Lynx Bus Crash: 11 Injured, But Who Pays The Medical Bills?
Yesterday 11 people were injured, and 10 hospitalized, after an accident involving a Lynx bus and two other vehicles on 42nd Avenue in Orlando. Just last month, another accident involving a Lynx bus left nine people injured. In yesterday’s accident, an 18 year old driver sped out from a stop sign on 42nd Avenue. The Lynx bus driver tried to avoid a collision but was unable to do so, crashing into the teenage driver’s 1996 Pontiac Grand Am and pushing it into another vehicle.
Here at Colling Gilbert Wright, we hope all of the folks involved in this crash recover fully and quickly from their injuries. However, we know that hospital bills aren’t cheap, and an accident like this exposes one of the flaws in our state’s Personal Injury Protection (PIP) law. PIP has been in the news a lot lately, and most people are aware that it covers the initial $10,000 of medical treatment for injuries suffered in an automobile accident. Unfortunately, passengers on buses or in taxis are usually not covered by Personal Injury Protection benefits. This hole in our PIP law will leave most of those injured yesterday struggling to figure out how their medical bills will be paid. At least some of the people injured yesterday might have their own group health insurance policy, and be covered under those policies. For those without that type of health coverage, this could mean the beginning of a frustrating and expensive ordeal. We’ve all seen how bad traffic can be around the Orlando area, and we’ve all certainly seen our share of reckless or careless drivers on the roadways. With just two Lynx bus accidents in one month leaving twenty people injured, the lack of Personal Injury Protection for bus or taxi passengers is beginning to look like a problem that is having a negative impact on a growing number of Floridians.
If you or a loved one have been injured in a Lynx bus accident, the question of how your medical bills get paid may be much more complicated than in a typical “car vs. car” accident. If you have questions, call the experienced personal injury attorneys at Colling Gilbert Wright, The Florida Firm.