Florida is one of about ten states in the nation where drivers must purchase a personal injury protection (PIP) insurance policy upon registration of their vehicles. Designed to provide quick access to needed compensation for wage loss and medical expenses regardless of fault and to alleviate the burden of car accident cases on the state civil court system, PIP is generally the first resource for compensation.
Once you have maxed out the limits of your PIP policy, or if your injuries meet the state’s serious injury threshold, you will be permitted to seek compensation from the at-fault party through the personal injury claims process.
Injuries that satisfy the state’s serious injury threshold include those that:
Result in significant and permanent loss of an important bodily function.
Result in permanent injury within a reasonable degree of medical probability.
Result in significant scarring and disfigurement.
Result in death.