Florida Car Accident Law: What to Do When Another Driver Crashes Your Car

Learn who pays when someone borrows your car and gets into a car accident in Florida

Anyone can get into a car accident at any clock time — tied a friend or family member who you trust to drive your car. If you lend your vehicle to a loved one and an accident happen, careless of who ’ s at fault, it ’ s important to take the properly steps to ensure you ’ re legally protected under Florida law.

Insurance Coverage and Permissive Use

Whether the driver is covered under your car insurance policy depends on your specific policy. however, in general, anyone who lives in your house will be covered by your insurance policy when driving your vehicle. In fact, many policy companies require that everyone in your family of driving long time is listed on your policy. In most cases, a friend who you ’ ve lashkar-e-taiba use your vehicle is besides covered under your car indemnity policy. The “ permissive use provision ” covers those who might borrow your car on occasion.

Insurance Follows the Vehicle

The idea that the insurance policy follows the driver is a myth ; it actually follows the fomite. If you loan person your car, your indemnity policy should provide chief coverage in the subject of an accident, while the driver ’ s policy would provide supplementary secondary coverage. For example, say you lend a supporter your car and they get into a fender bender accident. If police determine he is at fault in the incident, you would be responsible for filing a claim for the accident with your policy company, paying the deductible, and paying any resulting premium increases for your policy. Your friend ’ sulfur indemnity company would be expected to cover costs that exceed your insurance coverage. If your friend wasn ’ triiodothyronine at demerit in the accident, the other driver ’ sulfur policy would cover the damages to your car and your insurance company wouldn ’ thyroxine be involved.

Exceptions to the Rule

Although insurance follows the vehicle in most cases, it ’ sulfur important to be aware of a few exceptions to this rule. These include the adopt :

• If you have explicitly excluded a person in your household from coverage under your insurance policy and he or she drives your car anyway, then your insurance will likely refuse to pay for damages that ensue if a crash occurs.
• If your car is stolen and an accident occurs, you won’t be responsible for the other party’s vehicle and medical damages. Your insurance company would typically cover damages to your vehicle.
• If a friend or family member uses your car without permission, your insurance company would cover costs exceeding the coverage provided first by his or her insurance policy.
• If the person in question doesn’t have car insurance, your insurer would be liable.

Additional Liability Concerns

In certain cases, you may be held personally liable if an accident that occurs in your vehicle exceeds your insurance coverage. For example, you could be sued for damages that occur in an accident if you allow an unaccredited driver or a driver who ’ randomness under the influence of drugs or alcohol to operate your vehicle.

Steps to Take When an Accident Occurs

Before loaning out your vehicle, it ’ south important to thoroughly understand the coverage provided by your insurance policy. If the person isn’t covered by your policy, doesn’t have his or her own insurance, is clearly intoxicated, or doesn’t have a driver’s license, don’t let him or her borrow your car. Because Florida is a no-fault state of matter when it comes to car accidents, drivers are required to carry car policy that pays personal injury protection ( PIP ) benefits. According to Nolo :

“ When the policyholder ( or anyone else covered under the terms of the policy ) is injured in a car accident, PIP pays checkup expenses and sealed non-medical-related costs associated with the accident — like lost wages and the costs of hiring person to do family chores ( known as ‘ refilling benefits ’ ) — up to the coverage limits. ”

Because of the personal indebtedness issues at hand, it ’ sulfur significant to consult an car accident lawyer if another individual had an accident while driving your car and indebtedness is contested. This is particularly crucial if he or she did not have permission to take the car or was at fault, unaccredited, or under the influence. Legal advice is necessity to protect your personal assets from seizure in a lawsuit. If you live in the Tampa area, contact Florida car accident attorneys at Lorenzo & Lorenzo deoxyadenosine monophosphate soon as potential. We offer free case valuations to help you navigate the legal process and explore your options at no cost to you other than your time. Contact us nowadays before your case expires.