Find David Harris in Suite 223 on Venetia Bay Boulevard

If you are reading this from a bed at Sarasota Memorial Hospital Venice on Laurel Road East, or from home with a walker within reach, and driving anywhere is weeks away, that is fine. Nothing about starting a claim requires you to come to Venetia Bay Boulevard first.

On the first call, David asks what happened and where: the road, the time of day, which way the driver was coming from. He asks which agency wrote the report, which hospital you were taken to, and whether any insurer has already called you. Then he explains, in plain words, what he sees and what happens next while you recover.

If you are the son or daughter making this call from the hallway outside a room at SMH Venice, you can start it. Tell David what you know and what you don't. He will want to hear from your parent when they are able, because the claim is theirs, but the questions about the report and the deadlines can begin with you.

If it is easier to have someone hold the phone for you, that works too. Call 941-499-1400 when you are ready.

Most of what you read online assumes you were behind a wheel. Here is the usual order of things when a driver pulling out hits someone walking along Albee Road, beside US-41 through Nokomis, near Laurel Road, or at a Legacy Trail crossing.

There is a longer guide to what to do in the first days, written for drivers but useful for anyone hurt on a Florida road.

From Nokomis, it is US-41 to Venetia Bay Boulevard, about 4 minutes. From the island, take West Venice Avenue to US-41, about 6 minutes. From Venice Gardens, South Venice, Englewood or North Port, the US-41 Bypass carries you most of the way.

Look for Suite 223. Another office shares the building, and online maps put both on the same pin, so the suite number is the thing to watch for. The Directions link in the office block above opens the Venice office itself on Google Maps, not the middle of town.

If getting from the car to the door is the hard part right now, ask David about it when you call. Coming in is never what starts the case.

David Harris. He takes the first call, he handles the case, and he is the lawyer you sit down with on Venetia Bay Boulevard. One lawyer, start to finish.

That matters most in the weeks when you cannot keep track of much. If anyone else will be part of your file, David will tell you who and why.

Bring these if you come in, or photograph them and send them from your phone:

Have only half of this? Call 941-499-1400 anyway. The list is for later. The call is for now.

Left turns across the Bypass, sudden stops at East Venice Avenue, and the rear-end crashes that follow when season traffic backs up at the lights. David handles car accident claims from a sore neck to a life-changing injury, and rear-end crashes have their own page.

Delivery vans and box trucks work US-41 through Nokomis and South Venice all day, stopping, turning and backing out of lots. When a commercial vehicle hits you, there may be a company policy as well as the driver's, and company records that are worth asking for early. Read more about work trucks and vans.

The stretch of I-75 from the Laurel Road interchange past Jacaranda Boulevard to River Road is fast, and lane changes there catch riders. Florida PIP generally does not cover someone riding a motorcycle, so the path for medical bills looks different from a car case. See how David handles motorcycle crashes.

These are estimates for light traffic. In January, on US-41, add to them.

Nokomis is about 4 minutes away, down US-41 to Venetia Bay Boulevard. From the island and downtown Venice, it is about 6 minutes by West Venice Avenue and US-41. Laurel is about 6 minutes on US-41.

Venice Gardens is about 11 minutes, Shamrock Boulevard to US-41 and the Bypass. South Venice is about 12 minutes by Seminole Drive, US-41 and the Bypass. Osprey is about 12 minutes on US-41.

Manasota is about 19 minutes, Manasota Beach Road to Englewood Road (SR 776) and the Bypass. Englewood is about 23 minutes by Englewood Road and the Bypass. North Port is about 27 minutes by North Port Boulevard, US-41 and the Bypass. Port Charlotte is about 44 minutes, US-41 the whole way.

None of these dates waits for you to feel better. A call to 941-499-1400 tells you where each of them stands for your crash.

Sarasota County's courts are part of the Twelfth Judicial Circuit, with the Judge Lynn N. Silvertooth Judicial Center on Ringling Boulevard in Sarasota. In the south county, the R.L. Anderson Administration Center on South Tamiami Trail in Venice is the county's South County center.

The hospitals around this part of the county are Sarasota Memorial Hospital Venice on Laurel Road East, the main Sarasota Memorial Hospital on South Tamiami Trail, and HCA Florida Englewood Hospital for Englewood and Manasota. Crash reports come from the Venice Police Department, the Sarasota County Sheriff's Office, the Florida Highway Patrol and the FLHSMV Florida Crash Portal.

Read every review of the Venice office, with dates, on the Venice office's Google profile.

Yes. Suite 223 on Venetia Bay Boulevard is the firm's office for Nokomis, Laurel, Venice and the south county, about 4 minutes from Nokomis by US-41. The Sarasota office on Potter Park Drive serves Sarasota. Either way, the first call is with David Harris. Florida's 14-day window for PIP treatment starts on the day of the crash, so call 941-499-1400 while those first days still count.

About 6 minutes in light traffic: West Venice Avenue off the island to US-41, then up to Venetia Bay Boulevard. In season, give it longer. You do not need to make that drive to start a claim, though. PIP benefits depend on treatment starting within 14 days of the crash, so the useful first step is a call to 941-499-1400, not a trip across the bridge.

If you own no car, whose PIP covers you depends on the auto policies in your household, if there are any, and David answers that on the first call. Past PIP, the next question is the coverage of the driver who hit you. Keep every bill and discharge paper from SMH Venice, and call 941-499-1400 before an insurer tells you nobody covers you.

Yes. A daughter, son or spouse can make the first call and tell David what they know: where it happened, which agency responded, which hospital you are in, and which insurers have called. David will want to speak with you when you are able, because the claim is yours. Florida's 14-day PIP window and the two-year filing limit both run from the date of the crash, so have them call 941-499-1400 early.