In the state of Florida, the law requires all drivers with Florida license plates (a car registered in the state of Florida) to have a car insurance liability policy. It is illegal to drive without insurance. It should be noted that while the law only requires cars registered in Florida to have insurance, every other state has its own insurance requirement, and a vehicle driven in Florida, but registered in another state must have insurance pursuant to their home state’s law, and failure to do so is illegal in Florida as well.
As for the amount of insurance you must carry, pursuant to the Florida laws, you must have no-fault personal injury protection (PIP) of at least $10,000 and $10,000 in property damage liability (PDL) insurance for property damage to others (car, house, building) damaged in the accident. There is a per claim limit of $20,000 and a total combined single accident minimum of $30,000. This is a little bit different that it is in other states, but the results are often the same. If there is a driver who causes a serious car accident with severe injuries to multiple victims, and that driver has the state minimum coverage, then there will likely be far more damages than there is insurance to pay for those damages. The good news is that many people purchase well over the state minimum, and, if you can afford to do that, you probably should.
As our Orlando car accident lawyers can explain, if you are in an accident with multiple victims, you should call for a consultation as soon as possible to increase your chances of a full and appropriate financial recovery. If other victims settle their cases before you do, then you might lose out on some of the insurance limits, so you want to make sure they are aware of your claim.
A recent article from U.S. News discusses one Florida car accident where the damages would certainly exceed the policy limits of someone who had the state minimum coverage. In that case, two Florida teens were killed and another teen sustained critical injuries in this deadly car crash in Plant City, Florida.
The victims who died in this fatal car accident included a 15-year-old girl and her 18-year-old brother. Authorities say the vehicle was making a left turn when the teen driver collided with an oncoming vehicle. The driver was rushed to a local level-one trauma center, where he remained in critical condition following the serious car accident. There were two adults in the other vehicle who were not injured in the accident, as well as their two children. The two children suffered what are believed to minor injuries. It should be noted that there have been no formal accusations of negligence in connection with this case as of the time of this article, and the police have not filed any charges.
One thing to keep in mind is that it is not necessary for the police to file charges for you to have a valid basis for filing a car accident lawsuit. While an arrest can be used to establish negligence, a criminal charge or conviction is not a prerequisite.
Call Freeman Injury Law — 1-800-561-7777 for a free appointment to discuss your rights. Now serving Orlando, West Palm Beach, Port St. Lucie and Fort Lauderdale.
Additional Resources:
2 Teens Killed, 1 Injured in Crash, May 27, 2017, U.S. News and World Report
More Blog Entries:
Distracted Driving Alleged in Bus Crash That Killed 13, April 19, 2017, Car Accident Amputation Lawyer Blog