A. Personal Injury Protection Coverage
B. Medical Payments Coverage
C. Bodily Injury Liability Insurance
D. Uninsured/underinsured Motorist Coverage
E. Collision Coverage
F. Comprehensive Coverage
A. Personal Injury Protection
Personal Injury Protection (PIP), also known as Florida No-Fault, will pay 80% of your medical bills and 60% of your lost wages. This is true regardless of who was at-fault for the accident. The medical bills and the lost wages must be reasonable, necessary and related to the accident.
The policy limit for PIP is usually $10,000.00. Every person who owns a car in Florida is required to have PIP (assuming the car is operable). Click here for a more thorough description of PIP benefits that are available.
B. Medical Payments Coverage
Medical Payments Coverage, often called medpay coverage, is an optional coverage in Florida. Assuming that PIP pays 80% of your medical bills after a car accident, it is obvious that 20% of the bills will be unpaid. This 20% balance can be paid by medpay coverage. If you do not have medpay coverage, the hospital or doctor should submit the 20% balance to your health insurance company, or to Medicare or Medicaid (if applicable).
C. Bodily Injury Liability Coverage
Bodily injury liability coverage is an optional coverage in Florida. If you are injured in an accident and it was the other driver's fault, his/her bodily injury liability insurance can be used to pay you for your injuries. For example, bodily injury liability coverage can be used to pay for medical bills or lost wages that exceed your PIP policy limits. Also, if you have a permanent injury from an accident, the at-fault driver's bodily injury liability coverage can be used to compensate you for your pain and suffering, mental anguish, emotional distress, inconvenience, loss of capacity for enjoyment of life and similar damages. The circumstances under which bodily injury liability coverage applies to a particular case can be rather complicated. If you have questions about bodily injury liability coverage, please contact our office and we would be happy to speak with you.
D. Uninsured/Underinsured Motorist Coverage
This type of coverage is one of the most important forms of car and motorcycle insurance. It is also one of the most misunderstood forms of insurance.
Uninsured/Underinsured ('UM') coverage is primarily intended to cover you under two circumstances:
First, UM covers you when another driver negligently causes an accident and he has no insurance to pay for your injuries. In such a case, the other driver is an €śuninsured motorist.€ť If you have purchased UM coverage for yourself, or if there is UM coverage on the vehicle in which you were riding, the UM insurer €śstands in the shoes€ť of the at-fault driver. That is, the UM insurer stands in the shoes of the at-fault driver as if he had purchased bodily injury liability insurance. UM coverage compensates you for medical bills or lost wages that exceed your PIP policy limit. If you have a permanent injury, UM coverage also compensates you for any pain and suffering, mental anguish, emotional distress, inconvenience, loss of capacity for enjoyment of life and similar damages.
The other common use of UM coverage is when the at-fault driver had some bodily injury liability insurance to pay for your injuries, but he/she did not have enough insurance to fully compensate you. In such a case, the at-fault driver is considered an 'underinsured motorist'ť. In these circumstances, the UM insurer stands in the shoes of the at-fault driver, and the UM insurer is obligated to pay your injury claim to the extent that the value of your claim exceeds the amount of the at-fault driver's bodily injury liability coverage.
UM coverage can also apply while you are getting into or out of a vehicle. It can apply if you are run off the road and injured by a hit and run driver. There are many circumstances under which UM coverage may apply to compensate you if you are injured in an accident. If you have any questions about UM coverage, please contact our office and we would be happy to speak to you.
E. Collision Coverage
This is a coverage for property damage, but not for injury. Collision coverage pays for accident-related repairs to your vehicle. If you borrowed money from a bank to buy your vehicle and you make monthly payments, the bank probably requires you to have collision coverage. The bank wants this coverage on your vehicle because if you wreck your vehicle in an accident for which you are at fault, or the other driver has no insurance, your collision coverage will pay to repair or replace the vehicle. There is usually a deductible associated with collision coverage.
Collision coverage can also cover personal property that was damaged in a car accident. This can include items such as eyeglasses, sunglasses, clothing, or other property that was damaged in the accident. If you have a question about collision coverage, please contact our office and we would be happy to speak with you.
F. Comprehensive Coverage
This coverage is for property damage, but not for injury. Comprehensive coverage usually covers the value of a vehicle if it is stolen. Comprehensive coverage also usually covers vehicle damage that is caused by a tree limb or other object that falls onto your vehicle. There is usually a deductible associated with comprehensive coverage. If you have a question about comprehensive coverage, please contact our office and we would be happy to speak with you.
