Wesley Chapel Uninsured Motorist Accident Attorney
According to the Insurance Research Council, over 25% of Florida drivers are uninsured—even though the state requires that motorists purchase insurance. Many people are seriously injured in accidents, and they exhaust their personal injury protection (PIP) benefits very quickly. When this happens, injured victims and their families often scramble to find some other source of funds. Fortunately, there is help. The Wesley Chapel uninsured motorist accident attorneys at Moore Law can meet with you to review your case and strategize a way to get your bills paid.
Required Florida Insurance
Florida is one of the few no-fault states in the nation. Under this scheme, each person who registers a vehicle should carry PIP policies, which provide no-fault benefits in the event of a crash. So if two vehicles collide in an intersection, both drivers can tap their own insurance policies to pay for medical care and replace lost income without any need of suing each other.
Currently, Florida only requires that drivers carry $10,000 in PIP benefits. (They also need to carry $10,000 in property damage liability.) As anyone who’s been in a fender bender knows, even minor injuries can soon eat up a $10,000 policy, leaving them with unpaid medical bills and unmet expenses.
Uninsured Motorist Claims
Although Florida is a “no fault” state, motorists can still sue in some situations. Unfortunately, many drivers don’t have any assets to pay compensation even if they are found at fault for the wreck. And, critically, they don’t have a bodily injury liability policy, which isn’t required by the state.
This is where your own uninsured/underinsured motorist policy (UM) can come into play. With this policy, you can bring a claim when a negligent driver injures you. There are some things you should know:
- You can only bring a claim against your UM coverage if you are not at fault. Unlike with PIP, UM coverage is fault based.
- Not everyone has a UM policy. You should check your paperwork to see if you do.
- Although you pay the premiums for UM coverage, your insurer will still want to limit their liability in the event of an accident. They might even try to pin the blame for the accident on you to lower the amount they pay or even outright deny your claim.
- You can still tap your PIP benefits. In fact, UM coverage doesn’t come into play until you exhaust your PIP coverage.
Most UM policies will cover things like medical expenses, rehabilitation, lost income, and pain and suffering. Meet with one of our lawyers to review how much your claim might be worth.
Can a Wesley Chapel Uninsured Motorist Accident Lawyer Help Me?
Yes. Our lawyers provide many services to our clients. First, we can check whether you can even make an uninsured motorist claim on your policy. We can also gather evidence to show that you were not at fault. Evidence includes things like your recorded statement, eyewitness testimony, physical evidence, and cell phone data or surveillance video.
With over 25 years of experience, Moore Law has worked with most of the state’s large insurers, and we are not afraid to advocate powerfully for our clients. Call us today to schedule a free consultation with our team.
