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Different types of automobile insurance coverage under Florida law per the injury and accident lawyer

People are constantly asking the injury lawyer from Boca (also accident lawyer from Delray, personal injury lawyer from Boynton Beach, injury attorney from Wellington, accident lawyer from Miami, injury attorney in Fort Lauderdale) about the different types of car insurance that are offered and which are required by law.

Generally, in Florida, owners of vehicles are required to have PIP coverage and property damage insurance.   PIP coverage pays for 80 percent of your medical bills in an accident and 60 percent of lost wages, regardless of fault.  This coverage generally caps at $10,000.00. 

Property damage insurance pays to fix the other person’s car if you cause an accident.  The law requires you to carry $10,000.00 of this coverage although you obviously can purchase additional coverage.

Bodily injury is not required, although if you drive without it and cause an accident you are required to do certain things like posting money or else your license will be suspended as well as other administrative penalties.   The smallest bodily injury police is for $10,000.00 per person and $20,000.00 per accident and this coverage pays the other person for medical bills that are unpaid, lost wages over and above what PIP pays, as well as pain and suffering if certain proof is made.  This is generally indemnity insurance which means the insurance company indemnifies its insured, up to the coverage limits, against a judgment for bodily injury entered by someone who was injured as the result of the negligence of the insured or someone driving the insured vehicle.  Indeed, the reason that indemnity insurance companies “settle” or resolve cases is that when a case resolves, the insurance company requires a release to be signed by the injured person and the release states that the injured person cannot sue the insured.  Thus, this process is the proverbial “nipping in the bud” by preventing the injured person from suing in exchange for the monetary settlement.

Collision coverage is also not required although if you lease or purchase a car by loan, those companies likely will require you to have this coverage.   Collision coverage fixes your car when you are in an accident, regardless of fault.  It usually has a deductible so if it costs $5,000.00 to fix your car and you have a $500 deductible, then your insurance company pays $4500.00 towards your repair.

Comprehensive coverage basically fixes your car when it is damages by anything other than a car accident.  Thus, it would fix your car if damage by hurricane, theft, vandalism, and so forth.  This coverage, like collision, is not required by law but commonly required by contract (lease, loan, etc.).  This also usually has a deductible.

Uninsured motorist is also not required.  Uninsured motorist coverage, which is also underinsured motorist coverage, pays you money when you are injured in an accident that is not your fault and the other person does not have any insurance, does not have bodily injury coverage, does not have enough bodily injury coverage, or in a hit and run situation.  This pays, like bodily injury coverage to for the other person but when they do not have that coverage.  Interestingly, if someone purchases bodily injury coverage the law requires the insurance company to offer you the uninsured motorist coverage and if you choose to reject it, you are to sign a rejection form stating that you are not electing this coverage and that you understand you are giving up important coverage.  If the insurance company does not explain to you what you are giving up and you do not sign that form, then in the event of an accident, the insurance company may have to provide you with that coverage, even though you did not purchase it.

There is a lot of information here.  Obviously, before you purchase insurance you should speak with your agent and/or lawyer to make sure you understand in full the insurance that you are purchasing and the insurance that you are not purchasing.  You should get as much insurance and as large of policy limits as you can affort but we are in tough economic times and many people are limiting the coverage that they purchase.  So long as you have an understanding of what you are getting, you can make an educated decision for you and your family.

It is important to remember that these insurance coverages are covered by contract and there could be exclusions in the policy and further there could be differences in coverage between insurance companies depending on the wording of the contract/policy.

Every case is different and must be judged on its merits. It is a good start to get a free consultation regarding an accident case in case this happens to you. The advice contained in this blog is intended to be of general matter and not as to a specific situation, so please call a licensed Florida attorney, like the lawyer at Drucker Law Offices, to determine if and how Florida law applies to your injury case.

At Drucker Law Offices, clients are helped when they are in an automobile accidents.  One of the first things the lawyer does is obtain the insurance policies, so that clients can get their cars fixed/totaled out and so that the lawyer can advise the clients of the applicable insurances.  The lawyer also answers questions from clients about their insurance coverage so they can make educated decisions about what insurance to get.  If you have been in an accident, feel free to call the accident lawyer in Boca Raton (Miramar injury lawyer, Pembroke Pines personal injury lawyer, Weston accident attorney, Plantation accident lawyer, Coral Springs personal injury lawyer, Tamara injury attorney) for a free consultation.  The phone number is 561-483-9199 in Boca Raton (principal office), 954-755-2120 in Coral Springs (satellite office) and 305-981-1561 in Miami (satellite office).

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