Uninsured Motorist Accidents in Florida
While it’s illegal to drive a motor vehicle without insurance, that doesn’t stop some people. Unfortunately, Florida has the sixth highest rate of uninsured drivers throughout the country. In the United States, about 1 in every 8 drivers doesn’t carry insurance.
20.4% of Florida drivers are uninsured. That’s a 1 in 5 chance that you’ll have to pay higher costs out of pocket if you’re involved in a Florida car accident. Out of the 390,669 crashes that occurred in 2020, that’s about 73,576 accidents that involved at least one uninsured motorist.
What Does Personal Injury Protection Cover?
Personal Injury Protection pays for 80% of your medical bills up to a certain point. $10,000 is the minimum coverage amount and the most common. If you have $10,000 in medical bills, you would be able to claim $8,000 from your PIP.
PIP will also cover 60% of lost wages if you haven’t already met your limit. The amount of PIP coverage you have available depends on how much coverage you choose to purchase with your insurance plan.
Unfortunately, if an injury is deemed a “non-emergency,” you’ll only be able to recover 25% of your damages. Non-emergency injuries are defined as ones that:
- don’t cause serious jeopardy to your health,
- impairment to bodily function,
- or dysfunction if not immediately treated.
It’s important to remember that PIP will only cover injuries treated within 14 days of the accident. You’ll need to seek immediate medical attention after the accident.
Uninsured Motorist Coverage
Uninsured or underinsured motorist coverage (UM/UIM) is an additional type of insurance that you can add to your car insurance plan. UM/UIM is not required in Florida, but it is a good idea to carry this type of insurance in case of an accident. It doesn’t take much for a car accident to cause more than $10,000 in damages, and you’ll be glad to have the extra coverage.
The lowest amount of coverage you can purchase in Florida is $10,000 in bodily injury per person and $20,000 per accident. These numbers increase into the hundreds of thousands.
What Types of Damages Can You Recover?
You can recover both economic and non-economic damages from PIP and UM/UIM coverage, including but not limited to the following:
Medical bills, such as:
- Ambulance rides
- Surgery
- Hospital visits
- Doctors and specialists
- Physical therapy
- Future medical care
Lost wages
Lost earning capacity
Rehabilitation costs
Pain and suffering
Emotional distress
Loss of consortium
Disfigurement and scarring
The amount of compensation you receive will depend on the coverage you have available, including both PIP (minimum of $10,000) and UM/UIM (optional coverage with a minimum of $10,000). Your attorney may be able to help find other compensation options, but more on that later.
How Can an Uninsured Motorist Attorney Help You?
By hiring an uninsured motorist attorney, you’ll feel much more confident knowing that you’re going to get the most compensation for your damages. Your attorney will be able to:
- Review your case
- Review your insurance policy
- Collect evidence
- Evaluate your damages
- Submit your insurance claim
- Negotiate a settlement offer
We’ll also be able to help you seek additional damages if your injuries max out your PIP and UM/UIM coverage. Car accident injuries can be expensive, so it’s completely possible that you’ll require more compensation than what you personally have available.
Normally, you would file a lawsuit against the at-fault party to recover additional damages. Unfortunately, if the other driver doesn’t have insurance—there’s no coverage to pay out.
If you have a serious injury, including:
You may be eligible for further compensation. This is referred to as the “serious injury threshold.” Our talented team of attorneys will be able to help you file a claim for mild or serious injuries.
We may also be able to identify other sources of compensation for your damages, for example:
- A manufacturer of a defective product contributed to your injuries
- A third-party motorist who shares fault for the accident
- A family member’s insurance policy, depending on their relationship to the at-fault party
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