Florida Accident Law - Florida PIP Insurance

[Joseph M. Maus]

Personal Injury Protection coverage is just about the most important auto insurance you can buy and many people skimp on it to avoid paying higher premiums. Florida PIP insurance (Personal Injury Protection) provides coverage for anyone in the car at the time of an accident - both the driver and the passengers. Your PIP even covers anybody who lives in your household, assuming they don't own a car, if they happen to be the one driving your car at the time of the accident (say, if your teenage son is driving, for example). Just make sure you list them on your PIP application so you can be sure they are covered. One of the nicest things about PIP is that it pays out benefits without waiting for a determination of fault. In other words, you don't have to wait for all the insurance companies involved in the claims for your accident to figure out whether you or the other driver was at fault (which could take several weeks) - PIP insurance pays right away. Which can be a huge help if you are facing medical bills from the accident.

Florida accident law requires you to carry Personal Injury Protection insurance. It's mandatory and it should be - it's designed to help with your medical coverage and lost wages if you are injured in an auto accident! Have you ever thought about what would happen if you were involved in a car accident, needed medical treatment, and are one of the 45.7 million Americans who don't have health insurance? Let me put it into perspective for you: if you think about the fact that on the day of the accident alone you can chalk up a bill for the ambulance ride, the emergency room visit, any necessary x-rays, physician fees, and lab fees, you can see that your initial bill could easily add up to $2,000 - $3,000 or more. Any that's just for day one - that does not include any other fees or rehab or more intensive care if you need it.

Now think about what would happen if you are disabled, even for a short time (i.e., you can't work for six weeks due to a broken arm and a broken leg). You're home recovering and the paychecks aren't flowing in any longer. The Florida PIP insurance that Florida accident law required you to carry just came through for you again: it will pay you up to 60% of your gross income. Plus any reasonable expenses during the recovery period. Not a bad deal.

One more thing about the Florida PIP insurance that you are required to carry through Florida accident law: in the event of your death through an auto accident, a benefit of $5,000 will be paid per individual to the your beneficary (or estate executor) if you die of accident-related injuries.

In total, Florida PIP insurance will pay up to $10,000 per individual, per accident. Now that you think about it, it's not a bad thing that Florida accident law requires you to carry this coverage, is it? It provides you with a big benefit for a premium amount that really isn't worth skimping on, especially if you don't have health insurance coverage. You may be the best and most careful driver in the world, but that doesn't mean the guy driving next to you with his cell phone glued to his ear and his road-rage barely under control is going to be as careful. Hopefully, you both won't meet someday by accident, but if you do, Florida PIP insurance will be there to help you.

For more information about Florida accident law and your rights under Florida PIP insurance, contact Florida auto accident lawyer Joseph M. Maus at 1-866-556-5529 or email him today.