Young or old, children are very important. We at Nicoletti Law Firm strongly believe that children are our future and you must protect your family. Whether they are a passenger or even a young driver, your child may not be protected when riding in or driving a vehicle. Often times, we hear from clients that they have full coverage. But, that may not be the case.
In Florida, full coverage is considered to ONLY include Personal Injury Protection Coverage and Liability Coverage. There is no requirement in Florida to have Bodily Injury Coverage, Uninsured/ Underinsured Coverage, or Collision Coverage. That means, your child could be at risk if involved in a car accident.
Personal Injury Protection
Personal Injury Protection Insurance Coverage (also known as PIP) does include $10,000 in no-fault coverage. That means no matter who causes the accident, the injured individual is covered. But, that coverage only pays 80% of the bills up to $10,000. That means you could be on the hook for thousands of dollars if your child is injured as you would be responsible for that remaining 20%. Furthermore, what if your injured child’s bills are over $10,000?
Is Your Family Covered Beyond PIP?
As we discussed before, no driver is required to have Bodily Injury Insurance Coverage in Florida. Bodily Injury Insurance Coverage is the insurance coverage available to compensate a not at fault accident victim for medical bills, future treatment, lost wages, and pain and suffering. Essentially, it is the insurance of the driver who caused the accident.
But, if the person that injured your child does not have Bodily Injury Insurance Coverage, what are you to do? You could go after them and sue personally. But, what if they do not have any assets to go after? You could use your health insurance, but what about that extremely high deductible?
The Solution
The best way, in our humble opinion, to protect your children and family in the case of an accident is to have Uninsured/ Underinsured Motorist Insurance Coverage. Uninsured/ Underinsured Motorist Insurance Coverage will apply when an accident occurs in which your child is not at fault and the individual that caused this accident either does not have enough insurance to cover your child’s medical bills, future treatment, and pain and suffering OR does not have any insurance at all. The coverage will apply whether your child is the driver or a passenger.
Uninsured/ Underinsured Motorist Insurance Coverage is insurance that you have on your policy in order to cover yourself and your family. Do not leave it up to others to have adequate coverage. Considering over 20% of drivers in Florida did not have car insurance according to a study in 2009, it is imperative that you call your insurance company or insurance agent and obtain Uninsured/ Underinsured Motorist Insurance Coverage so your children and family can be protected.
We're Here To Help!
If your children or family is ever involved in a car accident, contact the Personal Injury Attorneys of Nicoletti Law Firm immediately. Your children and family deserve to be compensated. Call us anytime at (727) 845-5972 or fill out our Free Case Evaluation Form. We offer a FREE no-obligation consultation where an attorney will review the claim with you at no cost. We also are available 24/7 and do not charge any upfront fees or pre-suit costs. We only collect an attorney’s fee when we recover for you. Be safe out there everyone!
