit based on negligence generally must be filed within two years.
- Fault matters: Florida follows comparative fault rules, so your own share of fault can affect what you may recover.
- When to call a lawyer: It helps to speak with an attorney if your injury is serious, your treatment is ongoing, fault is disputed, the insurer denies your claim or asks for a recorded statement, a commercial truck was involved, or a family member died.
- What it costs to start: Consultations are free, and we handle injury cases on a contingent fee basis, so you pay no attorney's fees unless we recover compensation for you.
- Next step: Call or schedule a free consultation (in person or virtual) to review what happened, what insurance may apply, and your next steps.
- Linebaugh Avenue at Sheldon Road. This is one of Westchase's busiest crossroads. In September 2020, the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office reported that a driver ran a red light here, and three people died (Tampa Bay Times). Red-light and left-turn crashes are a common pattern.
- Gunn Highway. Gunn Highway connects Citrus Park to Carrollwood and Odessa. Hillsborough County added turn lanes and widened parts of the Gunn Highway, Anderson Road and Lynn Turner Road intersection to cut crashes and congestion, with work planned for 2021–2022 (ABC Action News).
- Ehrlich Road and Sheldon Road near the Shoppes of Citrus Park. Shopping-center driveways mean constant turning traffic, and often times this leads to accidents.
- Race Track Road and Countryway Boulevard. These roads feed the Westchase neighborhoods and schools. Expect school-zone traffic, cyclists and drivers turning into subdivisions.
- The Veterans Expressway (SR 589). The Veterans is an eight-lane toll road run by Florida's Turnpike Enterprise (Florida State Road 589). Its high speeds lead to rear-end and lane-change crashes, often involving commercial trucks and delivery vans.
- Citrus Park Drive & the Upper Tampa Bay Trail. The Citrus Park Drive extension opened in 2022. It connects Sheldon Road to Countryway Boulevard. Bicyclists and walkers using the nearby Upper Tampa Bay Trail cross busy roads at several points, creating potentially hazardous situations.
- $170,000 for a client who fell off a bicycle because of a dangerously maintained sidewalk on West Village Drive in Carrollwood, fracturing a hip that required a hip replacement. The insurer's initial offer was $10,000.
- $260,000 for a client rear-ended by a commercial vehicle at Anderson Road and Gunn Highway in Tampa, who suffered multiple lumbar disc herniations, knee pain and hip pain, requiring lumbar laminectomy disc surgery.
Key Overview
Hancock Injury Attorneys represents people hurt in car, truck, motorcycle, bicycle and pedestrian crashes, slip and falls, and wrongful death cases in Citrus Park and Westchase. Mike Hancock, a former insurance defense lawyer, founded the Tampa personal injury law firm in 1996. This page covers the area's major crash corridors, how to get a sheriff's office crash report, and two Florida rules: most injury claims from accidents on or after March 24, 2023 must be filed within two years, and anyone more than 50% at fault generally recovers nothing.
If you were rear-ended at Linebaugh Avenue and Sheldon Road, or a driver backed into you in the Citrus Park Town Center lot, the insurance adjuster may call you before you even have a chance to process what happened. A car accident or other personal injury can be traumatizing, and unfortunately that first call is where the insurance company starts building its version of what happened. Fortunately, for our clients, Mike Hancock used to be on the other end of that call and knows what the adjuster is likely to say.
As a Citrus Park and Westchase personal injury lawyer, our job is to get the facts locked down first: the crash report, the camera footage, the witnesses and your medical records. Then we deal with the insurance company so you can focus on getting better.
Our Tampa personal injury lawyers represent clients from our main office on W Fletcher Ave, a short drive east via Ehrlich Road and Dale Mabry Highway. It's the same office that serves our neighbors in Carrollwood and Northdale, abut oftentimes there is no need to come into the office as meetings can be done virtually.
Where Do Accidents Happen Most in Citrus Park and Westchase?
Many serious crashes in Citrus Park and Westchase happen on the handful of busy roads that carry traffic between the Veterans Expressway, the shopping centers and the neighborhoods. These are the roads that come up most:
Knowing the roads in the community matters. A lawyer downtown may never have driven to the North side of town, but for us, it is our neighborhood. When we know how a light is timed at Linebaugh and Sheldon, or where a shopping-center camera points, we know what evidence to ask for before it disappears.
What Kinds of Injury Cases Do We Handle in Citrus Park and Westchase?
We handle injury cases where someone else's carelessness caused real harm. Here is how that usually looks in this part of Hillsborough County:
| Case type | What we often see here | Learn more |
|---|---|---|
| Car accidents | Red-light and left-turn crashes on Linebaugh, Sheldon and Gunn Highway | |
| Truck and delivery-van crashes | Lane-change and rear-end crashes on the Veterans Expressway and Gunn Highway | Truck accident claims |
| Slip and fall / premises liability | Spills and hazards at grocery stores and shops along Sheldon Road and at Citrus Park Town Center | Slip and fall cases |
| Bicycle and pedestrian | Riders and walkers near the Upper Tampa Bay Trail and Westchase school zones | Pedestrian accident claims |
| Motorcycle | Turning drivers who "didn't see" the rider at shopping-center entrances | Motorcycle crash claims |
| Wrongful death | Families who lost someone in a crash or on unsafe property | Wrongful death claims |
What Will the Insurance Company Argue, and How Do We Answer It?
The insurance company will usually try to put some of the blame on you, question your treatment, or both. Since 2023, blame matters more than ever in Florida, because a person found more than 50% at fault generally recovers nothing (Fla. Stat. § 768.81(6)). Here are three arguments we see in Citrus Park and Westchase claims:
"It was a parking lot. Both drivers were moving." After a crash in the Citrus Park Town Center mall parking lot or a Sheldon Road shopping plaza, adjusters often try for a 50/50 split. We ask the property for its camera footage right away, because systems may record over old video quickly. We also look at where each car was damaged, which often shows who was backing out and who had the right of way.
"Your light was yellow." Red-light disputes at intersections like Linebaugh and Sheldon come down to evidence. We track down witnesses, nearby business cameras and the sheriff's office crash report, and we work with reconstruction help when the case calls for it.
"You waited too long to see a doctor." The adjuster will point to any gap between the crash and your first visit. Florida's PIP coverage only pays medical benefits if you get initial care within 14 days of the crash (Fla. Stat. § 627.736). We document why any gap happened before the insurer brings it up.
Mike learned these arguments from the inside. He began his career defending insurance companies, including Allstate, State Farm and Geico. Today, that means we can usually tell how an insurer will value your claim before it makes the first offer. You can read more about our former insurance defense lawyer background.
Who Investigates a Crash in Citrus Park or Westchase, and How Do You Get the Report?
The Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office investigates most crashes on local roads in Citrus Park and Westchase because both communities are in unincorporated Hillsborough County.
Florida requires a long-form crash report when anyone is hurt or complains of pain, when a vehicle has to be towed, or when a commercial vehicle is involved (Fla. Stat. § 316.066). For the first 60 days, the report is not public. The people involved, their lawyers and their insurers can still get it during that time. You can request it through the FLHSMV crash report portal.
With our attorneys on your side, we get the report for you and check it for mistakes, such as a wrong lane, a missing witness or the wrong direction of travel.
Where Can You Get Emergency Care Near Citrus Park and Westchase?
Two freestanding emergency rooms sit on Sheldon Road: HCA Florida Citrus Park Emergency, which is part of HCA Florida Trinity Hospital and open 24 hours, and AdventHealth Westchase ER . For the most serious injuries, paramedics may take you to Tampa General Hospital, a Level I trauma center.
Get checked the same day if you can, even if you feel "just sore." Some injuries, like concussions and disc injuries, can take hours or days to show. Same-day records also take away the insurer's "you waited" argument.
Why Do Citrus Park and Westchase Families Call Hancock Injury Attorneys?
People call us because they want a lawyer, not a call center. You talk with a senior attorney from the first consultation, and an experienced case manager keeps your file moving.
We're your neighbors. Mike Hancock is a second-generation Tampa native, a past president of the North Tampa Bar Association, and a former board member and legal counsel for the Carrollwood Civic Association. Mike and Claire live in Carrollwood, just east of Citrus Park.
We've handled cases on these same roads. Two examples from our published case results:
Past results are not a guarantee of future outcomes. Every case is unique, and results depend on the specific facts and circumstances.
You focus on getting better. We'll deal with the adjuster, the PIP paperwork, the body shop and the medical billing office.
HERE FOR YOU WHEN YOU NEED IT MOST
Talk to a Citrus Park & Westchase Personal Injury Lawyer today
If you or a loved one was hurt in Citrus Park or Westchase, we're here to help. Your consultation is free, and you pay no attorney's fee unless we recover compensation for you.
Call (813) 915-1110 or schedule an in-person or virtual consultation.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do you have an office in Westchase or Citrus Park?
We represent Citrus Park and Westchase clients from our main office nearby at 1317 W Fletcher Ave in Tampa. We can meet in person there or by video, whichever is easier while you recover.
Should I give the other driver's insurance company a recorded statement?
You are generally not required to give the other driver's insurer a recorded statement, and it is usually wise to talk with a lawyer first. Adjusters use these calls to look for words that shift blame or downplay your injuries. Read more about recorded statements to insurance companies.
What if I fell at a store in Citrus Park or Westchase?
In Florida, when you slip on a spill or other "transitory" substance in a business, you must show the business knew or should have known about it (Fla. Stat. § 768.0755). That can mean proving the hazard sat there long enough to be found, or that it happened often. Report the fall to the manager, photograph the floor, and ask that the store keep its video.
What if I was injured while riding or walking on the Upper Tampa Bay Trail?
You may have a claim against the person who caused your injury, and in some cases against whoever was responsible for an unsafe crossing or path. If you own a car, your own PIP coverage may help pay your first medical bills even though you were on foot or on a bike. Keep your damaged bike or gear, and photograph the crossing.
How much does it cost to talk to a lawyer?
The first consultation is free. If you hire us, you pay no attorney's fee unless we win, and there are no file set-up fees.
To talk with a Citrus Park and Westchase personal injury lawyer about what happened, call Hancock Injury Attorneys at (813) 915-1110.
The information on this page is general information about Florida law, not legal advice for your situation. Contacting Hancock Injury Attorneys does not create an attorney-client relationship.