Testimonials From Clients Injured in a Florida Vehicle Accident

Eva's Car Crash Testimonial (Transcript) The first collision occurred in November, the day before Thanksgiving in 2018 and then the second one occurred June 25th of 2019. And the way that I learned about the existence of the firm, that I even considered asking for help, is one of my friends from church. I go to Bay Pine Lutheran and she used to work here, Jill Iacopelli. That's how I was referred because someone knew someone who actually even worked here. And so of course after I had my very first conversation with Monica, she was my very first contact, official contact. She made a very good impression with her openness, her honesty and I could tell her sincerity and genuine care. And she basically explained everything to me and I felt very, very comfortable. I had a very good first impression. And the same thing with Jenny. I could talk with her and ask questions and I felt very at ease about that to be very open with her, so I felt very valued. And I feel that she was very, very accessible. Professional but not intimidating. And as far as Paul’s concerned when I finally met him, and he was so very kind and he went up online and I learned he was very accessible as he promised me that he would be over email.   Hiring an attorney or counsel, legal counsel, it's scary just because it's a lot of money and you have to make sure that you are hopefully hiring the right firm. Here I found from the very beginning transparency, honesty, that you are there to do what is right no matter what. And that, to me, that integrity and doing what is right is obviously what really matters. Because words are words, but their actions through and through prove that they truly are doing what is right. And you don’t find that very often nowadays. And I would definitely recommend your offices just because you are always reachable and the information you provide, it’s very comprehensive and it's very, very helpful. And just very, very honest. So I feel that I am comfortable asking questions, and so I feel like a valued guest of their firm.

Eva

Walter's Car Crash Testimonial (Transcript) Walter: I had just left a client's home and I was heading west on Belleair Road and a car was coming at me at a high rate of speed. It had just run the stop sign. The officer said it was probably going 60 miles an hour. I was pushed up off of the street into the front of a business and her car just kind of veered off and it was ripped pretty much, the whole front end ripped off of it. I was able to get my door pried open and I went over and checked on her and she had two small children in the back seat and we got her out of the car and got her on the porch. Donna: When you have an accident, you think if I'm walking and I'm talking that everything's okay.  And at first you don't notice that things aren't okay. Walter: I had a herniated disc, two bulging discs, two of my ribs had broke off at the spine. Donna: And so Meni had said, "Well, you don't know the long-term effect of this. You really should make sure that you're taken care of." Walter: My very best friend who is a retired attorney, Meni Kanner. I had called him about another issue and said, "By the way, I had an accident." And he said, "Walter," he said, "You need to call DeLoach and Hofstra." I said, "I just had a closing over there." I said, "I've known that family Meni since the '80s." He said, "Well, you need to go to them and explain what has happened.” The minute I hung up, I had called your firm and was reassured everything he told me and I made an appointment and came in and, oh my goodness, it overwhelmed me. The detail that they go to for every specific minute item and half of it I wouldn't have even thought about. But when I walked out of there, I felt like I had protective iron around me. And all of those doubts were taken away after one day with your family. And it was so easy to get ahold of Paul. Bang. One phone call, there's Paul. He would answer difficult questions and he kept me focused for that year and a half. And then each time we corresponded, it was always that same warmth, brilliance, and understanding from your office. I feel that I have made friends for life, and I'm positive of that, that I could call on them any time for any question and they would give me a very correct, intelligent answer. I'm certain. I never felt so secure in any business environment in my sixty-eight years of life.  

John's Car Crash Testimonial (Transcript) The accident took place on Thanksgiving Day. It'll be three years ago this past Thanksgiving. It was at 102nd and Seminole Boulevard. I was stopped at the stoplight. There was two cars in front of me and I was the third car. Coming south on Seminole, I never saw the person, hit me about a fourth way into the intersection. I went airborne a little bit, scooted me across the pavement, and then I was upside down in my SUV. All I can say is thank God it was a heavy SUV. It was a Mercedes, or I wouldn't be talking to you here. The glass, all the airbags, all that, the biggest thing I got was a cut on my left arm and my back. That's the main thing. I turned black and blue all the way from my neck all the way down to my waist for about two months. But other than that, I got through it okay.  Most people like me that haven't been in an accident, never had an accident, even though I'm familiar with lawyers and all that, you don't know exactly, if you will, what you're doing. Once you get connected like I did with your law firm, it's the way it was handled. The idea that they had a video to show me, to tell me what to do and not to do, because this is not my expertise. As a result, I, if you will, was very well briefed. I was told what to do, what not to do. I said I was well pleased with it. I thought it was very professional.  Jennifer was the paralegal. From my point of view, I thought I was treated very professionally. I did not have a big claim, but I don't care how large it could have been. I was well pleased with the way it was handled. I was kept informed. They treated me like anybody would want to be treated. I have really nothing bad I can say about it at all. The kept me up to date on everything. I was well pleased with it. Very well. Had I to do it over again or if I, thank God hopefully I won't have another accident, there'd be no place else to go. I would advise anybody to go. From my point of view, you're very professional. I said I was very well pleased. I'd recommend you to anyone.

John

  Ron and Renee's Rear-End Car Wreck (Transcript) Renee: So I was taking my children to school. We were stopped behind another vehicle, waiting on a school bus on the opposite side of the road to load kids from an apartment complex, and got hit from behind while we were stopped. My seat back kind of collapsed. Florida Highway Patrol (FHP) estimated that he was going 40 miles an hour, so there were no brakes, no nothing, just slammed into the back of my car. At the time, I was very active. I was running and going to the gym. Because it's a lower back pain, that kind of stopped. Ron: I called around to a couple of law firms, and I think maybe I spoke with Monica. And based off of that, I decided that this one seemed like the proper firm for us. Monica pretty much is on top of it from the very start. Renee: Peggy also kept us well informed, and Jennifer's always been a great coordinator or things for us. Ron: Pretty much the whole process we were kept informed. Monica let us know what was going on. Paul was great. Renee: He's a great guy. He's very detailed oriented. He was amazing during the trial, he didn't miss a beat. Preparing us for trial was great. When I got up to testify, it was like I was sitting here in the office, talking with him in the office. Ron: Every time he got up, you kind of felt relaxed because you knew it was going to go right. Renee: Having somebody who can put you at ease, even if you're not going to go to trial, if you're just going to go to mediation or whatever, having somebody who can put you at ease from the beginning of the process to the end of whatever process it is, is great. Ron: Now usually it's nerve-racking. You just didn't feel it with Paul. I enjoyed the days in court. Seriously. I was only up on the stand for maybe 15, 20 minutes, but it lasted two and a half, three days. I enjoyed those days in court. He got up there. He's not a huge guy, and it was just him against a couple lawyers with the insurance company. And he just, he was like a giant out there. I mean it was like a Perry Mason moment, you know what I mean? I mean seriously. Renee: It was almost like he could predict what they were going to say, so he had his response ready. Ron: From his depositions to the medical witnesses to his cross-examinations to his closing, Paul just ran that courtroom. It was very impressive. He made it easy. He made a horrible process easy. I would definitely recommend him and this law firm.

Ron and Renee

Sean had just finished working out at the gym and was driving his beloved Stella to the dog park. Stella is more than just a yellow Labrador. She’s family. They were sitting at the light on Tyrone Boulevard at 66th Street. The light turned green. Before Sean took his foot off the brake, they were hit hard from behind. The impact threw Stella into the back of Sean’s seat. His back already injured, Sean instinctively turned to see if Stella was alright and further injured himself. “I was more concerned with her than anything at that point,” recalled Sean. Sean’s employer referred him to DeLoach, Hofstra & Cavonis, P.A. and recommended he speak with attorney Paul Cavonis. Sean’s employer was familiar with the law firm from his involvement with Seminole Rotary Club and other community groups. Sean initially spoke with Paul, and then with paralegal Monica Case. The team met with him the next day. “We went over everything,” explained Sean. “Everything was quick and easy. They told me that it was going to take about a year, but within the year, it was constant contact letting me know what was going on, setting up my doctor appointments, meeting with doctors.” “Then paralegal Jennifer Rosenberg came in about five months into the case to help Monica get everything put together. The diligence that Paul, Monica and Jennifer showed was great. I couldn’t have done anything without them. They were guiding me the whole time.” The sign of a great legal team is how well they keep their clients’ informed. “Not only did Paul, Monica, and Jennifer call me, they’d write me emails and make sure I went over all the documents two to three times making sure everything was correct.” It wasn’t just about Sean. “Not only did they ask how I was doing, but how Stella was doing,” explained Sean. “That was a really big deal. Stella is like my child because I don’t have a wife or kids. That made me feel like they genuinely cared about my well-being as well as Stella’s well-being.” “It’s a family atmosphere there, and that’s what I liked,“ exclaimed Sean. “I couldn’t say enough about DeLoach, Hofstra & Cavonis.” Sean is right about our firm’s family atmosphere. We’re committed to helping every member of your family. Even beloved pets like Stella. When you need help, we’re here.

Sean

Heather's Car Crash Testimonial (Transcript) On my way to work about three and a half years ago, unexpectedly, I was hit by a utility truck on 275. At the time, I was shook up and a lot of endorphins were going through my body. I didn't realize I was hurt at the time. A couple of days later, I was in terrible, terrible pain. And I really didn't know what to do. And I remembered some of my friends and colleagues talking about Mr. Cavonis. He was a man of high integrity. I knew that he was a philanthropist. He had given much to a lot of our hospice patients. And I remembered his name, and I thought, I think he's the right one for me. So I called him and the same day, I came to the office. At that time, they walked me through the process of litigation. And most importantly, they eased my fears. All of these emotions. And I was met with support and kindness and I never had to worry about what was going on with the case. It took a long time to get to being able to return to work and have my life back so to speak, but with their help, their support, their kindness, I was able to put this behind me. I felt supported throughout the entire process.

Heather

Felicita's Car Wreck Testimonial (Transcript) Somebody hit me and I didn't get hardly anything. I went to the doctor, and they said, "Well, you have a doctor bill, $1,000 doctor bill." I'm like, "What?" I got hit innocent, and I'm going to have to come up with a $1,000? I can't afford that. And I work across the street on Brookdale​. And whenever I go by, I see this firm. So I was like, "I have nothing to lose. Let me call." And I called and the lady was extra nice. And I came here and I spoke to Monica. And she's awesome. And then after, I spoke to Jennifer. She was sweet, helpful. When you have to hire a lawyer or anything, you're really saying I'm going to put my life in this person's hands, and I don't know how they're going to work with it. So when I met him, I was like ... I asked Jennifer, I was like, "Who's that?" She goes, "That's your attorney." I was like, "Oh." I'm actually meeting people that are working on my case!  And customer service is the most important thing when you're going for anything, especially when you're dealing with a lawyer. You want to be able to call them, explain what's happening, and what do I do now. The doctor's they put me to are close by. I didn't have to drive anywhere far. They sent me to a great therapist that really, really helped me. The whole experience was perfect. And I've been through other lawyers because I've been into other accidents. They have nothing been like the way this company has but run me. So I love it, and I would do it again.

Felicita

Ron’s Injury Law Video Testimonial (Transcript) We're on West Bay and we get over into the right lane and it's slow because up ahead of us at the intersection is a school crossing guard and she stops people from turning because people are coming through the crosswalk. Well, as we approached that intersection, the person behind us tried to get over in the other lane and then realized she couldn't and tried to get back. The only problem is we had to stop and they ran right into dad's scooter lift and dad immediately starting complaining about his shoulders and his leg. I said something to the driver's father. He said, "Is everybody okay?" I said, "Well, my dad's kind of complaining about his shoulder hurting." "Oh we didn't hit you that hard." And my comment was, "We're done. We're done having our conversation." and I walked away from him. Later that night, dad calls up and let's me know he's still hurting. I say, "Dad, we need to you into the emergency room and have you checked out." We didn't do that until the next day, but that night I woke up at three o'clock. I thought I was fine. I woke up at three o'clock in agony. I was hurting, and I forget what it was. We came to DeLoach, Hofstra, a few days after that for something and when I came in, of course I was kind of humped over, and I forget who it was. One of the DeLoach people says, “Ron what's wrong?” I said we got rear ended, I said I'm just a little sore. “You need to talk to Paul!” and got me right in. I explained to him what went on, and genuinely the same thing I mean he was very concerned about me. He wanted to know if I gotten medical attention yet, and I said no. He said “You know you've only got 14 days.” I didn't know anything about any 14 days, if I hadn't come in that day I probably would never of done anything with it. That would of been a mistake. We sat down with Paul and he explained that he was gonna handle this, and that it would be for the long term. We went to the insurance company, the other person's insurance company, and they asked for his maximum liability and their response was we'll pay it. They didn't try to negotiate, they didn't try to do anything. I'm sure part of it, what it was, I'm sure Paul probably would of liked to gone to court. When we had that accident you're not thinking about anything else, but you're hurting. You better be thinking about something else, you better be getting treatment and get yourself represented. Because no one's gonna look after you but yourself and DeLoach and Hofstra if you have them as your attorney you got no worries. I hope I never have another accident, but if I ever had another accident where the other driver was at fault, I wouldn't think twice. I'd be around the doorstep right away.

Ron

Richard's Car Accident Testimonial (Transcript) I’m sitting at the light, traffic was pretty heavy. I heard this bang, and I look in my rear-view mirror, and I grabbed the wheel because he was two or three cars back. I took my foot off my brake and I just turned my wheel. And he hit me and I turned right into the turn lane.   I mean I just bought that car for me to go back and forth to work. And I put two or three thousand dollars into it because I fixed it up. I still feel the injuries from it, and it goes with the backache too, because I’ve always had the backache.   I just thought reading between the lines then that I wasn’t going to get anything. And then I know for a fact if I hadn’t come out here I wouldn’t have gotten a penny. I wouldn’t have even gotten my car fixed probably.   Yeah, I’m real satisfied. Paul handled it. I just left it all up to him… I had a lot of faith in him. I just thought I should have what was coming to me, and Paul got that. Call Paul. 

Richard

John and Patricia Testimonial (Transcript) John: I was going into the Publix parking lot, this is over on Indian Rocks Road and as I turned to go in there, I was going maybe two, three miles an hour, a woman was coming out of the hardware store, which was right next door, and speeds into the parking lot and she just rammed right into it. I didn't even think about contacting attorney, seemed like a minor thing. And her insurance company contacted me and I contacted my insurance company, State Farm. And her insurance company was giving me a hard time.   John: When the insurance company started giving me a hard time I said, my wife said, why don't we go contact a lawyer? So that's what we did. We came here and I guess we talked to Mr. Cavonis and Monica. Everybody was very nice about it. He gave us, originally when he started, he said he had three or four offers and we turned them all down.   He suggested we turn them all down and finally we got to a compromise, we had a settlement.   Patricia: It's a fine organization we've been here several times for different things and everybody has treated us just royal. We never had any problems. They call us back.   They're very courteous people and really very efficient. No complaints about this organization at all.  

John and Pauline's Auto Accident Testimonial (Transcript) In August of 2015 we were involved in an auto accident in Orlando. And a little bit scary at the time when it all happened, not quite sure what to expect. We didn't hesitate, we knew right where to go. We had heard of Mr. Cavonis and his team, just how thorough they were and just how attentive they were to our needs, answering the questions that we had. And we knew that we were in good hands.   One of the concerns that I had was being in another county, not in Pinellas county, how would we handle that? Would we have an attorney that would be willing to travel to whatever meetings we have? And without hesitation Mr. Cavonis was onboard, and he took great care of us. Monica and Jennifer, any time I called they were willing to answer any questions, and didn't really hang up the phone until they knew that I had a thorough understanding and a peace with the question that I'd asked.   So, I highly recommend them, and you won't be sorry. We have total confidence, total, total confidence in Mr. Cavonis and his team.

John and Pauline

Larry's Car Accident Testimonial (Transcript) Back in June I was rear ended. I saw three children running across the road, so I had to come to an abrupt stop. I was sitting there a good two, three minutes, when all of a sudden, I was rear ended. After the accident, I got out and made sure the other person was okay. He started complaining about why his airbag didn't go off, why I was sitting in the middle of the road. And I explained to him. When paramedics, law enforcement were there, I refused service, because I felt okay. Later on, I found out that there was some damage done to my back, my lower back, and my neck. Since this accident, I haven't been able to partake in the things that I used to enjoy. I'm no longer a mechanic. I can't work on cars anymore… different events with my kids I can no longer do. I honestly expected this case to go on for a couple years, instead it was just a little over a year. My wife and I and our kids were just recently evicted out of our home. We found another place, but were unable to come up with the money. And then I got the phone call yesterday that you guys had settled. You guys got me the money that we needed to get us into a home and start our family as one again, and it's the best feeling. I can't even explain. My prayers were answered, and if it wasn't for you guys, I wouldn't have this money right now. And all I can say is thank you. Thank you so much.

Larry