Following an accident, figuring out the amount of compensation to which you’re entitled under state law, your policy terms, the other driver’s policy, and from other sources can be frustrating. Many make mistakes when pursuing a claim.
If you’ve been in an accident, it’s important that you recover a fair settlement. Having a Fort Lauderdale car accident attorney at Chalik & Chalik can help you achieve this goal. To start filing your claim today, call Chalik & Chalik Law Offices at 855-529-0269. You can also fill out our online contact form to set up a case evaluation.
For information about the types of compensation available in crash settlement, refer to the following.
Florida is a No Fault Auto Insurance State
The first thing that’s important to know following an accident is from whose insurance you can recover damages.
Florida is a no-fault state in which a person’s own car insurance company (through personal injury protection, or PIP) is responsible for paying his or her medical bills after an accident, regardless of who was to blame for the accident. But Florida still requires that drivers carry property damage liability insurance to cover property damage they cause others.
So if another person caused your accident, you would file a PIP claim with your insurer for your medical bills and a property damage liability claim with the other insurer for property damage costs. You may also be able to file a bodily injury liability claim with the other driver’s insurer for injury-related damages not covered by no-fault PIP coverage, like pain and suffering.
If you were to blame, you may only file a claim with your own insurer for PIP benefits, collision coverage benefits, and/or medical payments coverage depending on your policy.
Find a Personal Injury Lawyer, Near Me
(855) 529-0269Types of Compensation in Auto Accident Settlements
In Florida, every driver is required to carry a minimum car insurance policy that includes $10,000 in PIP benefits and $10,000 in property damage liability. PIP covers 80 percent of reasonable medical bills and 60 percent of lost wages. In order to qualify for PIP, you must seek initial treatment within 14 days of the accident. Further, you are entitled to $2,500 in coverage unless you suffer serious injuries, in which case you can recover up to the full $10,000 in coverage.
If you’re pursuing a property damage liability claim against the at-fault party, you can seek full damages to repair your vehicle. If you are pursuing a bodily injury liability claim, you may be able to recover any remaining medical bills or lost wages damages not covered by PIP, as well as pain and suffering.
Florida Calculator for Determining Settlement Value
Calculating a fair crash settlement can be difficult and confusing with so many different types of coverage available and the various rules and stipulations. You should add up any medical treatment costs and lost wages, and collect any vehicle repair receipts and bills. This can give you a basis of the damages coverable by your PIP coverage and the other driver’s property damage liability coverage.
If you were to blame for the accident, you may be limited to 80 percent of medical bills and 60 percent of lost wages available under your PIP coverage, unless you have other coverage. Collision coverage covers property damage to your vehicle regardless of fault, and medical payments coverage can help you pay the left-over of your medical bills after PIP.
If pursuing a bodily injury claim or civil lawsuit for a car accident, you may be able to recover non-economic damages – such as damages for pain and suffering – in addition to economic damages. Pain and suffering damages are much harder to calculate than economic damages, and are determined by weighing factors such as lifestyle, severity of injury, age, required medical treatment, and more.
Call or text Chalik & Chalik
(855) 529-0269
It’s Not Too Late to Celebrate National Teen Driver Safety Week Last week was National Teen Driver Safety Week, but it’s not too late to have a talk with your teens about driver safety. Specifically, here are some facts you need to know about teenage texting and driving. Teen Drivers Already Face an Increased Risk of Having a Car Accident Teen drivers, even before texting is...
Florida’s 2010 Traffic Crash Statistics Report Although car crashes in Florida occur every day, the fatality rate due to traffic accidents in Florida has dropped. In fact, the new traffic crash statistics for 2010 released by the Florida Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles recently revealed data showing that the traffic death rate in Florida continues to drop. For 2010, the number...
Child Passenger Safety Week (9/14-9/20) : How to Tell if Your Child is in the Right Car Seat Car safety seats for children play a vital role in protecting your kids when driving in the car. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) citing a 2011 study in Pediatrics, car seat use reduces the risk for death to infants by 71 percent, and for toddlers by 54 percent. Sadly though,...
Florida Is a No-Fault Insurance State: What This Means for You If you are ever injured or someone you love is in a Florida car accident, you will want to make sure that you have adequate insurance coverage. States will vary in what insurance they require of drivers. Florida is a no-fault insurance state, which means that your insurance company steps in and pays your medical...
What Kind of Evidence Do I Need to Collect at the Scene of the Accident? Following any type of accident, if you are emotionally and physically able, collecting evidence from the scene may prove useful when moving forward with legal action. Taking proactive measures to establish a connection between your financial losses and the collision at hand could mean the difference between a successful claim versus a denial. Some of...
What Happens If Your Uber Driver Gets Into An Accident In Florida? If your Uber driver gets into an accident in Florida, it is possible that they may be liable for your damages. Initially, we would seek compensation through your Florida no-fault insurance policy. However, if your damages exceed the $10,000 maximum coverage allowable under a Florida no-fault policy, we would then seek compensation from the at-fault...
What Is the Average Car Accident Settlement in Florida? Many car accident settlements are confidential. Only the involved parties, including the injured claimant, their legal team, and the liable insurer, know a case’s outcome. While the outcomes of court cases are public record, the outcomes of insurance claims are not. So, no one’s quite sure what the average settlement for a car accident is....
What Happens in a Side-Impact Collision? If you were involved in a car accident, you may be wondering what happens in a side-impact collision. In these types of collisions, also known as T-bone accidents, a vehicle strikes another vehicle’s side. Side-impact collisions can happen when a vehicle is backing up or driving forward. Many of these accidents happen at intersections when...