This is generally collected under your own insurance policy even if you are not negligent.
It covers your lost wages and medical expense subject to your deductible.
New Florida Statute Added Restrictions
In Florida it covers $10,000 in medical expenses if you get treatment within the first 14 days after an accident and its determined that you have an “emergency medical condition”.
Emergency Medical Condition is defined as “a medical condition manifesting itself by acute symptoms of sufficient severity, which may include severe pain, such that the absence of immediate medical attention could reasonably be expected to result in serious jeopardy to patient health, and/or serious impairment to bodily functions, and/or serious dysfunction of any bodily organ.”
What if treatment is not received in 14 days or there is not emergency
medical condition?
You may be limited to only $2,500 in coverage.
You do not need to go to the hospital to have an emergency medical condition.
MD’s can diagnose.
Change in statute – limits types of treatment such as acupuncture.
You are legally required to have $10,000 in personal injury protection (PIP) benefits to drive a car in Florida. This coverage is meant to pay for your medical expenses if you have been involved in an automobile accident. The law requires you to seek treatment within 14 days, otherwise you forfeit your coverage even though your have paid your policy premium on time. Even if you receive treatment within 14 days, you may be limited to only $2,500 of your $10,000 in coverage if you do not get an opinion from a medical doctor that you have sustained a serious injury or “emergency medical condition”. Now it is more important than ever to consult with an attorney after an accident to protect your benefits.
Many people are confused about what insurance coverage they carry. I have heard time and time again that people believe they have “full coverage” after being involved in an automobile accident when they have minimal coverage. The Florida Responsibility Law does require each driver to have minimum limits of bodily injury liability of $10,000 per person, $20,000 per crash, $10,000 in property liability per crash and personal injury protection benefits of $10,000 per person per crash. Often times, these minimum requirements are not enough coverage if you are involved in a serious accident.
There are multiple types of coverage you can elect to buy when you renew your insurance policy. Here are a few:
Bodily Injury Coverage: This is protection offered if you or the driver of your vehicle injures another person while driving your car.
Personal Injury Protection Coverage: This will pay medical expenses and/or lost wages for you and your passengers, if injured in an accident. The typical amount of coverage is $10,000. The amount of the deductible varies with each policy. Florida Law requires that you go to the doctor within 14 days from the date of accident otherwise you can lose the ability to collect any of your PIP coverage. In order to receive the full amount ($10,000) in coverage, you must be diagnosed with an emergency medical condition, otherwise you maybe limited to collecting a maximum of $2,500 in benefits.
Property Damage Coverage: This is the amount that the insurance company will pay to repair vehicles involved in the accident.
Uninsured/Underinsured Motorist (UM) Coverage: This type of insurance will cover you if you have been injured and the at-fault party has no insurance or inadequate insurance to compensate you for your injuries.
Should you have any questions regarding automobile coverage, contact my law firm to discuss your options.
