How Does Bodily Injury Liability Insurance Work?

In Florida, proof of bodily injury liability insurance has not been required for local drivers until they are involved in an accident. This may be coming to an end with the proposed changes to auto insurance requirements.

If these changes in car insurance do become law, every Florida driver will be required to provide proof that they have $50,000 of bodily injury coverage when they register a vehicle while maintaining $25,000 of coverage at all times.

To better understand what this means for Florida drivers, we will take a look at what bodily injury coverage means and how it works!

What is bodily injury liability?

Bodily injury liability is a very common form of auto insurance policy that covers the damages of the victims involved in an accident that was caused by you, the insured driver. Expenses can include medical expenses, lost wages, and even legal expenses.

How does bodily injury liability differ from personal injury protection and property damage liability?

Until the recent chatter about shifting insurance requirements, Florida drivers have held PIP (Personal Injury Protection) and PDL (Property Damage Liability) coverage. In short, PIP covers injuries sustained to yourself, no matter the cause of the accident. PDL covers property damage sustained by other vehicles involved in the accident.

As Florida makes the proposed transition to ending the “no fault” state status, bodily injury liability coverage will transfer coverage from yourself to others. The goal here is to increase coverage statewide while, hopefully, lowering expenses. 

Read More: I Got in a Car Accident Without Insurance, Now What?

What does bodily injury liability insurance cover?

The proposed split limit policy of $25,000/$50,000 means that each injured person involved will be covered up to $25,000 until the $50,000 runs out. Meaning if your accident injured two individuals, one with $30,000 of costs and the other $25,000, totalling up to $55,000, the extra $5,000 will be up to you to pay. But what exactly gets lumped into these costs? 

Medical Expenses:

One of the most common uses for bodily injury liability coverage is that of medical expenses. Hospital visits, emergency medical care, continued follow up visits and more all carry hefty price tags. With the current minimum coverage in Florida, $10,000 of PIP is often not enough to cover yourself in the case of injury, so a $25,000 minimum for every driver may help cover more medical expenses than in the past.

Lost Wages:

If the injured individual is put out of work due to injury, lost wages will also be covered under a bodily injury liability policy. 

Legal Fees:

The injured party is covered for associated legal fees under bodily injury liability insurance.  

Pain and Suffering:

So long as the $25,000 has not been maxed out, injured individuals are also covered for pain and suffering.

And in severe cases, Funeral Costs:

If necessary, funeral costs are covered under bodily injury insurance plans. Since any of the above may not be needed or met, the coverage will be transferred to cover funeral costs. 

As insurance requirements are a hot topic in Florida, we will keep our eye on the developments. We know how important it is to work with knowledgeable attorneys, so we do our best to stay up to date for our clients.