Insurance 101—How Are Auto Accident Injuries Covered?
January 13, 2025
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Insurance 101—How Are Auto Accident Injuries Covered?

It only takes a moment of distraction—or simply being in the wrong place at the wrong time—for you to find yourself in an auto accident. Preliminary stats show that in 2024, there were more than 375,000 vehicle crashes in Florida, and more than 158,000 of them involved injures.

Since injury costs after a serious accident can quickly mount into the multiple thousands of dollars, as a Florida driver, you should be aware of your coverage option for injuries, for yourself, your family, and your passengers. And what if you injure someone in an at-fault accident?

Here’s a quick explanation of three basic ways injuries are covered under a Florida auto insurance policy.

(Need a quote for auto insurance in Florida? Call Lakewood Financial Services at (941) 747-4600 or click here for an online quote.)

Personal Injury Protection (PIP)

Your first line of defense in Florida is personal injury protection (PIP). PIP pays for 80 percent of necessary and reasonable medical expenses for you (and usually your resident relatives), up to the limits of your policy, regardless of who is at fault in an accident. Because it pays regardless of who is at fault in an accident, this coverage is often called no-fault insurance. PIP sometimes also pays for lost wages, certain disability or rehab costs, and death benefits to your family if you’re killed in an accident

Simply put, PIP is injury coverage for you and certain other covered household residents.

Bodily injury

Bodily injury (BI) is coverage that pays for medical bills and related expenses for those in another vehicle who are injured in an accident in which you are at fault. This liability coverage protects your assets should the other party sue you for their medical expenses.

Bodily injury is coverage for others injured by you in an at-fault accident.

Uninsured motorist

Uninsured motorist coverage (UM) is additional coverage for your injuries or those of your passengers over and above your PIP if the responsible driver doesn’t have coverage to pay for your injuries, or if you’re injured in a hit-and-run.

Uninsured motorist coverage is additional injury coverage for you, if the one responsible for your injuries is uninsured or underinsured.

Note:  To buy uninsured motorist coverage, you must have bodily injury limits equal to your chosen uninsured motorist coverage.

What injury coverage is right for you?

Several factors help determine what injury coverage is right for you. Do you have good health insurance that will pay for your injuries if they exceed your PIP coverage? Do you have significant assets you want to protect from lawsuits? Are there inexperienced drivers in your household who might be more likely to get into an auto accident? The agents at Lakewood Financial Services can help you find the right level of auto injury coverage for your needs, balancing financial protection from lawsuits or medical expenses against the cost of monthly premiums. Give us a call at (941) 747-4600, or click here for a free auto insurance quote.

Categories: Blog

Tags: auto accident, auto accident injury, auto insurance, bodily injury, car insurance, PIP, uninsured motorist

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