Florida is a big state, so it stands to reason there would be more personal injury cases and auto accidents than in almost any other state in the union. That's why there are also so many Florida auto accident attorneys. Many people call these type of attorneys "ambulance chasers" but that's not a fair characterization in many cases.

As an example, consider the true story that was told in the movie Erin Brokovich. What would have happened to all those people who were who became deathly ill because of PG&E's outright lying and negligence if a personal injury attorney (aided by the very stubborn Ms. Brokovich, of course) wasn't involved? Granted, that story wasn't about personal injury attorneys from Florida but the principle is the same everywhere: personal injury attorneys go after settlements for those who have been hurt in some way and deserve compensation. Many would be consigned to lives in wheelchairs or worse with no way to make a living if these attorneys didn't work hard to get them what they need to survive. Some of the people we saw in Erin Brokovich were children who couldn't defend themselves. And in some of the families the parents were just as sick as the children, so they couldn't fight for them. If it weren't for the tenacity of a personal injury lawyer, those people wouldn't have had the resources to get appropriate medical care or long-term disability payments.

Yes, I know there probably are ambulance-chasing lawyers. People usually think of them as sleazes with greasy hair and cheap suits who listen to police radios while waiting for accidents to happen. There may be a few attorneys like that but they certainly don't represent the industry as a whole. I happen to know there are many Florida car accident attorneys that have a lot of integrity. Just as with all other groups, you can't judge. And people should think kindly of them, because someday they may need their help. If their financial livlihoods depended on it, I bet most people would see accident and personal injury lawyers differently.