You may think that if you have the minimum insurance required by Florida law, you are covered after a car accident. In fact, without bodily injury liability coverage, you are very much at risk of being personally responsible for medical bills or other damages resulting from a car accident. Here are some reasons why you should consider adding bodily injury liability coverage to your automobile insurance policy.
If you were involved in a crash and need immediate legal representation speak to a car accident lawyer in Fort Lauderdale now.
Protection from Financial Liability
Bodily insurance liability coverage is different from most other insurance policies you may have. Bodily insurance coverage pays for the expenses others incur if you cause an accident while driving.
Fort Lauderdale has some of the lowest personal injury protection requirements for liability auto insurance in the nation. Floridians are only required to have $10,000 coverage. That means that if you are in an accident, your insurance policy will only cover the medical costs up to $10,000 that you incur. Beyond that amount, you must seek compensation from the driver who caused the accident. If you are the driver at fault in the accident, the driver and any passengers in the vehicle may seek compensation from you, if their medical expenses exceed $10,000. It is not hard to see that medical expenses could quickly add up to more than this amount.
Purchasing bodily injury liability coverage protects you not by paying your medical expenses, but by shielding you from medical expenses you may cause others in an accident. If you are found to have caused the accident that resulted in those high medical costs, your bodily injury coverage will protect you from that liability up to the amount of your coverage.
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(855) 529-0269Required by Law in Some Cases
In most cases, purchasing bodily injury liability coverage is not required by law. However, if you have been convicted of a DUI, you are required to purchase the coverage for three years after getting your license back.
If you have had your driver’s license suspended due to excessive traffic violation points, you will be required to add the coverage to your auto liability for three years. Additionally, if you are involved in a car accident that causes injuries or property damage, you may be required to have bodily injury liability insurance.
Finally, if you have been found guilty of driving without auto insurance, you may be required to carry bodily injury liability coverage for up to two years.
These conditions help protect the general public from those who engage in unsafe driving practices and have a higher incidence of causing accidents that exceed the minimum coverages for automobile insurance.
Even if you are a very safe driver, a moment’s inattention can result in devastating consequences when operating a vehicle. The medical costs associated with a serious accident can easily add up to more than the minimum coverage will compensate, leaving you responsible to provide restitution to the people injured in your accident. Purchasing bodily injury liability not only protects you from those expensive medical claims, but ensures that you are able to do the right thing and pay for the damages you caused. For more information on insurance laws and personal injury claims, contact our Fort Lauderdale personal injury lawyers at Chalik & Chalik today.
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