How are Medical Bills of a Pedestrian Paid for in the State of Florida?

When a child or adult is injured as a result of a Florida Automobile Accident, there are many challenges presented including but not limited to the payment of medical bills. Let's say that a child or an adult is walking across the street and then is hit by a driver who was not paying attention. The injured pedestrian suffered a fractured leg and other injuries. The driver was 100 % at fault for the crash as a result of looking down at a text message as the driver approached a red light. Under this fact scenario, one would assume that the at-fault driver would be liable or on the hook for all of the medical bills and related damages. Under Florida law, this is not the case if the injured pedestrian owned a vehicle OR if the injured pedestrian resided with a relative who owned a vehicle. PIP (Personal Injury Protection) under a Florida Automobile Insurance Policy may end up covering the medical bills for the injured pedestrian.

Let's bring up a few more facts to illustrate how this works. Let's say that the injured pedestrian is a twelve year old boy named Johnny who resides with his mother Mary Jones. At the time of the pedestrian accident, Mary Jones owned a vehicle that was insured with GEICO Insurance. The at-fault driver was insured through State Farm Insurance. Even though the vehicle of Mary Jones was no where near the crash site where the pedestrian was injured, GEICO - the insurance company for Mary Jones - will most likely pay the medical bills of Johnny Jones, the twelve year old injured pedestrian. Under some circumstances, a pedestrian can qualify for PIP coverage for the at-fault driver IF AND ONLY IF the injured pedestrian did not own a vehicle AND if the injured pedestrian did not resident with a resident relative who owned a vehicle and had insurance on the vehicle.

Certainly, there are a host of challenges in the aftermath of a pedestrian accident when a child or adult suffered personal injuries. The payment or responsibility for the payment of the medical bills is just one piece of a complicated puzzle. It is important for the injury victim and the family to retain the services of a Florida Personal Injury Attorney to get guidance, advice, and, yes, legal representation to get through these tough and confusing issues.

David A. Wolf is a Florida Personal Injury Attorney with over 25 years of experience handling automobile accidents, bicycle accidents, and pedestrian accidents. David A. Wolf strongly believes in Giving a Voice to Injury Victims and Their Families. He is the author of a number of books focusing on real life issues that arise in the aftermath of a crash or incident causing personal injuries including the book titled When the Wheels Stop Spinning - Legal Rights of the Injured Child - What You Need to Know After the Accident and the book titled Bikes, Trikes and Automobiles - Legal Rights of the Injured Child. David A. Wolf provides a FREE CONSULTATION on all personal injury matters.