Florida PIP Lawyer
The word insurance can be tricky. There are a vast amount of different options, some required and some not. At Wolf & Pravato, we understand how overwhelming it can be if you don’t completely understand how these insurance policies and claims work, and we want to ensure that our clients are well aware and knowledgeable about the Florida Insurance laws so they do not find themselves in compromising situations. All states carry their own auto accident laws regarding various insurances and whether they are required — the specific one we want to discuss today is Personal Injury Protection (PIP).
According to the Florida Office of Insurance Regulation, Florida is one of ten states that have PIP (no fault) auto insurance, an insurance intended to provide injured drivers up to $10,000 in immediate medical coverage in lieu of establishing fault through the court system; this type of insurance also serves as a way to reduce the payment delay for injured drivers, as well as limit the use of the court system. The state of Florida requires all motor vehicle owners to purchase PIP coverage.
So what exactly does PIP coverage do?
Florida PIP coverage pays for medical bills for each individual driver regardless of who’s fault it is. This essentially means that if you are in an automobile accident and sustain car accident related injuries, you can file a PIP claim in order to pay car accident medical bills. That PIP claim, according to WolfandPravato.com is the claim you make against your own insurer for payment of medical bills and a portion of lost earnings, making it the responsibility of your insurer to take care of those bills and reimburse you for some of your lost earnings. The team of talented and successful personal injury attorneys at Wolf & Pravato has decades of experience handling car accident legal cases such as these involving PIP claims. Wolf & Pravato has developed an unparalleled knowledge of Florida car accident injury law and understands the specific “ins and outs” of South Florida courtrooms, giving us an advantage over less experienced personal injury lawyers when it comes to maximizing a claim. Our personal injury attorneys will take the appropriate steps to ensure that your rights are protected and you receive the proper care and compensation after sustaining a car accident injury from an auto accident. We will advocate for your full financial and physical or mental car accident recovery through detailed, meticulous preparation for trial. You can trust the personal injury team at Wolf & Pravato to handle your case with the compassion and respect you deserve.
We at Wolf & Pravato always have our clients’ best interest in mind, and are ready and able to gather all evidence and retain preeminent experts to review and analyze the facts in a timely manner. We are dedicated to building legal car accident cases to achieve outstanding results for our clients, even in the most difficult and complex cases. No matter what type of injury claim you are pursuing, our talented, experienced and compassionate team of attorneys are here for you. It is important, however, that we make our clients fully aware about the 2012 PIP Reform Law. This reform law has implemented new policies and procedures that make collecting legitimate PIP benefits much more difficult for drivers.
Car Accident PIP benefits
Some of the changes include certain stipulations in order to qualify for PIP Insurance benefits:
- The auto accident patient must receive medical treatment from a legitimate medical provider within 14 days of the accident
- The car accident patient must have a physician, osteopath, dentist, supervised physician’s assistant, or advanced registered nurse practitioner officially diagnose him with an “emergency medical condition” to receive the entire $10,000 PIP benefit; otherwise, the patient is limited to $2,500
- A patient must have a referral from a physician, osteopath, chiropractor, or dentist before seeing another doctor for follow-up treatment
- A patient can receive medical treatment under PIP only at licensed medical clinics and facilities. A patient who submits a PIP claim from a non-licensed clinic is not only ineligible for PIP benefits but is also subject to criminal penalties.
- An insurance carrier may lawfully compel a policyholder to take an examination under oath (EUO) regarding his or her accident claim as a condition to receiving PIP benefits. A policyholder who fails to comply with an EUO is owed zero benefits.
- If a patient twice fails to appear for an independent medical examination at the carrier’s initiative, there is a strong presumption that the carrier is no longer responsible for benefits.
Additionally, the new reform bill allows insurance carriers to delay making PIP payments for 90 days if it believes that the policyholder’s claim is fraud and requires investigation, and there are also many new provisions surrounding the potential attorney’s fees collected in a PIP claim case, which could potentially scare away other personal injury lawyers from taking your case. But now at Wolf & Pravato. Our team of personal injury lawyers at Wolf & Pravato can answer all of your questions to help you to better understand your rights and what you are entitled to when filing a PIP claim, and if we take on your case, we will help bring you to justice.
If you are in need of a personal injury lawyer in Miami, Fort Lauderdale, West Palm Beach of Fort Myers area, contact us immediately. Wolf & Pravato wants each and every one of their clients to feel at ease and comfortable with their choice in a personal injury law firm. Don’t wait, call us today at 954-522-5800 or schedule a private consultation online.
We help the victims of other practice areas:
