Liability Auto Insurance

Reader’s Question:

In Florida, I hit a guy on bicycle who came out of nowhere; do I get liability auto insurance coverage for this?

Monique

Miami, FL

Florida observes the no fault law. This means that in a road accident, regardless of who was responsible, the individual’s auto insurance carrier will shoulder the medical and hospital bills following the accident provided that the costs are within the specified limits of the coverage. In no fault states, this type of coverage is often known as the Personal Injury Protection (PIP) insurance. Florida requires its residents to be covered by at least $10,000 at the time of the accident and this qualifies the policyholder for this much financial assistance for any medical care, loss of wages, or funeral and other death benefits. So, in this case where you hit a guy on a bicycle, his auto insurance company, either his health or car insurance provider should cover him for his injuries. However, if the other guy decides to sue you, then you may be in for a tough one especially if the other guy sustained serious injuries. The other guy will also have a very strong case against you if the reason for his accident was due to an evasive action he had to take to avoid getting hit by you. If this happens, then you can only hope that you have liability auto insurance coverage, and that it will be enough to pay for all the damages the other guy wishes to collect.

Tags: auto insurance coverage, liability insurance, no-fault