I’ve made a list of frequently asked questions (FAQs) for Progressive accident claims:
Frequently Asked Questions (Progressive Claims)
Will Progressive raise your rates after an accident?
Progressive should not raise your rates if you were not substantially at fault for an accident. For example, let’s say that you are stopped at a traffic light. Another car crashes into the back of your car. Unfortunately, the other car is uninsured.
You can also make an UM claim since the other driver did not have insurance. Since you were not at fault, Progressive should not raise your rate.
On the other hand, if you were the car that carelessly hit the car in front of you, Progressive may raise your rates. Progressive says that an at-fault accident can increase your rate by an average of 41% countrywide. Again, this assumes that you were at-fault for the accident.
If you were not at fault for the accident, I would not worry.
Progressive offers accident forgiveness as soon as you become a customer. Therefore, you may not see an increase at all for certain incidents out of your control (like a cracked windshield, etc.) where the claim is less than $500.
What is the average Progressive settlement amount?
As you’ll see in a moment, my most common settlement amount with Progressive has been $10,000. This is because I handle injury claims in Florida. In Florida, most of Progressive’s auto policies have bodily injury liability (BIL) insurance limits of $10,000 per person. The most that these policies will pay out is $20,000 per accident.
Of course, Progressive sells car insurance policies with higher bodily injury liability limits. That said, a $10,000 per person BIL is the most common limit that I’ve seen with Progressive.
However, you’ll note that sometimes the $10,000 that Progressive pays is part of a larger settlement (with another insurer). This was the case in my $210,000 settlement that I’ll discuss shortly.
I have had at least one case where Progressive insured the careless driver with $1 Million dollars in BIL coverage.
Is Progressive terrible at paying personal injury claims?
Yes, unfortunately. Progressive Insurance has funny ads featuring Flo. However, that is where the fun stops. Progressive is terrible at paying Florida bodily injury (“BI”) liability insurance claims. The quality of the insurance company is one of many factors that affect a settlement.
I don’t say this about every auto insurer. In fact, I’ve actually said that some auto insurers are good, like USAA, the Hartford and Nationwide.
However, when it comes to the major personal auto insurers, Progressive gets the worst ranking. The other three major insurers are State Farm, Geico and Allstate. They all pay better than Progressive.
Those companies are not great. Most of them just pay slightly better than Progressive. Basically, they also make lowball offers.
If someone insured with Progressive caused your injury, Progressive may quickly try to offer you a small settlement. Progressive may also quickly send an adjuster to your home to try to settle your injury claim.
This usually occurs within days after Progressive has notice of the accident. Days after a crash, a Progressive adjuster may offer you a check for a small amount. They usually offer between $1,000 and $3,000 to settle your personal injury case. (One adjuster, not from Progressive, referred to this process as a “cash out”.)
The only other auto insurer that I have heard paying a “cash out” is State Farm (just one time). I don’t know of any other insurers who do this. Sure, other auto insurers will give you a lowball offer. But, that usually happens after they’ve seen your medical records and/or bills.
GEICO often sends its field adjusters out with a policy limits check, but that usually only occurs if you have a bad injury and GEICO’s BIL limits are low. For your run of the mill neck and back pain, GEICO will not send an adjuster to your house to make a $1,000 to $3,000 offer.
However, there is a problem with cashing Progressive’s check. Along with the check, they’ll ask you to sign a settlement release. The release basically says, in exchange for a certain amount of money, you are giving up your right to sue Progressive’s insured. By signing the release, you give up your right to sue forever.
Is there good news with Progressive in a car accident case?
Sometimes. There are many cheap auto insurance companies. The cheapest auto insurance companies are often non-standard companies. I’m referring to companies, like United Auto,Ocean Harbor (Pearl Holding), Windhaven and others.
Out of the some other terrible paying insurers, Progressive sometimes issues car insurance policies with higher BIL limits. So even though you may have to sue in a case involving Progressive, there may be plenty of insurance available.
Also, some Progressive insurance adjusters are nice. But just because you are dealing with a friendly adjuster does not mean that they will pay your claim fairly.
Does Progressive insure Uber for car accidents?
Yes. In the United States, Progressive insures Uber in Florida, Colorado, Texas, Arizona and many other states. The map below shows the states where Progressive insures Uber. In other states, Uber has other car insurance companies.
But don’t get too excited. You are still dealing with Progressive. My advice is to hire an Uber accident lawyer immediately. Uber accident attorneys give a Free Consultation. You should only hire an Uber accident lawyer who is licensed in the state where the accident happened.
How do you know if Progressive thinks that your injury claim is big?
In larger personal injury claims, Progressive will assign an adjuster from its large loss/litigation unit. Litigation is a fancy word for lawsuit.
For example, let’s say that you’re family member is tragically killed in a car accident. In this instance, Progressive will assign a large loss adjuster to the claim. From my experience, Progressive will do so even if the bodily injury liability policy limits are only $10,000 per person/$20,000 per accident.
If you have a injury claim against someone who has a larger policy, it’s a good sign if Progressive assigns a large loss adjuster. When I say larger policy, I’m referring to $100,000 or more per person in BIL coverage.
How will you know if a large loss adjuster is handling your claim?
There are two ways. First, look at any emails or letters that the Progressive adjuster sends you (or your lawyer). Beneath the adjuster’s signature or name, it may say “large loss/litigation”. Second, you can search for the adjuster on Linkedin. The adjuster’s Linkedin profile may say that they are a large loss or litigation adjuster.
Will Progressive be fair with its car damage estimate?
Overall, Progressive is OK when estimating the damage to your car. The good news is that Progressive is fairly quick at inspecting your car. They should give you an estimate rather quickly. Progressive car damage adjusters tend be easier to get in touch with than some small insurance companies.
However, Progressive car damage adjusters are not saints. Progressive may give you an estimate for less than the car is worth. If they do this, you can dispute it. Do your own research to find out the fair value of your car. Send this information to Progressive. It may get Progressive to pay you more money for your car damage.
On the other hand, Progressive will give you a much harder fight on any diminished value (of the car) claim. Likewise, Progressive is cheap when it comes to offering compensation for your pain, suffering and medical bills.
If you are badly injured, you should hire an attorney for your car accident. This will help level the playing field against Progressive. An Insurance Research Council study found that car accident injury settlements were 3.5 times higher with an attorney.
Does depositing a Progressive check kill your injury claim?
It may. If you deposit the check, you are forever waiving your right to make a personal injury claim.
If your injuries are minor, the accepting the check and signing the release may not be such a big deal. However, it still can be problematic.
On the other hand, if you need future medical care, don’t deposit the check and sign the release. Otherwise, you are kissing your claim goodbye.
Let’s look at some personal injury settlements with Progressive. Below are some of my many injury settlements against Progressive Insurance.
$90,000 Car Accident Settlement with Progressive (Ankle Injury)
In May 2019, Alice was walking as a pedestrian in South Florida. Sofia was driving a car. Sofia’s car hit Alice. Progressive insured Sofia. After the accident, Sofia called 911. Paramedics came to the scene.
She complained of leg and pain to her face around her eye. Her glasses broke in the fall. They took Alice to the hospital.
They took a CT scan of her head. However, it did not show that she had a head injury. Ultimately, an x-ray showed that she had a fracture of the distal fibula.
The distal fibula forms the ankle joint.
This is the part of the smaller lower leg bone that is closer to the ankle. Basically, she had an ankle fracture.
Alice called me. After we spoke, she immediately hired me.
I quickly jumped into action. We requested Progressive’s insurance limits. I requested the audio recording of the 911 call. On the call, the driver said that she had an accident. Sofia said that Alice walked into her car.
Progressive’s First Offer Was $50K
Progressive initially assigned bodily injury liability adjuster David Toro to handle the claim. We told Progressive to pay for Alice’s broken eye glasses. They paid for a new pair.
David offered us $50,000 to settle Alice’s bodily injury claim. We refused it. Later, Progressive assigned large loss/litigation adjuster Greg Paulson to the case. Greg increased Progressive’s offer to $55,000.
He told me that he did not see her claim as being worth $100,000 for several reasons. First, he blamed Alice for walking in front of his insured’s car. I disputed this by providing Greg with a photo of the accident scene. It showed that the driver had a clear line of sight and should not have hit Alice.
Second, Progressive argued that Alice did not have surgery to her ankle. As I’ve said before, surgery greatly increases the value of the case. Greg told me that he felt that the claim was worth somewhere around $75,000.
I aggressively negotiated this claim with Progressive. Finally, Greg increased his offer to $90,000. In November 2019, I settled the bodily injury case with Progressive for $90,000.
Here is Progressive’s settlement check:
Progressive sent us the settlement check within less than 6 months from the accident date.
Take a look at Progressive’s first offer as compared to their final offer.
Now, let’s look at how much of the settlement was for pain and suffering vs medical bills.
94% of the Settlement Was for Pain and Suffering
Here is a pie graph that shows the breakdown (of the settlement) between pain and suffering and medical bills:
As you can see from the pie graph above, 94% of the settlement was for pain and suffering. About 6% of the settlement was for medical bills.
My client had a Medicare Advantage plan that paid some of her bills. The Medicare Advantage plan demanded that I pay it back for the bills that it paid for her accident.
Since my client had a lawyer, her Medicare advantage plan had to reduce its payback claim from $624 to $408. That put an extra $216 in my client’s pocket.
It gets better:
I didn’t charge my client to reduce this bill.
After my contingency fees and costs, paying Mary’s out of pocket medical bills and health insurance lien, she gets over $54,000.
That is her portion of the settlement.
Since Mary owned a car, she used her PIP coverage to pay for her medical bills. United Auto Insurance Company (UAIC) was Mary’s auto insurer. Her out of pocket medical bills were low because United’s PIP paid for $10,000 of her medical bills.
The best part?
We got this payout without having to sue. This benefited my client because my attorney’s fee was capped at 33 1/3% of the total settlement. If I would have sued, my attorney’s fee would have shot up to 40% of the settlement.
Also, my client avoided the stress and increased costs associated with a lawsuit. I do not sue just to drive up my fees.
Mike looked online for a lawyer who had settled several big injury claims with Progressive. He found me and got a free consultation with me to see if I could represent him. We met in my office and he hired me on the spot.
Their first offer was only $25,000. They paid $200,000 to settle my client’s personal injury claim.
My client had $10,000 in underinsured motorist insurance (UIM) coverage with Progressive on his personal car. When the crash happened, he was driving an 18 wheeler owned by his employer.
This chart shows the difference between the first offer and the settlement amount.
After my injury attorney fees, costs and paying his out of pocket medical bills and workers’ compensation lien, Mike got $117,776 in his pocket.
Progressive Pays $50K of $150k Settlement (Back Surgery from Car Accident)
A car passenger claimed that an accident caused or aggravated a herniated disc. The passenger had a lower back fusion surgery. Below is what a back fusion surgery looks like.
Progressive insured the car that hit him. They paid $50,000 of the settlement.
Here is Progressive’s $50,000 settlement check for this car accident claim:
I’ve said it over a hundred times on my website, blog and Youtube videos:
And Progressive is no exception. Progressive pays more if you have surgery. This assumes that there is enough insurance to cover the claim’s value.
The passenger had $100,000 of his own underinsured motorist (UIM) coverage on his auto insurance policy. Since he was an occupant of a car at the time of the crash, his UIM insurance was available. His auto insurer paid its $100,000 limits to settle the UIM claim.
Progressive Pays $100K of $110K Settlement for Pedestrian Hit By a Car
A female pedestrian was in a crosswalk walking across the street in Homestead, Florida. A driver of a van hit her. The actual diagram from the Florida traffic crash report is above.
She suffered a fractured bone in her face (below the eye). We settled this case for the Progressive UM policy limits of $100,000.
Allstate paid $25,000 from the UIM coverage. The total settlement was for $75,000. I represented the injured lady.
$28K Progressive Car Accident Claim Settlement
In 2020, Cordario was driving his car in Flemington, Marion County, Florida. A driver rear ended Cordario’s car. This sent Cordario’s car off the side of the road where he struck a pole.
You can see the rear end damage here:
Below, you can see the damage to the front of his car when he struck the pole:
His airbag did not deploy. This was a hit and run accident.
An ambulance took Cordario to Shands Hospital in Gainesville, Florida.
Codario had a traumatic fracture of ulnar styloid with minimal displacement. The ulnar styloid is bone at the end of your forearm closest to the wrist.
This was to his non-dominant arm. Every Progressive car accident claim is worth more if your break a bone in your dominant arm. This is because it has a bigger effect on your daily activities.
Fortunately, Cordario did not need surgery for this broken bone.
This was not a serious fracture. In fact, the hospital radiologist said that the x-ray showed that he may have a small and difficult to see avulsion fracture. In other words, he was not certain that it was a fracture.
He searched for a hit and run lawyers. Cordario saw my videos and client testimonials. He called me and I gave him a free consultation.
After we spoke, he hired me. Cordario also had lower back pain. He received physical therapy for it.
Progressive insured Cordario’s car with uninsured motorist insurance. In 2021, I settled his personal injury case with Progressive for $28,000.
After my lawyer fees, costs and paying his medical bills, we gave him a check for $15,496.
He gave us this review:
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Rating: 5 out of 5.
Lying in the hospital bed I wasn’t even sure if i even had a case for a hit and run accident. I searched for hit and run lawyers and Justin was the first name to come up. I watched his videos and testimonies. Justin and Jenny [paralegal] were awesome. They kept me up to date during the whole process. There was never a grey area. Things got really tough financially for me and Justin came in clutch at the right time. This process was as smooth as can be. Thank you guys so much for your help.
Google 5 star review on April 12, 2021
$57,600 Settlement with Progressive (and GEICO) for Shoulder Surgery from Miami Car Accident
My client was driving her car. She was hit in a three car collision. She had arthroscopic shoulder surgery.
Progressive insured one of the cars with $10,000 BIL limits. They paid the $10,000 limits.
GEICO insured another car, and paid $47,600 to settle the injury case.
Progressive Pays $10K of $35K Motorcycle Accident Settlement (Shoulder Injury)
A motorcycle rider claimed that a car hit him. Here is the crash diagram:
The crash happened in Jacksonville, Duval County, Florida.
The rider alleged that the accident aggravated his pre-existing shoulder injury (rotator cuff tear).
He ultimately had shoulder (rotator cuff) surgery. Here is a photo of the rotator cuff tear that doctors took during the surgery.
How can you actually use a photo that was taken during a surgery?
Always request any video or images of your surgery (or injuries). Then, quickly send the photo to Progressive so that they can see the injury. As the saying goes, “A picture speaks a 1,000 words.”
The total combined BIL insurance available was $35,000. Progressive paid its $10K BIL limits to settle the motorcycle rider’s injury claim. Here is Progressive’s settlement check.
$27.5K Settlement with Progressive for Car Accident (Back, Neck and Shoulder Pain)
In the photo above, you can see our happy client after her $27,500 personal injury settlement.
Dania was a passenger in a car in Miami, Florida. Another driver crashed into the car in which she was a passenger.
Here is the damage to the car within which Dania was a passenger:
Arrow points to damage from the car accident.
We claimed that the other driver’s carelessness caused Dania’s injuries.
Fortunately, here injuries were soft tissue. Basically, she had neck sprain/strain, thoracic (upper back) sprain/strain, back sprain/strain, and right shoulder sprain/strain.
She did not break any bones. Also, she did not need surgery.
Shortly after the car accident, Dania spoke with a lawyer who has handling injury claims for 49 years. That attorney primarily defends drivers for personal injury claims from commercial vehicle accidents. He was unable to represent her primarily because her injuries were minor. Moreover, the damage to her car was not that bad.
However, that attorney was aware of our many car accident settlements. Additionally, he knew that we’ve settled numerous car accident claims with Progressive. He referred Dania to my law firm. Dania contacted my law firm.
Dania’s primary language was Spanish. However, my paralegal is fluent in Spanish. Additionally, I speak some Spanish. In fact, we have a Spanish website and blog.
We gave her a Free Consultation to see if she wanted to hire me and if I could represent her. Immediately after the consultation, she hired me as her lawyer. My law firm did the majority of the work on Dania’s claim. (However, she consented to the referral attorney sharing responsibility on the claim with us. This allowed us to pay 25% of our attorney’s fee to the referring lawyer. This didn’t cost Dania any additional money.) I happily pay referral fees to attorneys who refer me cases as allowed.
Progressive insured the car that we alleged caused the crash. Progressive paid us $27,500 as settlement of Dania’s personal injury claim. Here is the settlement check:
$27,500 settlement check (redacted)
Some of her doctors didn’t bill her health insurance. Nevertheless, Dania received over $12,950 in her pocket.
This is after our attorneys fees, costs and her outstanding medical bills were paid.
Most importantly, she is happy with the settlement. Dania gave my law firm this review on Google (translated from Spanish into English):
I am very pleased to have selected attorney Justin Ziegler. If you need an accident lawyer, don’t think about it.
Just click on the image above.
$20K Settlement with Progressive for Soft Tissue Injuries (Rollover Crash)
This accident happened near the Redland and Homestead, Florida.
A truck (vehicle 1 in the above diagram) was heading east. Tracy was driving a pickup truck (vehicle 2). Vehicle 1 hit the back of Tracy’s truck. Tracy’s truck rolled over.
Progressive paid a total of $20,000 to settle the BIL and UIM case.
After my attorney’s fees, costs and medical bills were paid, my client received over $10,500 in his pocket.
He would’ve gotten more in his pocket but he worked for a large private company. This means that his “health insurance” was self-funded. Thus, they were able to get virtually every penny back from what they paid for his bills.
$14,200 Settlement with Progressive (Car hit bike rider) in 2020
In 2019, William was riding his bike in North Miami Beach, Florida. He was riding without a helmet. (In this photo above, you can see his bike.)
A driver of a car hit him. As a result of the impact, William claimed that he struck the car’s windshield. No one called the police or paramedics. At the accident scene, William was able to walk around. The driver took William to Aventura Hospital.
As a result of the accident, he had some small cuts on his body as a result. Here is a cut on the palm of his hand. Take a look at the cut.
At the hospital, doctors took x-rays of his elbow, wrist and ankle. They also did CT scans of his brain, facial bones, and neck (cervical spine). Fortunately, he did not have any broken bones. Fortunately, he did not need any stitches.
William searched for a Miami car accident attorney. He contacted me. I gave him a free consultation over the phone to see if I could represent him. Immediately thereafter, he hired me.
I got Progressive to quickly pay him for the damage to his bicycle.
After his hospital visit, he did not get any additional medical treatment. William had a cut on his thigh. Initially, he had some discoloration on the skin on his thigh.
Take a look at it:
The photos that William took are poor quality. He must have had an older model phone.
Here is a tip:
Take good quality photos of any cuts to your body. The photo should be much better quality than the two images above. If you have a Iphone or Android phone, that should be fine. However, each photos should be at least 1200 px wide.
His Cuts Healed
By the time we were ready to settle, the Progressive adjuster claimed that she could not see any scars in the photos of my client’s body.
William did not own a car or live a relative who owned one. Thus, we made a claim with the driver’s (who hit him) Progressive PIP coverage. It paid most of his medical bills.
I also settled his personal injury claim with Progressive for $14,200. Check out the settlement check.
I asked Progressive to send the settlement check overnight. At first, the adjuster said that Progressive does not normally send checks overnight. However, the adjuster sent the check with next day delivery which my client and I appreciate.
After my attorneys fees and paying his medical bills, William gets over $8,900 in his pocket. I did not have any costs.
Most importantly, William is very happy with the settlement.
Progressive Pays $10K of $20K Settlement for Injuries from Car Accident
The crash caused a scar on her forearm. You can see the scar in the photo below.
Infinity Insurance company paid its $10,000 BI liability insurance limits.
Progressive was my client’s uninsured motorist insurer. They wouldn’t pay the $10K limits.
I filed a civil remedy notice of insurer violation with the Florida Department of Insurance. Progressive paid the $10K limits. Here is Progressive’s check.
Progressive Pays $10K of $20K Settlement for Car Accident ( Herniated Disc)
Henry (not real name) was the driver of the car in Liz’s case (that I just discussed above). Henry claimed that the accident caused or aggravated a herniated disc in his lower back.
Progressive paid the BI liability insurance $10,000 limits. Here is Progressive’s settlement check.
My case: $20,000 Settlement for a woman who claimed a disc protrusion (herniation), which indented on the ventral (spinal) cord. She also had multilevel disc bulges.
Progressive Pays $10K of $17.5K Settlement for Claim for Spine Pain, and That Crash Caused Her Miscarriage
The victim had pain in her spine. She was in the first trimester of pregnancy at the time of the wreck. Shortly after the accident, she had a miscarriage.
I spoke with several OB/GYN doctors. None could say that the crash caused her miscarriage, since she was in the first trimester.
Progressive insured the careless driver with $10,000 in bodily injury liability (BIL) insurance limits. Nadine Thomas was the Progressive adjuster. Progressive settled for its $10,000 BIL limits.
Allstate, the uninsured motorist insurer, settled for $7,500. The total settlement was for $17,500. I represented the injured woman.
My case: $16,000 Settlement for a man who claimed that his herniated disc was caused when another car hit his truck in Miami, Florida.
Progressive Pays $15K for Soft Tissue Injuries (Rollover Crash)
A woman was driving her SUV near West Miami and Coral Gables. A pickup truck driver crashed into her.
The impact send her car into a street light. It then rolled over.
The other driver was arrested for drunk driving. Progressive insured his pickup truck.
She claimed soft tissue injuries. Progressive paid $15,000 to settle this case.
I represented the injured driver.
$14K Settlement for Soft Tissue Injuries from Rollover Crash
I represented a passenger in the SUV in the above case. He claimed that the accident caused his neck and back pain.
$12K Settlement for Herniated Disc (Car Accident)
A woman was driving her SUV in Miami, Florida. Another car struck her. She claimed that the accident caused a herniated disc in her lower back. We settled her personal injury claim with Progressive for $12,000.
I also settled a different case with Progressive for $10,900.
Progressive Settles for $10K Limits for Herniated Disc, But Only After Lawsuit
By now, I think I’ve made it clear that Progressive car accident claims are a battle. Here is an another example that shows why you should hire a lawyer for your Progressive insurance claim.
Jon, a 20 year old man, was driving his mom’s Honda Accord. He was heading southbound on SW 149th Ave in Miami. Another driver, Leo, was driving a Lexus heading east on SW 179th Terrace.
The above diagram shows how the crash happened.
Leo had a stop sign. The Florida traffic crash report said that Leo failed to yield entering the intersection. Jon was unable to avoid Leo’s car. Jon hit Leo.
The damage to Jon’s car can be seen in the photo below.
damage to car after the crash
You can see the damage to Leo’s car below.
Damage to careless driver’s car
Leo’s car spun clockwise causing his driver side rear to hit Jon’s passenger side rear. Jon’s car then left the roadway on the left (east) side coming to rest facing South/East on the grass.
Leo’s Lexus came to rest facing southbound in the center of the intersection.
Jon did not take an ambulance to the hospital. However, on the day of the accident, he went to urgent care.
The doctor noted in the urgent care medical records that Jon had a first degree burn to his thigh. A first-degree burn is an injury that affects the first layer of your skin. First-degree burns are one of the mildest (minor) forms of skin injuries.
Ultimately, Jon got chiropractic treatment and therapy. He had an MRI, which revealed a herniated disc.
After sending a request to Progressive for its insurance limits and other information, they responded in writing by saying that their insured (driver) had a $10,000 bodily injury liability (BIL) policy.
I offered to settle this insurance claim for Progressive’s $10,000 BIL limits.
Progressive’s First Offer is Only $3,900
Progressive responded with a $3,900 offer to settle. When its comes to making a first settlement, Progressive is terrible.
I filed a consumer complaint, and filed a lawsuit against Leo. I didn’t serve Leo, so that I could save my client around $45.
Within days, Progressive overnighted a check for the $10,000 policy limits. Here is the Progressive settlement check:
Basically, they increased their offer by over 100%.
My client chose to accept the $10,000 instead of trying to go after the assets of Progressive’s insured. In Florida, it is difficult (and sometimes impossible) to collect the assets of an individual.
Bottom Line:
Sometimes, you may have to sue Progressive to get fair value for your case. This is true even in a case that you think is a slam dunk.
$10K with Progressive for Shoulder Tear (Car Accident)
A middle-aged woman was in a car in Miami, Florida. Another car hit her. She injured her shoulder. After the accident, she hired me as her attorney.
She claimed that the accident caused or aggravated her rotator cuff tear. We settled for Progressive’s $10,000 bodily injury liability policy limits. The at fault driver did not have any assets.
My case: $10,000 Settlement (Gross) for a woman who claimed soft tissue injuries. A car, insured with Progressive, hit her car. It happened in Miami, Florida.
How Much of Your Hospital Bill Will Progressive PIP Insurance Pay?
If you have PIP with Progressive, Progressive is required to pay the hospital according to a formula. To illustrate the formula, we’ll use amounts from a real case (not mine) involving Progressive.
The total hospital charge was $2,781.00. The PIP deductible was $1,000.
If I was injured was visiting another state, does Progressive handle my claim differently?
Yes, in many cases. Let’s say that you live in Georgia. You travel to Florida for work or vacation. While in Florida, you get into a car accident.
Assume that you have Progressive Mepday or uninsured motorist coverage on your own car insurance policy. Either or both may apply in this accident. This is true even if you were not in your own car during the accident.
Or perhaps Progressive insures that car that hit you. Either way, your case will be different than if you lived in Florida.
The out of state law will determine the insurance coverage on your own car insurance policy. For example, some other states give you no UM coverage if the car that caused the accident had the same bodily injury liability (BIL) limits as your UM coverage. That’s a huge difference that people who live in Florida don’t face.
In addition, your personal injury claim against the at fault driver may be different. For example, let’s say that you are a pedestrian that is hit by a car. In order to get compensation for pain and suffering, you may not need a permanent injury. This may lead to a bigger personal injury settlement.
Yes, in some states in the United States. How do you know in which states Progressive is Lyft’s insurance company?
Just look at Lyft’s certificate of insurance for that particular state. The certificate of insurance will list Lyft’s insurance company. You have to look at the individual state’s certificate of insurance. This is because Lyft uses several insurance companies in the United States.
Warning! Everything that accident victim writes down can be used against him or her. Progressive may be the victim’s insurer. However, it will quickly use the insured’s statement against him or her.
Can People without Progressive Insurance Track a Claim with Progressive Online?
Progressive lets anyone with a claim track a claim. Therefore, people with injury claims against Progressive can track their claim.
This is true even if you are not insured with Progressive. In order to view the claim, Progressive must have already created a claim.
The accident victim can find out the contact information (phone number) and other information for the claim representative when he or she views the claim online.
Reporting a Claim with Progressive
On Progressive’s Reporting a Claim page, Progressive says that they “work with you throughout the entire claims process – from initial response through final resolution – to provide fast, caring service and to settle your claim.”
What does “work with you” mean? (I will answer this by giving an example below.)
Progressive owes a duty to its insured. It does not owe a duty to a third party.
Example of Progressive Owing Duty to Its Insured, But Not the Claimant
Progressive insures Mike’ car. Maria is driving Jose’s car. Mike makes a left hand turn in front of Maria.
Maria crashes into Mike. She claims that the accident caused her herniated disc and knee surgery.
Maria makes a claim against Mike’s bodily injury (“BI”) liability coverage in his Progressive auto policy. Progressive has an obligation to protect Mike’s interest.
This is because Mike is Progressive’s insured. Progressive does not have a duty to protect Maria.
Progressive will “work with Maria” by talking to her. But Progressive’s interest is adverse to Maria’s interest.
Progressive will offer the lowest amount possible to Maria.
Progressive adjusters are more likely to answer the phone (and return calls) than some large self-insured companies like Walt Disney World.
Warning! Progressive has a reputation for offering to settle injury claims quickly after an accident. They may make an offer before the accident victim knows the full extent of his or her injury.
They will want the victim to sign a settlement release. The accident victim should be very careful accepting this offer. If the victim signs a release, he or she is forever barred from making a claim.
Tip! In some situations, the victim may be able to have the release declared as void. This may happen where Progressive settled the case quickly after the accident while the victim was not capable of making an informed decision.
Florida Administrative Rule 69B-220.201 lists the ethical requirements for all adjusters in Florida. This applies to Progressive claims adjusters, including BI claims adjusters.
Subsection (3)(e):
An adjuster shall handle every adjustment and settlement with honesty and integrity, and allow a fair adjustment or settlement to all parties without any compensation or remuneration to himself or herself except that to which he or she is legally entitled.
As you can see, adjusters are required to be honest. If a Progressive adjuster is dishonest and tricks you into an unfair settlement, you may be able to have the settlement tossed out.
Additionally, subsection (3)(i) says:
An adjuster shall not attempt to negotiate with or obtain any statement from a claimant or witness at a time that the claimant or witness is, or would reasonably be expected to be, in shock or serious mental or emotional distress as a result of physical, mental, or emotional trauma associated with a loss. The adjuster shall not conclude a settlement when the settlement would be disadvantageous to, or to the detriment of, a claimant who is in the traumatic or distressed state described above.
Thus, if you were under shock or serious mental or emotional distress as a result of physical, mental or emotional trauma associated with the accident, you may be able to get out the release.
How to Report an Auto Accident Claim with Progressive By Phone in Florida
An accident victim can report a claim to Progressive by calling 1-800-274-4499. A Progressive claims intake person will ask you about the basic facts of the accident.
They will give you a claim number. The claim will be assigned to an injury claim adjuster.
A claims representative may contact you by the end of the business day. The injury claim adjuster will not be available after hours.
How to Report an Auto Accident Claim with Progressive By Letter and/or Fax in Florida
How to Report a Home Insurance Claim with Progressive in Florida:
Progressive is an agent for home insurance in Florida. It is an agent for home insurance, condo insurance and renters insurance.
Unlike State Farm, Progressive is not a homeowners insurer.
Someone who lives in a home may have caused someone else’s injury. If this happens, the accident victim may have a claim against the careless individual’s home insurance.
The careless party may think that Progressive insures him. In actuality, the claim needs to reported to the actual insurer. Progressive is an agent for the following home insurers:
These include auto, home, renters, condo, mobile home, motorcycle/ATV. Progressive also insures Boat/PWC, Motorhome, Travel Trailer, Classic Car, Term Life and Business Auto.
Do you think that Progressive is a bad insurance company? Please share your thoughts and experiences in the comments below.
Editor’s Note: This post was originally published in April 2014 and has been completely revamped and updated. This article is not legal advice. Always speak with a lawyer for your particular situation.
