New Florida Auto Accident Laws Make Legal Representation Essential
Earlier this year, new Personal Injury Protection (PIP) laws went into effect in the state of Florida. The aim of the PIP reforms was to curb insurance fraud, but the end result can make negotiating a bodily injury claim very complicated. Even the slightest delay in seeking treatment, or a visit to the wrong kind of medical provider, could result in someone who was injured in an auto accident forfeiting thousands of dollars in potential medical benefits. These new laws make it more important than ever, if you are injured in a car accident in Florida, to contact an experienced attorney to represent your claim. In recent years, Floridians have been bombarded by advertising from “lawyer referral services”, where catchy jingles or paid actors dressed up as doctors or policemen urge you to call their hotline after a car accident. Calling these referral services may leave you with an incompetent legal representative, a chiropractor treating injuries best suited to a neurologist or orthopedist, and under the new PIP law, the potential for losing thousand s of dollars in medical benefits after a car accident.
It is more important than ever that you hire an attorney with litigation experience and knowledge of the state’s new laws to help ensure that your auto accident claim is handled properly. At The Florida Firm, our auto accident attorneys have spent decades successfully handling auto accident claims for clients all over the state of Florida. We have seen already how the new PIP laws can result in bad outcomes for individuals without proper legal counsel. There are strict deadlines for when you need to seek treatment, with what types of doctors, and other factors that could affect the amount of personal injury protection you are entitled to for your injuries. If the lawyer you found through a referral hotline refers you to a chiropractor because their offices happen to be in the same strip mall, you might find this convenient at first. Fourteen days later, you may find out that because you did not follow the new law’s guidelines, the PIP you are entitled to has gone from $10,000 to $2,500. That’s about enough to pay for an MRI and a bottle of Advil.
Auto accidents can result in serious injuries, sleepless nights, repeated visits to doctors’ offices or imaging centers, and time missed from work. None of these things is pleasant to deal with, and when they all happen at once it can make for a very frustrating time. Dealing with insurance companies can sometimes be a headache, too. Whether it is your own carrier or the insurance of someone who rear-ended you, their job is basically to deny or minimize their liability on all potential claims. When you are injured and missing work, it is not a good time to decide that you can negotiate with insurance adjusters for a successful resolution of complicated insurance claims. You need an experienced lawyer on your side. If you or a loved one are injured in an auto accident, do not waste time. Call Colling Gilbert Wright for a free consultation with our experienced auto accident attorneys.