Some car accident victims may break a bone or sprain the soft tissue in their neck – injuries that do result in medical expenses but that can heal with treatment and are not particularly serious. Most people have personal injury protection (PIP) insurance policies that will cover the costs of treatment for relatively minor injuries.
On the other hand, many people involved in crashes suffer severe injuries that can require extensive medical care including hospitalization, surgeries, and ongoing treatment for months or even years. In such cases, PIP insurance claims may be significantly inadequate to cover the resulting medical bills.
Many people have PIP policies with the following limits:
- $2,500 for non-emergency medical conditions
- $10,000 for emergency medical conditions
If a patient requires multiple nights in a hospital or any type of surgical procedure, their costs of care can easily surpass those limits within days. In such situations, they must look beyond PIP insurance for other ways to recover for their injury-related losses.
Florida law does recognize that PIP insurance coverage will not be sufficient for all car accident victims. In these situations, victims are allowed to go outside of the “no-fault” system and seek compensation from any individuals or parties who caused the crash. A personal injury lawyer will be able to evaluate your case and identify from whom you can seek damages based on the circumstances of your accident.
If someone else is liable for your accident, you can file a legal claim in civil court against them if you have an injury that qualifies as “serious” under the law. Your attorney can also evaluate whether you have a qualifying injury to pursue a case in court.
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