Florida Auto Insurance Law, Advice and News Concerning Personal Injury

We deal with auto accidents and insurance carriers every day in our personal injury practice. There is one basic fact that we know: Car crashes can be quite expensive. They get even more expensive when you consider the possibility of someone being injured in that accident.

Uninsured Motorist Coverage is an auto insurance policy clause that covers harm caused by a motorist with nonexistent or insufficient insurance coverage. The purpose is to allow an injured party to receive compensation from their own insurance company that is above what is offered by the policy held by the driver who caused the accident.

Chances are you have seen countless advertisements involving a cute little gecko telling you how he can save you 15% or more on car insurance or maybe you've noticed the funny advertisements involving a naked man running through a football stadium warning you about the mayhem you could encounter.

As a Florida Injury Law Attorney, I am often asked by clients; what is the proper amount of insurance to have and what types of coverage should be on an automobile policy. In Florida, it is mandatory for every driver with a registered vehicle to have liability insurance coverage should they ever be involved in [...]

As a St. Petersburg personal injury attorney, I have grown accustomed to the garden variety of tricks utilized by insurance carriers. We have all seen commercials for insurance companies claiming to be "on your side" and they will be there for you in your time of need "like a good neighbor.".

It seems like every other day a new article appears spouting off about how Bad Faith either needs to go away entirely or be restricted via new legislation. This position is often advanced by the insurance industry as they collectively paint bad faith as a tool by which greedy plaintiff attorneys take advantage of unsuspecting [...]

The duty of an insurance carrier and adjuster in lieu of the implied covenant of good faith and fair dealings. Bad faith in the context of an insurance company occurs when such company acts unreasonably in denying or delaying benefits owed to you or a loved one as expressed within the insurance policy.

Last week police in Miami made 20 arrests in connection with what they believe is a complex racket in personal injury insurance fraud. After roughly 9 months of following paper trails, tracking down suspects, and conducting surveillance, police had gathered enough evidence to make the arrests.

Ladies and Gentlemen, they've done it again. The Insurance industry lobbied and successfully won a legislative victory and it's going into law within the next three months. We spoke a few months ago about the number of "Things You Won't See in Court." One particular issue we noted was that juries are never told in [...]

When you hear of a minor fender bender and one of the parties claims they're experiencing whiplash, what's your first thought? For many people the answer is, "That guy's faking it." Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the MIST (Minor Impact Soft Tissue) cases and the propaganda behind such.

Part 1: Settlement Offers and Negotiations for Resolution This is the first part of a three part series concerning elements of personal injury cases that are not admissible at trial. The purpose of this blog is to educate readers on the reasoning behind judicial rules barring exclusion of specific facts and issues, as well as [...]

Part 2: Golden Rule Arguments Part two of this three part series concerns an age-old adage that is almost universally learned during childhood. The Golden Rule has its root in religion. However, regardless of beliefs, most children are taught to "do unto others as you would have others do unto you."

Part 3: Florida's Non-joinder statute The final installment of this series concerning information missing from trial focuses on Florida's Non-joinder Statute. As a St. Petersburg automobile accident attorney, I cannot articulate the frustration we have with this very Statute. Section 627.4136 of the Florida Statutes concerns the treatment of insurance carriers in civil actions.

In Delray Beach, FL, Eddie Quintela, 42, owner and operator of Collision Concepts, recently spent $10,450 on filing fees for 53 separate lawsuits against insurers for short pays. Quintela says he's not worried about the money.

When you are injured after an accident as the result of someone else's negligence, you might have a claim for damages. Usually we think of these types of money damages in terms of medical bills, lost wages, and future medical bills or loss of earning capacity.

The abuse continues with Florida's no-fault automobile insurance. Jeff Atwater, the state's chief financial officer, recently announced a case of personal injury protection fraud in Fort Myers.

Palm Beach Post Staff Writer A lawyer for groups challenging the state's 2012 overhaul of its Personal Injury Protection car insurance law said Wednesday they plan to take the case to the Florida Supreme Court. The law reduced nonemergency benefits to $2,500 and barred massage and acupuncture, which some medical providers challenged.

Clearwater Personal Injury Protection (PIP) Attorney Clearwater Personal Injury Protection (PIP) coverage protects vehicle owners by insuring their automobile no matter who is at fault in the event of an accident. Under Florida Statute 627.736, PIP pays for the medical costs insured by the drivers, passengers, and pedestrians injured in a vehicle accident; it not [...]

Many individuals struggle with the thought of potentially hiring an attorney. Some feel that there is a stigma attached, while others simply do not want to deal with the process of choosing an attorney they can trust. Instead of hiring an attorney in these circumstances, they simply choose to handle the claim with the insurance [...]

Car collisions can often lead to catastrophic damage to your vehicle. Serious car crashes don't always result in cars being totaled and replaced, however. Most often, the vehicle or vehicles end up being repaired under the applicable insurance policy or policies. One frequent type of repair to a car involved in an accident is the [...]

Last May, Florida consumers, personal injury plaintiffs, and physicians providing services for patients under Letters of Protection (LOP) breathed a sigh of relief when House Bill 587, titled "Damages for Medical or Health Care Services," died in the Judicial Committee. Unfortunately, the relief may be short lived, as a bill with similar implications is slated [...]

For those of you not aware of what a letter of protection is, please allow me to explain. A letter of protection (hereinafter referred to as an "LOP") is a legal document executed by either the injury victim or their attorney (sometimes both) that forestalls all collection efforts until the pendency of the case and [...]

No other provision in the current PIP statute, that went into effect on January 1, 2013, has created more litigation than the ambiguous emergency medical condition clause. Ironically, resulting in the very problem the Florida legislature, in their wisdom, sought to eliminate; PIP litigation. To-recap, the relevant provisions of the No-Fault statute state as follows: [...]

If you're involved in a personal injury lawsuit and want to make the best of a stressful situation, you can give yourself a head start by familiarizing yourself with some basic legal terms. Many professionals - attorneys included - sometimes forget that their clients don't have the same background and training that they themselves have, [...]

Driver fatigue causes a shockingly high number of vehicular collisions each year. Fatigue occurs when mental or physical exertion literally impairs your performance. Driver fatigue can be due to a number of factors, such as lack of sleep, extended work hours, strenuous work or non-work activities.