If you are injured in a car accident in Florida, and you personally do not have liability insurance, is there a time when someone else’s insurance will cover the costs of your injuries?
The answer in some cases is yes. If you were severely injured in a crash, and you have no UM insurance or you let your policy lapse, you may be able to recover money damages from someone else’s insurance.
It largely depends on whether the at-fault driver purchased a bodily injury liability (BI) insurance policy.
Speak with an experienced Florida attorney at our firm today.
Call 855-Kramer-Now (855-572-6376).
When Someone’s Bodily Injury Liability Insurance Will Cover You
Bodily Injury Liability coverage is voluntary. It is purchased specifically to protect motorists from liability in the event they cause an accident that results in someone getting hurt.
So if you are injured in a car crash and the at-fault driver has a Bodily Injury Liability insurance policy, that coverage will generally pay your medical bills, loss of work and wages, pain and suffering, permanent injury, loss of consortium and other damages to you. This also assumes you meet Florida’s No Fault requirements.
BI pays damages to injured parties up to the limit of the at-fault driver’s coverage. It is available to all Florida drivers in different amounts, in order to meet whatever a person can afford if they choose to buy it.
The minimum amount of coverage available in Florida is $10,000 per person in an accident, with a total minimum limit of $20,000 per accident.
For example: An at-fault driver carries $10,000 of BI. Your injuries have been assessed in excess of $750,000 in damages. All you can possibly recover for yourself is $10,000 from the insurance company.
Bodily Injury Liability insurance is frequently insufficient to cover serious personal injuries. More often than not, a Florida driver does not even carry BI.
Besides BI, there may be other times when someone else’s insurance will cover you.
Uninsured/Underinsured Motorist (UM)
UM policies protect the policy owner, and other eligible persons from personal injury damages as a result of the reckless or wrongful acts of another driver, when that driver has insufficient or no BI insurance coverage.
If you are a family member of someone who has purchased an uninsured motorist (UM) policy, or if you are a passenger in a car that belongs to someone who has an uninsured motorist policy—that UM insurance may cover you when another driver is at fault for your injuries and you do not have your own UM insurance.
Medical Payments Coverage
Another type of optional insurance is Medical Payments Coverage (Med Pay). This insurance is secondary to Personal Injury Protection (PIP) and will only cover medical expenses and not lost wages.
Medical Payments Coverage is also different from BI coverage, because it pays medical costs regardless of who caused the accident.
If you are an uninsured family member of someone who has purchased Medical Payments Coverage, or you are a passenger in the car of someone with Medical Payment Coverage, this insurance may provide certain insurance coverage.
Do Not Rely on Other Insurance!
Rather than hoping that someone else’s insurance will cover you in a Florida accident, your best option is to protect yourself as a motorist. Look to your own options for purchasing Underinsured/Uninsured Motorist Coverage and to understand the importance of stacking UM insurance.
Questions about the possible damages you may be entitled to?
If you suffer injuries in a car or truck accident, you may be able to collect important financial damages from coverage that you do not know about. You want to exhaust all avenues for insurance coverage to ensure you are fully compensated.
Contact TK Law for any questions regarding insurance claims. We will put our knowledge and experience to work for you for the best possible outcome.
A full service law firm, TK Law is here to protect you, your family, your home, and your business with any legal issue, one firm for life.