An Orlando car accident lawyer shares PIP insurance deadlines
With Florida’s no-fault insurance law comes mandatory personal injury protection (PIP) coverage. The primary purpose of PIP is to cover medical expenses and lost earnings for you and any of your passengers who are injured in a motor vehicle accident regardless of fault. Every owner of a passenger vehicle in Florida is required to carry a minimum of $10,000 in PIP coverage. It also extends to bicyclists and passengers who are hit by a passenger vehicle and school bus accidents involving children.
The purpose of PIP
The Florida no-fault insurance law was put in place to deliver fast payment of medical bills that are incurred as a result of a passenger vehicle accident. The legislature also intended it to lower premiums while avoiding costly lawsuits. Critics argue that rapid PIP payments encourage providers of medical services to exaggerate injuries and inflate medical bills in order to grab that $10,000 of PIP coverage.
The current PIP law
Under Florida’s former PIP statute, claimants had two years from the date of an accident to seek initial treatment after an accident. Under the new law, claimants have only two weeks to do so. Coverage for initial treatment more than two weeks after an accident will be denied. Along with that, only covered people who are seriously injured might be eligible for the full $10,000 of required PIP coverage. Those who are determined to have less severe injuries are only eligible for $2,500 of PIP coverage. That’s a drastic change in the law that is purportedly intended to expedite payment and prevent insurance fraud. As per an Orlando car accident lawyer at the Payer law group, the new PIP initial treatment deadline and coverage limits actually allow auto insurers to collect higher premiums while providing fewer benefits to insured drivers.
Notification of the change in the law
The new PIP statute doesn’t even require insurance companies to notify their policyholders of the changes in the law. Many insured people have already found out about the changes the hard way by being denied coverage. These are two more reasons to consult with an Orlando car accident lawyer at the Payer Law right away after being injured in an accident.
Your reasonable delays can cause coverage to be denied
After an accident, it isn’t unusual for a person to wait a while for bumps and bruises to go away. If they still experience pain afterward, they’ll go to a doctor. It will likely take a few days to see that doctor too. Because the person is being perfectly reasonable, he or she probably won’t be able to use the PIP coverage that has already been paid for. That’s because the two week limitation period that they were never notified of expired.
If you or a family member have been injured in a motor vehicle collision anywhere in Florida, contact an Orlando car accident lawyer at the Payer Law right away for a free consultation and case evaluation. You can use our online contact form at payerlawgroup.com, or you can call us at 407-307-2979. There are no legal fees unless you win.
