First Party Benefits
First party coverage may pay for your medical bills. Let’s see how some types of first party coverage applies to taxicabs and medical bills.
Personal Injury Protection (PIP)
PIP is one of the many first party benefits that an injured person may qualify for after a Florida auto accident.
PIP pays for medical bills and lost wages, and a death benefit.
Are motor vehicles that are used as taxicabs in Florida required to have personal injury protection (PIP)?
No. Taxicabs are not required to comply with Florida’s Motor Vehicle No-Fault law. Florida Statutes 627.733(1). Therefore, most taxicab drivers do not purchase PIP. Thus, most taxicab drivers will not qualify for PIP.
Nonresidents likely will not get PIP benefits while occupying a Florida taxi
Nonresident passengers will likely not qualify for Florida PIP. This is because:
- taxis almost always do not have PIP; and
- I assume that nonresidents have auto insurance policies that would not cover them while in a Florida taxi.
Hopefully taxicab drivers and nonresidents have health insurance that may pay for medical bills.
Will a passenger in a taxicab in Florida get PIP benefits?
Possibly. Someone who is covered by Florida PIP, should qualify for PIP benefits while in a taxicab. This is because a taxi is considered a “motor vehicle” under Florida’s Motor Vehicle No-Fault law. Florida Statutes 627.732(3)(b).
However, since most taxis do not have PIP, nonresidents will likely not qualify for PIP. In addition, Floridians who do not own a car or have a resident relative with PIP, will likely not qualify for PIP.
Other First party coverage that may pay for your medical bills
You may have other first party coverage that will pay your medical bills. When you go the hospital or see a doctor, you should give them your first party coverage card.
If you didn’t give the hospital your first party benefits information at the time of your visit, you should call them immediately and provide them with this information in writing.
You should also ask the hospital for the contact information for the Emergency Room doctors. You should call the ER doctors and give them your health insurance information.
If you had an x-ray, CT scan or MRI scan taken, you should ask the hospital for the contact information for the radiologist (person who interprets x-rays, CT scan, etc.). Be sure to give the radiologist’s office your health insurance information.
This will help get your medical bills paid as fast as possible. Remember that although you may have to pay back the party who provided first party coverage, you should be careful when paying them from the settlement.
In my article about first party coverage, I explain the reimbursement rights that each type of first party coverage has.
Possible defendants
There may be many possible defendants that you can make a claim against in any auto accident case. Taxi accident cases are no exception.
Bodily injury (BI) liability coverage is not required in most Florida auto insurance policies. However, Florida taxicabs owners are treated differently.
Florida taxicab owners and lessees must prove financial responsibility. This usually comes in the form of the taxicab owner or lessee having a motor vehicle liability policy, with minimum limits of $125,000/$250,000/$50,000.
This means $125,000 of BI liability coverage per occurrence, $250,000 of BI liability coverage per accident, and $50,000 of property damage liability coverage per accident.
The same is true for limousines and any other for-hire passenger vehicles. Florida Statutes 324.032(b)
In order to recover your out of pocket medical bills from a taxicab owner or driver in Florida for personal injury, you must show that his or her negligence caused your injury.
Liability insurance may pay for the injured person’s medical bills and other damages.
Your Out of Pocket Medical Expenses Will Be Reduced by You’re % of Fault
The amount that you get for your medical bills and other damages will be reduced by your comparative fault. If you have the insurance information for the person that caused your accident, great! If not, find out how to get their insurance policy after an accident in Florida.
You should immediately set up a claim with the car insurance company of the driver (or owner) of the car or truck that caused the accident. But first, see why speaking with the insurance company can hurt your case.
If you someone caused your accident while you were in a taxicab, you must file your lawsuit within a certain amount of time. Most cases settle before a lawsuit is filed, but you want to give yourself plenty of time in case your claim cannot be settled before a lawsuit is filed.
Did someone’s carelessness cause your injury in a Florida taxi accident? Were you hurt in another type of accident?
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