Understanding Florida’s PIP Law Time Restrictions
Brian O Sutter
Accident Lawyers
Insurance Laws
The year 2013 introduced Florida’s new PIP laws, and these are laws that every motorist should be familiar with and concerned about. PIP stands for Personal Injury Protection, and the state of Florida requires each motorist to have at least a $10,000 policy covering PIP in order to operate a motor vehicle in the state. PIP in an insurance policy covers the driver and his or her injuries should he or she be involved in a crash, regardless of fault, but this law also brings some concerns to motorists when it comes to their coverage and what this law can do for them. The PIP law was created to crack down on insurance fraud, but what it actually seems to have accomplished is making it more difficult for motorists genuinely involved in accidents to get the claim settlements they need to recover from their injuries in a safe and healthy way. When a motorist in Florida is injured in a vehicle accident, their insurance provider is tasked with covering their medical expenses and lost work wages, but the PIP law creates some convenient loopholes for insurance providers to pay less or not at all.
One of the biggest aspects of the PIP law concerning Florida citizens are the time restrictions placed on seeking medical care. After an accident has occurred, an injured driver will only have 14 days to seek the medical treatment they require if they wish to be compensated for their injuries. This time restriction poses a couple of issues:
- • Availability of doctors – If your current doctor or dentist cannot see you within this two week time frame, this will force drivers to seek other medical professionals simply in order to meet the time restrictions put into place by the changes to the PIP law.
- • Delayed injuries – Not all injuries are created equal, and there are instances where a driver may think they are perfectly fine, only to find out weeks later that symptoms have started popping up. One type of injury that really fits this bill is traumatic brain injuries, which can be devastating and take a month or more to finally manifest themselves in a way a person can feel.
With the new changes to the PIP law, motorists will be facing challenges when it comes to seeing their normal doctors, and making sure any injuries they may have are taken care of promptly. At All Injuries Law Firm, we recommend seeing a doctor immediately after an accident, whether you feel you’re hurt o not, just to rest assured that surprise symptoms won’t begin popping up after the two week window has closed.
For those that prefer alternative types of medicine, like acupuncture or massage therapy, these treatments will no longer be covered under the new changes to the PIP law. As something to keep in mind, those that prefer to treat their pain in this way will need to find another method if they wish to have their treatments covered.
Lastly, the previous requirement of $10,000 in coverage has now been lowered to $2,500 minimum by the new changes to the PIP law, which means that policyholders may only be able to receive up to $2,500 in their compensation settlement depending on their insurance provider. Eligibility for higher limits will differ depending on the insurance provider you have, and some may offer higher policy amounts.
At All Injuries Law Firm, we want to lift the veil from the new changes to the PIP laws. If you’ve been in an accident, or you’d simply like to know more about what these policy changes may mean for you, contact us at All Injury Law Firm today.