By Brett Hastings, Trial Attorney
Hastings Injury Law Firm Fights Back for You to Get Maximum Compensation.
After an injury on someone else's property, insurance companies move fast to protect their profits — not your future. Hastings Injury Law Firm aggressively fights for people hurt by unsafe property conditions and negligent security across Jacksonville and Northeast Florida and pursues the full compensation they deserve.
Speak with a lawyer the same day you call and meet with an attorney within one business day.
Insurance companies protect profits. Hastings Injury Law Firm protects injured victims.
Fight Back Against Insurance Company Tactics
Property owners and their insurance companies begin building a defense the moment an incident is reported. The incident report gets written for the company's file, surveillance video is routinely overwritten within days or weeks, and the goal is simple: pay you as little as possible. In Jacksonville and across Northeast Florida, the adjuster who sounds friendly on the phone works for the company — not for you.
Speak with a lawyer the same day you call and meet with an attorney within one business day.
Premises Liability in Plain English
When a business or property owner invites you in — as a customer, a guest, a visitor — Florida law puts two duties on them: use reasonable care to keep the property in a reasonably safe condition by correcting dangerous conditions they knew about or should have discovered, and warn you about dangers they know more about than you do. When an owner fails at either duty and someone gets hurt, that is a premises liability case. It is one part of our broader Jacksonville personal injury practice — and it covers far more than slip and falls.
Broken stairs and railings, poor lighting, falling merchandise, unguarded drop-offs, and other hazards the owner should have corrected or warned you about. Whether the owner met its duties depends on the facts — how long the hazard existed, what inspections were done, and what the owner knew. That evidence lives in inspection logs, maintenance records, and surveillance video — and it disappears fast.
When an apartment complex, hotel, parking lot, gas station, or bar fails to take reasonable steps to protect people lawfully on the property from foreseeable criminal acts — assaults, shootings, robberies — Florida law calls that negligent security. These cases turn on what the owner knew about crime on and around the property, and what security the owner actually provided.
Negligent security law changed significantly in 2023. Under F.S. 768.0701, juries must now weigh the fault of everyone who contributed to the injury — including the criminal who committed the act. And apartment-complex owners who substantially implement a specific checklist of security measures — cameras at entrances and exits that keep at least 30 days of footage, dusk-to-dawn lighting in parking lots and walkways, deadbolts and window locks, and more — earn a rebuttable legal presumption against liability. Both changes make early, thorough investigation of the property's lighting, cameras, access control, and crime history critical to these cases.
Expect the owner's insurer to argue you were partly — or mostly — to blame. Florida's modified comparative negligence rule reduces your compensation by your percentage of fault, and if you are found more than 50 percent at fault, you recover nothing. How the evidence of fault is preserved and presented can decide the outcome.
One important distinction: if you slipped on a spill or another transitory substance in a business — a grocery store, a restaurant — Florida has a specific statute, F.S. 768.0755, that requires proof the business knew or should have known about the hazard. That statute expressly preserves the broader owner duties described above, and that fact pattern has its own page — our Jacksonville slip and fall lawyer page covers it in depth.
Why Choose Hastings
When you're injured, you need more than a law firm that files paperwork. You need a legal team that knows how to push back against insurance companies and fight aggressively for every dollar you deserve.
We don't send demand letters and wait. We investigate the property, preserve the evidence, and put the owner's insurance company on the defensive from day one.
Brett has 25+ years of Florida courtroom experience. Carriers settle higher when they know your lawyer will try the case.
We pursue the full value of your case — medical, wages, future care, and pain and suffering — not the fast, low check.
You talk to Brett's team — not a 1-800 phone bank or an out-of-state call center. This is not a case mill.
You will not be left wondering what's happening with your case. We keep you updated at every milestone.
Call and speak with a lawyer the same day. We're available 24/7 — because injuries don't wait for business hours.
Meet face-to-face with an attorney within one business day of your call. We move as fast as the insurance company does.
Contingency fee. No retainer, no hourly billing, no surprise invoices. You pay nothing unless we recover for you.
Demand Maximum Compensation
A serious injury can impact every part of your life — physically, emotionally, and financially. Hastings Injury Law Firm aggressively pursues compensation for:
Insurance companies look for ways to minimize payouts. We fight to recover the full value of your case.
Protect Your Financial Future
When the insurance company dug in, we didn't back down. Representative results from cases we've fought for Northeast Florida injury victims:
A catastrophic injury and wrongful death case on I-95. We pursued claims against multiple responsible parties — the same multi-defendant fight premises and negligent security cases often demand.
The UM insurer refused to pay fairly for our client's herniated discs. We took the case to trial — and won the verdict.
Our client was wrongly blamed for the crash. Vehicle data proved the other driver was at fault.
Every case is different, and past results do not guarantee or predict a similar outcome in another case. See more results →
Insurance Companies Have Lawyers. So Should You.
The 5.0★ rating from 250+ Google reviews across our Florida offices comes from people who were exactly where you are right now.
“5 years ago I walked in feeling doubtful of this case because I was going against the police. Brett made me feel extremely confident after our consultation. He was absolutely right about the outcome. Even if we lost, I would still be praising Brett and his hard working staff.”
Matthew M. Verified Google review
“I’m very pleased with Brett Hastings staff and his remarkable and outstanding service to my case, which made it possible to make the companies pay the client and he fights for you. The law offices of Brett Hastings is one of the best.”
Sher Wali K. Verified Google review
“A big thank you for all the wonderful work that this office has done on my behalf! Bryan was great, and I really appreciate all of the guidance and assistance he provided. Joy has been amazing since day one. She and everyone else at the Law Offices of Brett Hastings have been an absolute pleasure to work with.”
Allison W. Verified Google review
“There isn’t one negative thing I could say about this experience. Justice for Jax made sure we were aware of everything going on in our case, as well as understanding the processes. If ever I need an attorney for anything, Justice for Jax is who we will call first! It was an absolute pleasure working with Brett and Joy!”
Elias S. Verified Google review
“Brett did everything I expected and more. Would definitely recommend him to my friends. My outcome was better than expected. Joy also was a great help with all of my questions.”
Sandra V. Verified Google review
“They were a great firm, made sure I always knew what was going on and what needed to happen.”
Stephan H. Verified Google review
After the Incident
What you do in the first hours and days after an injury on someone else's property can make or break your claim. Save this — or better, call us and we'll walk you through it on the phone.
Adrenaline masks pain. Soft-tissue injuries, concussions, and internal bleeding can hide for hours or days. Go to the ER or urgent care the same day — "I walked away fine" is the first thing the insurance company uses to deny a claim.
Report the incident to the manager, owner, or landlord before you leave if you can, and ask for a copy of the incident report. Photograph the hazard, the lighting, the surroundings, and your injuries. Get witness names and numbers at the scene — they won't be there tomorrow.
They will call within 48 hours, sound friendly, and record the call. Anything you say — even "I'm fine" — can be used to cut or deny your claim. Tell them your attorney will be in contact, then hang up.
Call 833-HIT-BACK. Speak with a lawyer the same day and meet with an attorney within one business day. The sooner we are involved, the sooner we can demand that surveillance video be preserved before it is overwritten. Free consultation. If we take your case, you pay nothing unless we win.
Waiting Can Hurt Your Injury Claim
Critical evidence in premises cases disappears quickly — surveillance video is routinely overwritten within days or weeks, hazards get repaired, and witnesses scatter. Insurance companies begin investigating immediately — and Florida law limits the amount of time you have to file a claim.
Property insurers move fast after an incident. So do we.
Speak with a lawyer the same day and meet with an attorney within one business day.
Frequently Asked Questions
Serving Jacksonville & All of Northeast Florida
6816 Southpoint Pkwy Bldg 1000, Jacksonville, FL 32216 — minutes from I-95, I-295, and JTB
1661 Beach Blvd, Jacksonville Beach, FL — Beaches communities & Mayport
1980 N Atlantic Ave #230, Cocoa Beach, FL 32931 — Brevard County & Space Coast
128 Orange Avenue Suite 206, Daytona Beach, FL 32114 — Volusia County
Serving Jacksonville, the Southside, Riverside, San Marco, Mandarin, Arlington, the Northside, Jacksonville Beach, Atlantic Beach, Neptune Beach, and all of Duval County — plus Orange Park, Fernandina Beach, Daytona Beach, and Cocoa Beach.
You Deserve a Law Firm Fighting for Your Future.
Hit Back with Hastings℠ today and let Hastings Injury Law Firm fight for the maximum compensation you deserve.
Speak With a Lawyer TODAY. Meet with an attorney within one business day.
You didn't ask for this injury. But you can choose how you respond. Choose a law firm that fights back. Choose Hastings Injury Law Firm.