Who Will Pay My Medical Bills After a Car Accident in Miami, FL?

A car accident can put you in a difficult position in Miami, Florida. You might suffer injuries that prevent you from working. To get back to work, you may need expensive treatment, therapy, and medication. But since you cannot work, you have no way to pay those medical bills.

The sad reality is that 49% of Americans do not have enough cash saved to cover an emergency expense of $400 or more. The costs of car repairs and medical treatment would push many in the U.S. into debt.

Fortunately, if your crash resulted from someone’s negligence, you have options for paying your medical bills. Contact our law office in Miami to schedule your free consultation with an attorney at Shaked Law Personal Injury Lawyers. Call us at (305) 937-0191.

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How Shaked Law Personal Injury Lawyers Can Help After an Auto Accident in Miami

Shaked Law Personal Injury Lawyers has some of the most knowledgeable Miami car accident attorneys in Florida. Our lawyers have over 100 years of combined experience and have recovered more than $100 million in injury compensation for injured clients.

We can help with your case in the following ways, to name just a couple of examples:

Hiring experts to analyze and strengthen your case
Take care of all the paperwork and negotiations related to your claim
Work hard to fully assess the value of your case and demand fair compensation
Take your case to court if the other party refuses to settle

Injuries from a car crash can destroy your physical and financial health. Contact Shaked Law Personal Injury Lawyers to learn about the compensation you can seek for your car crash injuries in Miami, FL.

How Common Are Injury-Causing Car Accidents in Florida?

According to the statistics of the Florida Crash Dashboard, 29,059 people were injured or killed in Miami-Dade County traffic crashes in 2021.

Not all of these injuries came from car accidents. They include 746 cyclists killed or injured in bicycle accidents and 1,296 pedestrians killed or injured in pedestrian accidents.

This leaves just over 27,000 people injured or killed in car accidents in Miami-Dade County.

Only some of these injuries required medical treatment. Florida classifies injuries according to the KABCO rating system:

K is a fatal injury
A is an incapacitating injury that requires ambulance transportation
B is a visible injury, such as a laceration, that does not require ambulance transport
C is a suspected injury that causes symptoms but leaves no visible wound
O means the accident report did not indicate the severity of the injury

Injuries classified as K or A will almost always receive treatment. Injuries rated B, C, and O may or may not require treatment. In 2021, Miami-Dade County had 1,674 injuries rated K or A, according to the Florida Traffic Safety Dashboard.

From these data points, you can infer that at least 1,674 people — and possibly thousands more — incurred medical bills after a car crash in the Miami metropolitan area.

Overview of Who Will Pay Your Medical Bills After a Car Accident in Miami

After a car crash in Florida, you have several options for paying your medical bills, including:

Florida Personal Injury Protection (PIP) Coverage

Under Florida’s no-fault insurance system, car owners must buy PIP coverage in their auto insurance policies. This coverage pays policyholders for car accident injuries.

Your insurer pays these benefits regardless of fault. Thus, you can expect to receive 80% of your medical expenses and 60% of your lost wages from your insurer, even if you caused the crash.

The downside of PIP benefits is that you only receive a percentage of your losses up to your policy limits. You will need to make up the difference out of your income or savings.

For example, if you have a $5,000 doctor bill, your insurer will pay only $4,000. You will have to cover the remaining $1,000.

What’s more, your benefits max out at $10,000. If your losses exceed $10,000, you must find another source.

Health Insurance

If you have health insurance, you can use it to pay your medical bills. But many people do not like to use their health insurance to pay for car accident injuries due to co-pays and other out-of-pocket costs.

Worse yet, your health insurance company can come after your personal injury compensation if you win or settle a car accident case. This doctrine, called subrogation, allows insurers to seek reimbursement from you for expenses they incurred if you are compensated for the same expenses.

Compensation Claim Against the At-Fault Driver in Miami, Florida

You can seek injury compensation from the at-fault driver who negligently caused your crash. To get compensation, you must suffer a significant, permanent injury that excuses you from Florida’s no-fault system.

You must also prove the other driver failed to exercise reasonable care and, as a result, caused your crash.

The benefit of pursuing a compensation claim is that you receive 100% of your economic losses. You do not incur any co-pays and do not need to meet a deductible.

More importantly, you can also pursue non-economic losses, such as pain, suffering, and disability.

Schedule a Free Consultation With Our Car Accident Lawyers in Miami, FL

You have options for paying your medical bills after a car crash. Contact Shaked Law Personal Injury Lawyers to discuss your accident and your options.

Common Miami Car Accident Claims We Handle

Our law firm handles all types of car accident claims involving: