Florida Personal Injury Blog
The Miami car accident lawyers at the Perazzo Law Firm, share insight for understanding the changes that could affect motorists that carry the minimum insurance coverage required in Florida
Governor DeSantis is being pressed by Florida business owners to veto the most recent push to revamp the automobile insurance system and eliminate PIP (Personal Injury Protection) insurance coverage. Senate Bill 54, which was passed in late 2020, is expected to raise the minimum coverage required automobile insurance from $10,000 to $25,000. This increase would ultimately cost vehicle owners more money and lead to a devastating rise in the number of drivers that carry no insurance coverage at all. This would greatly impact those residents that are involved and injured in a car accident in Miami, and all Florida cities.
The Miami car accident attorneys at the Perazzo Law Firm remind motorists that several Florida cities rank at the top when it comes to car accidents & personal injuries sustained. Ultimately, this bill would make it almost impossible to receive medical care to treat injuries for an accident in which a noninsured driver was at fault.
The biggest change from PIP to BI would include making Bodily Injury coverage (BI) mandatory for Florida registered motor vehicle owners. If Bill 54 is passed, injured car accident victims would be covered for at least $25,000 in medical expenses and car accidents that end in wrongful death. For car accidents that result in personal injury of death to more than two victims, BI would cover $50,000.
According to the American Property Casualty Insurance Association (APCIA) some 12,000 letters have been sent to Governor DeSantis, in a desperate plea for him to veto Bill 54 and prevent a devastating surge in the costs of carrying the basic insurance coverage.
How does PIP work in Florida?
In Miami, our car accident attorneys inform Miami and Florida residents that PIP insurance, along with PD, is mandatory for registered vehicle owners and operators in the State of Florida. PIP insurance covers medical expenses of the vehicle owner, any individuals listed on the policy, and any relatives residing the same households, and potentially any passenger in the vehicle should they not have their own coverage under the law. PIP pays up to $2500 subject to a deductible and co-payment unless you suffered an emergency medical condition in which case you may be entitled for up to 10000 in injuries and lost wages. PIP is an extremely complicated of vehicle accident law that we urge accident victims to see PIP on our website. PIP in Miami is paid without regard to who is legally responsible for the accident. Following a car accident, the accident victim visits his/her medical practitioner and signs an assignment of benefits which the doctor the right to bill the insurance provider directly on their behalf. However, there are exceptions that may apply which allow individuals that have suffered personal injury as a result of the accident in Miami, to make their own PIP claim. This was made mandatory because most accidents would cause under 10000 in damages or injuries and was meant to solve the problem of medical bills not getting paid and people suffering from reduced credit scores and accident victims fearing lack of treatment. You can seek treatment regardless of if the accident is not your fault. Basically, PIP guarantees that you can visit a doctor to receive treatment regardless of whether you have medical insurance that prevents you from receiving medical treatment. PIP though mandatory, should be supplemented with other insurance policies such as UM coverage to make sure that you are covered in the event of an accident that ends in serious personal injury or even third-party wrongful death. One of our Miami Personal Litigation or Insurance Claims Lawyers can provide all the right answers to any questions concerning PIP Insurance in a motor-vehicle accident in Miami.
Watch this video for a detailed description of PIP insurance in Florida: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bdOe2xHVBFk
How does Bodily Injury (BI) work at present?
Though not legally required under Florida Law, Bodily Injury (BI) is recommended to those that can afford it as bodily insurance provides the insured party with financial coverage in the event he/she is responsible for the personal injury or wrongful death to passengers or individuals. Basically, it covers your Assets should you cause an accident. This is very important because it could be the difference between putting a down payment on your house of paying for someone else’s medical expenses. If you are a victim in a motor vehicle accident, this is the insurance from which your car accident lawyer would seek compensation for your injuries, damages or lost wages. BI also provides financial coverage for legal fees in the event the policy holder is taken to court for further legal action because of an Insurance Claim. In other words, if you, a family member, or loved one suffers personal injury in a car accident, and the policy holder has BI coverage, you are entitled to seek compensation for the medical bills, lost wages, funeral expenses, or legal fees resulting from the car accident. Thus, the driver at fault may not have to go into his/her pocket to pay for the motor vehicle accident victim’s injuries. BI may be mandatory in some cases where the owner of the vehicle is financing or leasing a vehicle and the financing company requires this coverage. BI is sold differently than other insurance coverages as it is sold in two parts; maximum per person and a maximum total. Sometimes a policy may be sold as $100K / $300K or $10K / $20K. The first figure represents the maximum amount payable per person and the second figure represents a maximum total to be paid out per accident. UM works in a very similar manner. For more in-depth information on BI coverage, contact an insurance provider or contact the car accident attorneys at the Perazzo Law Firm for a FREE initial consultation.
Click Here to View Our Bodily Injury Liability Insurance Video
What you can do to protect yourself in the event of an accident with an uninsured driver?
Jonathan Perazzo, founder at the Perazzo Law Firm, strongly recommends registered vehicle owners in Florida to purchase UM (uninsured motor vehicle coverage) to help you cover medical expenses in the event of an accident in which an uninsured motorist is at fault. Insurance providers rarely offer this to insurance coverage to their customers because they know that is it affordable and goes a long way when it comes to covering medical expenses that result from personal injuries in a car accident. In Miami, the Perazzo Law Firm suggest purchasing this supplement coverage immediately before any changes to PIP take place.
Learn more about UM insurance: Watch this video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iokH5eF-o5g&t=85s
The Perazzo Law Firm Staff of Car Accident Lawyers believe that Uninsured Motorist Insurance (UM) is the most important insurance policy for motor vehicle owners. The reason being that there are many uninsured and under-insured drivers on the road and UM covers you if the other driver does not have insurance coverage or doesn’t have enough coverage to compensate you in the event of personal injury, property damage, or injuries to your loved ones. In fact, Florida ranks in the top-five when it comes to the highest number of uninsured motorists on U.S. roadways and city streets. The Perazzo Law Firm reminds you that your PIP will only cover a certain amount of medical bills and does not contemplate your pain and suffering and amounts in excess which could easily occur in a severe crash. For example, facial injuries from an airbag, or shoulder injuries, brain trauma, or wrongful death. Medical bills to cover facial injuries, fractures, or breaks, can easily exceed $100,000. Should you only opt to carry the basic coverage policies (PIP and PD) they will not cover the costs of treating severe injuries or contemplate pain and suffering, lost wages, and or any vehicle damages. Hence, you will find yourself having to foot the bill to cover things that were not your fault. In order to protect against such a situation, these insurance policies must be offered to you by your insurance carrier and you must either elect to reject or accept the coverage. In order to purchase UM or UIM (Under-Insured Motorist) coverage t he motor vehicle owner must carry Bodily Injury Protection insurance (BI). Typically, insurance providers submit the BI contract to you with the box already completed. Our car Miami accident attorneys believe this is because UM insurance is of extremely great value for the price. If you think about it, the insurance company knows everything about you; where you live, what you do, where you work, your credit score, and other information that they can use to determine the risk or chances of you causing an accident. They cannot, however, gauge the risk of someone else crashing into you or causing an accident. Since this insurance premium is dictated by Florida law, UM is far less expensive than the mandatory insurances and riskier for the insurance company, they typically do not offer to openly or explain the importance of it to motorists. While you typically need to get bodily insurance to unlock uninsured motorist coverage. The Perazzo Law Firm highly recommends that motor vehicle owners carry uninsured motorist coverage (UM) or Under-insured motorist coverage (UIM) as it could potentially save you from a lifetime of financial burden brought about by someone else’s negligent or fault. It is also a valuable insurance coverage to have in the event of a hit and run accident. When combined with PIP and PD, UM will cover your pain, suffering, lost wages, and any other losses in line with the amount purchased. The Perazzo Law Firm informs motor vehicle owners that there are two types of UM coverage: STACK and UNSTACKED. The latter is placed on each of the vehicles that you own, be it one of three or all three vehicles, no matter on how many vehicles you own though the cover each vehicle separately, you will not be covered if you are a passenger in another person’s vehicle. However, the UM will only cover when operating said vehicle being driven at the time of the accident. Stacked UM coverage covers you and those stipulated on the insurance coverage policy as well as your household family members regardless of the vehicle those insured were in at the time of an accident. It is called stack because if you own more than one vehicle and you carry this policy on multiple vehicles the coverage accumulates according to the number of vehicles in the policy. For instance, three vehicles carrying a $100K policy would mean that you have $300,000 in coverage with which to cover injuries or losses for everyone in the STACK UM policy. The Perazzo Law Firm hopes this helps clarify the role and importance of UM insurance and what it means to you and your loved ones. This is not an exhaustive explanation as there is much more to fully understanding UM.
Visit The Perazzo Law Firm’s website for a detailed description on UM and the Ten Insurance Policies available to Florida registered vehicle owners.
https://www.perazzolaw.com/insurance-policies-for-florida-motorists.html
THE PERAZZO LAW FIRM – DEDICATED TO PUTTING YOUR INTERESTS FIRST!
OFFICES IN MIAMI-DADE
(786) LAWS – 411