Please accept today’s question and response from the accident lawyer in Boca Raton (injury attorney North Lake, accident lawyer North Palm Beach, injury lawyer Wellington, accident attorney Aventura, accident lawyer Palm Beach).
At some business establishments in Florida, they have commercial insurance that includes medical payment coverage. This medical payment coverage generally pays for medical bills, related to an injury on the property, regardless of fault, although usually these bills need to be presented and incurred within 1 year of the accident. The medical payment coverage usually is up to a certain small amount, like $500, $1,000, $2,500 or $5,000 being the most common amount. Occasionally, the law firm will see medical payment coverage higher than $5,000. Thus, while you may believe the insurance company for the business establishment are acting nice but in reality, their own policy may require payment of those bills, up to the medical payment coverage amount, so this is the reason they are paying. it is also possible that they are paying in the hopes that you not pursue any other type of claim, like one for pain and suffering. It is important to note that the business establishment or their insurance company is not admitting liability or fault by paying medical bills pursuant to the medical payment coverage or otherwise, as below is posted Florida evidence code statute 90.409 which basically states that payment of medical bills cannot be used as proof of negligence. Thus, generally in Florida, an insurance company may pay your medical bills (pursuant to a medical payment provision or by claim strategy) and that is not proof or cannot be used as proof of fault in the case.
Have you been in an accident and were injured where you believe that it is someone else’s fault? If so, please call Drucker Law Offices for a free consultation at (561) 483-9199 for Palm Beach County (Boca Raton Main office); (954) 755-2120 in Broward County (Coral Springs satellite office); or (305) 981-1561 in Miami-Dade County (Miami satellite office).
It is important to note that every case is unique and should be judged based on the specific facts of the case. The advice in this blog is intended to be general in nature and should not to be construed as specific advice for a case, as a minor difference in the facts of the case could change the result. Also, this is a law blog and the advise here is not medical in nature. Also, this blog is, as the web site suggests, based on Florida law and the laws of any other states or even another country could vary from Florida.
90.409 Payment of medical and similar expenses.–Evidence of furnishing, or offering or promising to pay, medical or hospital expenses or other damages occasioned by an injury or accident is inadmissible to prove liability for the injury or accident.
