What if you were hit by a car in Florida driven by someone from out-of-state?
What if you were in an accident in Florida caused by a car with out-of-state tags?
It may mean that there is more insurance coverage available to you to cover medical bills and compensate you for pain and suffering.
Stick with me here.
Florida is one of a few States that does not require drivers to purchase bodily injury insurance coverage.
Bodily injury insurance coverage is the amount of insurance money available to you to cover your injuries and compensate you for pain and suffering after you have been injured in a vehicle accident that was not your fault. So, if you were in a car accident in Florida and the person who caused the accident bought insurance in Florida, there is a chance that there is no bodily injury insurance coverage to cover your injuries!
It is perfectly legal in Florida to drive a car registered in Florida without the additional bodily injury coverage. There is no minimum bodily injury coverage in the State of Florida. I can’t be more clear about that risks of driving in Florida and have advised multiple times why it is critical to buy uninsured motorist (UM/UIM) coverage if you live and drive in Florida.
That said, there are a lot of folks from out-of-state who drive in Florida – especially South Florida – during the winter or on vacation and I have had many people ask me how much coverage may be available to injury victims if they are hit by someone who doesn’t live in Florida.
Generally, the amount of bodily injury coverage that may be available to car accident victims depends on the state where the driver bought the insurance coverage.
For example, if you were hit by someone with Texas plates on their car, it is probable that there will be at least $30,000.00 in bodily injury coverage available to cover the medical bills and compensate victims for their pain and suffering.
I have compiled this list from data originally posted in a great article from The Balance which you can read here.
Alabama – $25,000.00
Georgia – $25,000.00
Michigan – $20,000.00
New Jersey – $15,000.00
New York – $25,000.00
Pennsylvania – $15,000.00
Texas – $30,000.00
If you have been in a car accident in Florida and the person who caused the accident was from out-of-state, there might actually be more insurance coverage available to compensate you for injuries.
Many times it will be obvious by the plates on the car. However, if you called the police after the accident and got a driver’s information exchange report (1-page document that the cops give you after they scope out the scene of an accident) then you can see where the at-fault driver lives permanently. If the at-fault driver has an out-of-state address, consult this list to get a good idea of what minimum amount of insurance coverage may be available to help you out in your time of need.
All this said, just because you were in an accident and there is insurance coverage available to cover any injuries, it doesn’t mean that the insurance companies will do what is right and compensate you fairly.
That’s where we come in. If you have been involved in a car accident in Florida that was caused by an out-of-state vehicle or driver, give us a call at (954) 388-0646 for a free consultation. We’ll be happy to speak with you and answer any questions you may have about your rights against out-of-state negligent drivers.