In Florida if you drive a motorcycle you are not required to carry PIP or personal injury protection insurance.  If you drive any other vehicles it is required coverage in Florida.  Even if you reside in another state it may be a good idea to have personal injury protection, for example if you hit a non-moving object like a tree.  Check with your insurance professional to be sure and if there still is a question consult a personal injury attorney or auto accident attorney where you plan to drive.

 As long as both parties own vehicles and live in Florida it is pretty clear cut about insurance coverage.   First, if a passenger lives in Florida and someone has a vehicle in their household, that policy’s PIP would be paying first then the driver’s PIP second.   There may be additional insurance available to be claimed against, for example some sort of a risk management policy commercially.  There are exceptions and can be further explained by your insurance professional or a competent personal injury accident attorney who knows this area of the law well.   If you are planning to visit Florida check with your insurance company to be clear on your coverage while you are visiting. 

 

 Actually, the most important thing to keep in mind is that if one is involved in an accident the legal requirement is to quickly notify the local police department, the highway patrol station or the county sheriff’s office.  The usual information is required and needs to be easily available, which includes driver’s license, registration and proof of insurance for all parties. It is required by law to give all information previously listed and assist in giving aid at the accident scene as may be required by investigating and attending officers and medical personnel.

 

 Keep in mind that giving reasonable assistance to any injured person in an accident you are involved in is required in Florida. Check with a competent accident attorney who can clarify any associated risks in doing so and effects in failing to provide reasonable assistant to injured parties in the accident.  It should be clear this is significant and may differ from other states in the country.

 

 Under no situation or circumstance should a driver involved in an accident leave the scene of an accident without a police official or officer releasing them to so.  For example, if anyone is killed in the accident a driver leaving the scene of the accident may be convicted of vehicular manslaughter carrying a First Degree Felony and a possibility of up to a $10,000 fine and includes as much as 30 years of imprisonment.  If drinking or the influence of drugs is involved the outcome is more severe and may be compounded by other facts.

 

 Another issue to be concerned with is property damage exceeding $500, which needs to be reported. This amount doesn’t take much to be met.  Backing into someone’s car at 10 miles per hour can actually cause this much damage.  It has been reported in low speed accidents that drivers taking their eyes off the road for as little as 10 or 15 seconds can unintentionally total their car and cause property damage.

 

       When in any state, Florida included, consult with a professional to get legal advice to know your responsibilities and risks while enjoying your visit.

Tags: accident, attorney, car accident injuries, visiting Florida

This entry was posted on Thursday, September 17th, 2009 at 8:07 pm and is filed under Auto Accident Injuries. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.