• File an Accident Report: if your accident resulted in injuries or property damage over $500, then Florida law requires you to report your accident. You can report the accident to local police by calling the local non-emergency number. If the accident resulted in serious injuries then you should dial 911 to report the accident.
• Collect Accident Information: ask the other driver for their name, phone number and address. Make sure that you write down their vehicle make and model, license plate number. You should also provide the other driver with the same information. Most importantly, make sure that you have their insurance information. If there are any bystanders, also ask for their names and phone numbers. This information could be useful to in a future personal injury lawsuit.
• Contact Your Insurance Company: after the accident, you should contact your insurance company and file a claim. You need to contact your insurance company even if you were not responsible for the accident. You insurance company will investigate the accident to determine fault. Your insurance company will also be able to answer questions about your insurance coverage and benefits.
• See Your Doctor: many injuries manifest after an accident. Consequently, you will want to ensure that you see your family doctor after your accident. For serious injuries, you should go to an emergency room as soon as possible. While medical bills can be a concern, Florida law requires you to carry personal injury protection, or PIP, insurance. Your PIP will cover medical costs related to your injuries regardless of fault.
• Passengers Should See a Doctor: if you were a passenger in a car accident, then you should also seek medical treatment. In moss cases, passengers may receive PIP benefits and medical costs can be paid for through PIP.

It may be possible that it seems there were no injuries or damage to your car. Even if this is the case, you’ll still want to make sure you have gotten the other driver’s information and at least reported the incident to the police. You may find a few days later that there is a problem with your car and you may feel the impact of the injury. If this happens, you’ll want to have a record of the accident.

Contact An Attorney

If you have been in a car accident and you are not certain about next steps, then you should contact the Miami personal injury attorneys at the office of Alan Goldfarb, P.A. We can discuss your accident with you and advise you on the next steps for ensuring you fully recover from your accident. Please contact us today for a free consultation.

When Do I Use Uninsured Motorist Insurance?

UM insurance will pay for expenses related to an accident with a driver who does not have insurance (uninsured) or does not have enough insurance (underinsured). It is easy to understand UM insurance if you understand how it differs from other types of insurances you may have on your auto policy:

• Property Damage Liability: helps your pay for damage to property if you cause an accident. Florida law requires property damage insurance, however, it is possible another driver allowed their policy to lapse or cancelled the policy.
• Bodily Injury Liability Coverage: helps you pay for injuries that occur because of an accident you caused. Florida law does not require that bodily injury liability coverage is purchased or carried. This mean that many Floridians are uninsured or underinsured when they harm other driver, passengers, and pedestrians.
• Personal Injury Protection: using PIP does not depend on who caused the accident and will provide coverage for expenses related to an accident. Florida law requires all drivers to carry PIP. PIP works like a mini health insurance policy. PIP coverage insurance will compensate your and your family for medical costs, lost wages, and other unexpected medical costs. Generally, PIP is limited to $10,000 in medical/disability benefits and $5,000 in death benefits.

It is not certain that all your expenses will be covered even if another driver has property damage and bodily injury insurance. Your own PIP policy may not cover all expenses related to unforeseen medical expenses, future loss of earnings of loss of future earning ability, or disability. If you have UM coverage, then you will be able to recover your medical expenses, lost wages and other non-economic losses. This means you can use your UM policy once the at-fault driver confirms there is no insurance, or that there is not enough insurance, to cover your expenses.

Contact an Attorney

Uninsured motorist coverage can help you ensure that you and your family are protected if you are injured in an accident with an uninsured, or underinsured, motorist. If you have been in an accident with an uninsured motorist or and you have questions about your uninsured motorist insurance, then you should contact the Miami attorneys at the office of Alan Goldfarb, P.A. We can help you understand your insurance coverage and advise you on important next steps. Please contact us at 866-936-9761 to discuss your case.

Your Auto Insurance

Your auto insurance is designed to protect you in the event that you cause an accident and/or are responsible for another individual’s personal injury or property damage. Your automobile insurance will cover expenses within the policy limits if you injure or kill someone when driving your car or if someone files a lawsuit against you. Your coverage will also typically pay for any expenses of passengers in your vehicle when you are driving. Your personal insurance essentially protects you when you cause injury to another and incur significant expense, whether it be in medical expenses or property damage.

Other Drivers’ Auto Insurance

Why should you care what type of auto insurance other people have or if they even have it at all? Besides the fact that it is legally required for all drivers of registered vehicles in the state of Florida to carry auto insurance in the amounts prescribed above, insurance is necessary to protect yourself if you become injured by someone who does not carry insurance or sufficient insurance. Underinsured motorists are those with small amounts of coverage, often that minimally required by law. Uninsured motorists, on the other hand, are those that do not carry any auto insurance whatsoever.

If you are in an auto accident and injure someone else, your auto insurance policy is there to protect you from having to pay out large sums of money yourself. If you hit someone who does not have such insurance, it is unlikely that that individual would be able to afford to pay out all of your expenses without the assistance of insurance. For example, Consumer Reports estimates that medical treatment from a non-incapacitating injury from a car accident runs slightly under $25,000, and incapacitating injuries up to nearly $75,000. Without insurance, the person will be forced to pay that out of pocket, and when they do not or cannot, you will incur expenses taking them to court to try to get a remedy.

Uninsured motorist coverage is something that you can add to your insurance that will protect you in the event you are injured by an uninsured or underinsured driver. Your policy will pay up to a certain amount for those injuries caused by those who do not have sufficient insurance to cover your claims. Some jurisdictions will cover property damage and hit and run drivers. While Florida does not require uninsured motorist coverage, it is important to note that Florida has among the nation’s highest rate of uninsured drivers and that driving without this type of insurance may put you at serious financial risk.

Miami Auto Accident Attorneys

Being in a car accident is frightening. At Alan Goldfarb, P.A. our auto accident attorneys have the experience necessary to navigate even the most complex auto accident litigation cases. We will work with insurance companies to ensure you receive all of the compensation you are entitled to by law within the policy limits and help you have one less thing to worry about during this difficult time. Contact us at our Miami, Florida office today to learn more about how we can help you through your legal claim.