Remember, everyone in Florida must carry car insurance coverage.  The specific amounts policies cover vary.  There is a required coverage that’s a must in Florida, the $10,000 PIP coverage.  It may have a deductible or it may have no deductible at all.  Hopefully you never need your PIP coverage.  If you do have a deductable, remember having one can cause problems in receiving treatment promptly sometimes.  All policies after January 1, 2008 will be amended according this new version of an old law.  Not only that, but if the old policy didn’t have personal injury protection it will be rewritten to have it after January 1, 2008.  The new forms, or rates, are in force on everyone’s policies in Florida.  Check with your insurance agent to make sure you have proper coverage.

An important side note is the fact that any accidents occurring between December 31, 2007 and January 1, 2009 will be limited in the scope of the tort, a legal wrong.  This will be for all involved party’s policies, unless these policies meet the requirements in effect as of September 30th of 2007.  Why one may ask. Simple, there was a window of a few months where the Florida Motor Vehicle No-Fault was repealed until December 31, 2007.  Insurers during this time frame weren’t required to notify the Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles about anyone’s status on the personal injury portion of their policies. Drivers didn’t escape the need to carry this type of insurance though during that period of time.

Now that everyone in Florida is long past this transition period, everyone’s policy should be correctly written with the required PIP feature.   Motorcyclists are not required to carry PIP.  Pure and simple PIP coverage is required by law.

There is another required provision in Florida that PDL, or Property Damage Liability, must be carried by drivers also.  One cannot even buy a four wheeled vehicle without showing both PIP and PDL coverage.  No license plate can be transacted until proof of these is given on the driver and the vehicle.  Car owners and drivers cannot escape responsibility for maintaining the property damage liability coverage that is required by law.
 
Under Florida’s Financial Responsibility Law every driver in Florida must have Bodily Injury Liability coverage for two or more people.  In addition, there must be coverage for Property Damage Liability with Combined Single limits at least $30,000.  Florida requires drivers and vehicle owners to maintain coverage before an accident occurs and before a DUI occurs resulting in a license suspension.  One must have this type of insurance in force if one is a habitual traffic offender or has too many points against their driver’s license.  Of course this includes any other serious violations beyond what has been mentioned here.

There are no loopholes in either the No-Fault Law or the Financial Responsibility Law.  Both must be carried throughout the given registration term of a vehicle; no exceptions.  If there are any concerns you have consult your insurance carrier or a competent accident attorney who knows personal injury law in Florida.

Take action and…

Go to the doctor or emergency room, regardless.  Sometimes injuries can be severe and not feel like anything because of shock.  Be safe and be careful by doing this first. Waiting can be bad for many reasons; one being your injuries can become worse by waiting to get treatment.

Second, get copies of the accident report from the reporting officers and any medical billings from your accident.  This may take a little time, but get the process started or have a friend or loved one help you to do this.

Third, as soon as possible, write down everything you can recall about the accident, including where you were going and your frame of mind at the time.  In time details can become vague for some people.  Write them down as soon as you are able to.

There are other things you will want to do after your accident if you’ve been injured.  If you are injured severely, others most likely will be helping you. This will include an attorney and members of his staff.  Make sure you have your insurance information together, as well as the other driver’s, if possible.

Finally, create a list of questions for the attorney regarding your concerns and fears about the accident.  The attorney will answer them or refer you to one who can address them properly.  The questions that are easiest to get answered are in finding out what information and documents you can get together in your case.

Keep in mind…

If a driver can afford insurance without a deductible it works out best and makes the process after the accident somewhat simpler.  However, if you have been injured in your accident you may not be able to do much. Then you must rely on others, including the police to provide this support information.   Getting an accident report to document what happened will be important for an attorney to start their work with for you.  In addition, the date of the accident and the police department handling the accident, as well as who conducted the investigations are all important facts and starting points.  In regards to the other driver’s car, write down the make and model, including the tag number and vehicle identification number from the registration, if you are able to do so.  Provide the same information on your own vehicle to the other driver, if possible.  Contact your own insurance company as soon as possible. Seek independent counsel from an attorney to understand your rights and responsibilities in any accident situation.

Insurance company contact…

Expecting your insurance company will handle everything may actually be true; however many times this isn’t the case.  It may take more work on your part to get everything handled correctly with an insurance company.  Your insurance company or the other party’s insurance company may want a personal statement from you and want to record it. You can refuse to do this, especially if you have not contacted an attorney who will advise you about doing or not doing this as well as other matters regarding your accident or personal injury case.

First, don’t try to tell yourself you are OK.  You may feel fine and still be injured.  Many times medical testing with X-Rays, CT’s or other tests can reveal unknown injuries.  Some may be serious, like back injuries or internal bleeding.  The internal injuries may have occurred in your accident and may be unknown directly after the accident; due to the likelihood most people have some level of shock after an accident.  Auto accidents and the associated injuries are known to be complex.

Second, try to avoid making comments as the shock of an auto accident can be very unsettling.  People can say things that are inaccurate or emotional and may be inaccurate at the time.  Examples are in attempting to be responsible by claiming it is either your fault or the fault of others that are involved.  Perhaps you blurt out that you probably shouldn’t have been going so fast or perhaps that you were late to an appointment or in a hurry for some reason.  These statements may be true, but there are always other factors involved.  Some may only become known upon further investigation.  If at all possible, try to be reflective and composed.  It may be hard, but your initial comments may be prompted by shock and emotion and not based in facts.  One needs to refrain and avoid talking unnecessarily after an accident.

And the third thing is to avoid blaming the other people involved in the accident for causing it.  It may be possible you are partially at fault, maybe not though.  Others may be more at fault, but leave the communication with the involved parties to the auto accident lawyer handling your case.  Any competent attorney knows how to handle these types of communications, appropriately and professionally.  By doing so, you will be represented and protected from needless mistakes and unnecessary additional problems later.  The accident is enough disruption to your life without aggravating yourself and others further, especially at a stressful time.  Remember, stay calm if possible.

Of course, the most important thing is do is not to leave the scene of your accident until you have been cleared to do so by a law enforcement official.  If you are injured you will need to trust police and medical personal attending to the accident.

To sum it all up, first do not tell anyone you are OK, when you don’t know if you are injured or not.  So, do not put off getting examined by medical professionals if you feel you may have been injured in the accident, get examined.  You have a right to emergency medical treatment in an auto accident situation, regardless.  Second, avoid talking beyond brief comments to police and paramedics, as you may be in shock after the accident.  Third, do not blame yourself or others at the scene, accidents happen, so try to remain as composed as possible.  Also, remember do not remove anything from the accident scene until police or investigators give you permission to do so.  Keep in mind not give any recorded statements until consulting an attorney.  You have the right to consult an attorney.