Insurance Coverage For Injured Pedestrians

Pedestrian accidents tend to result in serious injuries, so it should come as no surprise that one of the first questions that many accident victims have following this type of crash is what kinds of financial resources are available to cover their injuries. Injured pedestrians will, for instance, usually experience physical pain and suffering, mounting medical debt, and a loss of income. Fortunately, pedestrians who are injured in accidents with negligent drivers can often recover these losses either by filing an insurance claim or taking their case to court.

Filing a PIP Insurance Claim

In Florida, all drivers are required to purchase Personal Injury Protection (PIP) insurance and must file claims under these policies to recover after a car accident. These kinds of policies cover a portion of an injured party’s medical bills and lost wages, regardless of who caused the crash. Fortunately, these policies cover policyholders even if they were not driving at the time of the crash, but were injured as pedestrians. However, the injuries sustained by pedestrians in collisions with motorists are almost always severe, so it is likely that the $10,000 limit of a pedestrian’s policy will quickly be exceeded. In these cases, the injured pedestrian can start pursuing a claim against the at-fault driver’s PIP insurer.

Filing an Uninsured/Underinsured Motorist Claim

Another potential source of insurance coverage for an injured pedestrian is uninsured/underinsured motorist coverage. These policies kick in when an at-fault driver is either uninsured or doesn’t carry enough insurance to cover the victim’s losses. While uninsured/underinsured policies cover pedestrians, not everyone purchases these policies, as they are not mandatory under Florida law. This kind of coverage often proves to be particularly important for pedestrians, who are more likely to be the victims of hit and run accidents, which means that the at-fault driver may never be identified.

Bodily Injury Liability Insurance Coverage

Bodily injury liability policies can be used to cover the cost of severe injury or death if a victim’s injuries were caused by a negligent driver, so pedestrians who carry this kind of coverage can expect their insurers to pay for the injuries caused by the vehicle’s driver, up to the limits of the policy. Though not required under Florida law, most standard auto insurance policies do provide some sort of bodily injury coverage. If these policies are exceeded, however, then the injured pedestrian may need to seek compensation from the at-fault party directly by filing a lawsuit in civil court.

Call Today for a Free Consultation

Pedestrian accidents tend to leave victims with significant and sometimes fatal injuries, which makes recovery of the utmost importance for these individuals. Collecting compensation for accident-related medical bills and lost wages can be difficult, especially for those who are suffering from catastrophic injuries, or who are grieving the loss of a loved one. For help pursuing your own claim against the driver who caused your pedestrian accident, call Boone & Davis at 954-566-9919 today and set up a meeting with one of our dedicated Fort Lauderdale auto accident lawyers.

Sources:

flhsmv.gov/insurance/

iihs.org/topics/fatality-statistics/detail/pedestrians