Protecting Victims of Accidents Involving Uninsured Motorists

If you were involved in an accident involving an uninsured driver in The Villages, you may be eligible for compensation. You may benefit from consulting with The Villages auto crash lawyer, who can help you obtain maximum recovery.  

Florida has one of the highest rates of uninsured drivers in the country. According to the Insurance Information Institute (III), nearly one in four Florida drivers is uninsured. While Florida law requires all drivers to carry insurance, clearly the law’s penalties are not enough to keep uninsured drivers off the road.

Uninsured and Underinsured Motorist Insurance Claims

Among those drivers who are insured, a significant portion carry only the minimum coverage required by law. In a traumatic accident, this coverage will fall short of covering the victim’s medical bills, loss of income and other losses. Due to Florida’s high rate of uninsured and underinsured motorists, we recommend that all drivers purchase uninsured motorists coverage to protect themselves and their loved ones in the event of a collision. We call it the Babiarz Golden Rule of Insurance -- “insure for yourself as you would have others insure for you.” When you protect yourself with uninsured motorist coverage, you have peace of mind knowing that you can still file a claim if you were hit by someone without insurance or someone with minimal insurance.

If you or a loved one were involved in an accident with an uninsured driver, our firm can help. At the Babiarz Law Firm, PA, our clients are our first priority. As a victim of an auto accident involving an uninsured or underinsured motorist, you may be entitled to money damages. We work diligently to protect your rights and help you recover maximum compensation.

Personal Injury Protection (PIP) and Property Damage Liability (PDL) Coverage

In Florida, the mandatory Personal Injury Protection (PIP) or No-Fault auto insurance covers the insured and his or her resident relatives for injuries incurred as a result of a vehicle collision, regardless of ownership of the vehicles involved. It can also cover the insured for injuries sustained in a pedestrian accident. If you are injured in an accident, PIP will pay 80 percent of your medical expenses, 60 percent of your lost wages, and any non-medical expenses up to $10,000.00. However, PIP only covers $2,500.00 in the event you do not sustain an “emergency medical condition” as a result of the crash. If you do not receive medical treatment within fourteen (14) days of your crash, you can lose your PIP benefits.  Florida’s insurance law also requires $10,000 in Property Damage Liability (PDL) coverage. This covers damage caused to other drivers’ vehicles.

Bodily Injury Liability (BI) and Uninsured/Underinsured Motorist (UM) Coverage

Bodily Injury Liability (BI) coverage is the coverage you want the at-fault driver to have as the victim of a vehicle collision. BI insurance covers victims’ injuries and other losses resulting from the collision. Unfortunately, with so few Floridians carrying the mandatory minimum coverage, fewer still carry this additional protection. For this reason, we recommend the purchase of Uninsured/Underinsured Motorist (UM) coverage. This coverage protects you and your resident relatives if you are in a crash and the at-fault party either (i) is uninsured (has no BI coverage), or (ii) is underinsured (has inadequate BI coverage). To purchase Uninsured/Underinsured Motorist coverage in Florida, you must purchase Bodily Injury Liability coverage at an amount greater than or equal to your chosen UM coverage limits.

While PIP is “no-fault” insurance (meaning that you are entitled to coverage regardless of who was to blame in the accident), UM coverage is not. When you file a UM claim, your insurance company could dispute your claim just the same as if it were defending against paying you as a third party under an at-fault driver’s BI policy. This means that securing UM coverage can be a challenging (not to mention extremely frustrating) process. To protect yourself, it will likely be in your best interests to hire an experienced attorney.

The Villages Auto Crash Lawyer Tim Babiarz Helps You Obtain Compensation

If you or a loved one suffered traumatic injuries in a hit-and-run accident or any other type of accident involving an uninsured or underinsured motorist in The Villages, Ocala, Lady Lake, Leesburg or surrounding areas, the Babiarz Law Firm, PA can help. Attorney Tim Babiarz has extensive and successful experience handling these types of cases, and can help you seek full and fair compensation for your losses. To get started with a free, no-obligation consultation, call our law offices in The Villages, FL at (352) 205-7599 or request a call back online today.