Changes in Florida’s PIP Law Make Contacting a Personal Injury Attorney Critically Important
Jun 28, 2012
Tampa, FL (Law Firm Newswire) June 27, 2012 – Recently passed changes to Florida’s insurance laws make it more important than ever to contact a personal injury attorney quickly if you are injured in an automobile accident.
The changes to the Personal Injury Protection (PIP) law will go into effect January 1, 2013, provided Governor Rick Scott signs the bill as expected. Now, people who are injured in a collision have a limit of 14 days to seek medical treatment, and only those diagnosed with an “emergency medical condition” will be eligible for PIP benefits.
The new law favors insurance companies over injured people, said Tampa personal injury attorney Robert Joyce.
“Now it is more important than ever for someone who is injured in an automobile accident to contact an experienced personal injury attorney right away,” said Joyce. “The new laws have stricter rules for injured parties, and knowledgeable legal counsel is essential to winning the compensation you deserve.”
Measure HB 119 would require reductions in personal insurance premiums of ten percent this year, and twenty-five percent in 2014. However, it could also reduce benefits such as prohibiting post-accident treatments like massage therapy and acupuncture.
Some other changes include a new task force focused on stopping insurance fraud, harsher penalties for those caught engaging in fraud, more extensive documentation of accidents and stricter licensing of clinics providing medical treatment for accident victims.
Smaller injuries are not likely to be covered by the full $10,000 PIP benefit, and thus patients could only receive coverage of $2,500. Injuries that only affect soft tissues will be limited to the much smaller coverage. In a situation with a smaller injury and the lower coverage, an MRI might cost $1,400, allowing the remaining $1,100 for treatment, which isn’t much to cover visits to a chiropractor or physical therapist. If all these new stipulations sound confusing, they are, and that is why having a knowledgeable lawyer can be very helpful.
To learn more or to contact a Tampa personal injury lawyer at the Joyce & Reyes Law Firm, P.A. visit http://www.joyceandreyespa.com/ or call 1.888.771.1529.
Joyce and Reyes Law Firm, P.A.
307 S Hyde Park Ave,
Tampa, FL 33606
Call: 813.251.2007
