Why You Need Underinsured Motorist Coverage!
ATTENTION FLORIDA DRIVERS, YOU NEED UNINSURED MOTORIST COVERAGE!
According to the Insurance Research Council (IRC), the state of Florida consistently ranks amongst the top states win uninsured motorists. The last study conducted in 2012 by the IRC showed 3.2 million uninsured motorists in Florida. Meaning the likelihood is almost one in five that the at-fault driver is uninsured.
Florida’s version of “no-fault” auto insurance is called Personal Injury Protection (PIP). It is mandatory in Florida that you carry PIP coverage with a $10,000 limit. There is however no requirement that drivers carry Bodily Injury (BI) coverage. The term “no-fault” is not an indicator of liability but rather a description of the insurance system. It is used to describe an insurance system in which each driver’s own insurance company pays for their driver’s losses, regardless of fault and typically provides payment for a portion of the medical expenses and lost wages, as well as some out-of-pocket expenses.
Many drivers are under the impression that uninsured motorist coverage is not needed because they have no fault insurance in the form of PIP. This line of thinking is false.
There are many losses suffered in serious collisions that are not covered by your no-fault benefits. Uninsured motorist coverage becomes important when you or your passengers are injured in a collision caused by a driver without bodily injury liability insurance coverage, or insufficient bodily injury liability coverage to cover your losses. Your uninsured motorist coverage covers the following expenses: medical expenses and lost wages not fully paid by your no-fault coverage, future medical expenses and future wage losses, and non-economic damages such as disability, pain and suffering, and the loss of ability to enjoy life. Also, this coverage ‘travels’ with you, providing protection for these losses even if you are not in your own insured vehicle.
Many clients come to me after being injured in an auto accident and find that they cannot be compensated for their losses because their losses were caused by an uninsured or underinsured driver. Having uninsured motorist coverage in place at the time of the accident would have allowed them to be adequately compensated. Don’t let this be you.
If you are hurt in a car accident, please contact Don Morrell at the Kendrick Law Group 407-641-5847