New PIP Amendment Costs Auto Injury Victims

As of January 2013, Florida law strictly limits the amount of compensation available to a person injured in an auto accident. If you have the misfortune to be in an automobile accident, it is important that you talk to car accident lawyers in Jacksonville to understand your options.

As a no-fault state, Florida requires its drivers to carry basic PIP (Personal Injury Protection) insurance with at least $10,000 in coverage.  The original PIP law was based on the idea that everyone would contribute to the insurance pool and, regardless of who was at fault in a car accident, everyone’s medical expenses for injuries would be covered.

The new amendment to the basic PIP law limits the availability funds to people injured in a traffic accident, strictly restricts the kind of treatment you can receive and places conditions on treatment:

• You have 14 days only in which to seek medical treatment
• Types of treatment are limited and at the discretion of only certain medical professionals
• Instead of the full benefit of $10,000 in medical coverage previously provided by PIP, benefits are capped at $2,500, absent a finding of a medical emergency

The only alternative to accessing for injury victims adversely affected by these new PIP limitations and conditions is to fall back on their own private health insurance to cover their traffic injury-related costs. If you don’t have private health insurance through work, then you could end up paying the bulk of your own medical bills. Now more than ever, it is crucial to contact a traffic accident lawyer in Jacksonville to find out what you can do to protect yourself from the high costs of medical care and rehabilitation.

Fallgatter Catlin & Varon, P.A. is Jacksonville firm that can help you maximize your options in the face of these new amendments. Our experienced attorneys are dedicated to finding solutions for you.