What happens if you’ve been hit by a car or a truck while crossing the street? Here at St. Petersburg Personal Injury Attorneys McQuaid and Douglas, unfortunately, get these types of questions way too often being in Pinellas County, Florida with our weather situation in our roadways, we have pedestrian accidents 365 days a year. So we are intimately familiar with the insurance coverage and what needs to happen in order to recover for these types of claims. So let’s take a step back and let’s, let’s assume that you’ve been hit by a car or a truck in St. Petersburg or really anywhere in Pinellas County, uh, and the vehicle stays at the scene. So you know the at-fault vehicle. And again, let’s take under, let’s, let’s assume that you are not at fault. You were in the crosswalk properly, you had the, um, the white walking signal, uh, and you were, you were hit by the car or the truck at no fault to your two of your own and the car is there and a police report is made.
Okay. So now, how does the insurance work in that scenario? Well, first, if you have your own car insurance or you live with somebody with car insurance, you may be eligible first for PIP benefits or no-fault benefits up to $10,000 to cover your lost wages in your medical bills. If you did not have motor vehicle insurance, then you will be covered under the motor vehicle PIP insurance for the car or the truck. So you at least will have your emergency medical care covered up to $10,000 one way the other. Now the next step is, well, how do you recover? How do you put dollars in your pocket? How are you compensated for the significant injuries that you’ve suffered? Well first what happened is this, we’ve looked toward the bodily injury coverage for the vehicle that hit you and if that mote, if that bodily injury coverage is not enough or they don’t have any at all, then you look back toward your own uninsured motorist coverage on your own motor vehicle policy or the uninsured motorist coverage for a resident relative, somebody that’s related to you that lives with you.
So that’s a, the way that you can actually put dollars in your pocket, either through the bodily injury coverage or the uninsured motorist coverage. So let’s talk about scenario number two. The vehicle that hit you while you were crossing the street, took off, hit and run accident. Uh, they’re gone. Uh, we see that all the time, especially with bicycle lists. Bicycle is a, it’s a, an unfortunate reality here in Pinellas County, but the, the vehicles taken off. So then what happens? Well, you don’t have PIP insurance to go after through that vehicle, right? Or, and you don’t have bodily injury coverage to go after. So you can, if you have a car, you’ll be covered through PIP. And then again, same scenario. If you have motorists, you can be compensated. Or if you live with somebody with uninsured motorist coverage, you can be compensated, but your options are clearly lesser if that car or that truck takes off.
So what’s the next step in the process? You’re hit, you’re injured, you’ve gone to the hospital, you’re treating well. How do you handle your medical bills? If you’ve exhausted the PIP or there is no PIP for some reason and you have health insurance, we always recommend that you treat through your health insurance. Try to keep the bills down to a minimum. Is is really our motto. Uh, if you do not have health insurance or you’re the doctor that you choose does not accept health insurance and you really need to stay with that doctor and you have a lawyer, then that lawyer may be able to sign an agreement with the doctor, you, the lawyer and the doctor that basically the doctor will agree to treat you on a letter of protection so that you’re able to get medical treatment. It’s basically an IOU you agreed to repay them out of any money that you recover in the accident case. So that’s an arrangement that your lawyer and the doctor, uh, they’ll usually have a, a some type of familiarity in order to sign that before they’ll sign that contract. But that’s standard in the business. So if you unfortunately are in an accident as a pedestrian and you’re hit by a car or a truck in Pinellas County, St. Petersburg, Clearwater, whatever the case may be, and you have questions about what to do, please contact us for free consultation.
*The above has been transcribed by a third party service and has not been checked for accuracy.
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If you or a loved one have been injured in an accident, then you should take the proper measures to ensure you receive the compensation you deserve. Contact St. Petersburg Personal Injury Attorneys McQuaid & Douglas today and speak with an attorney. For over 60 years our firm has been successfully helping people who have been injured due to someone else’s carelessness. We have been nationally ranked for decades by US News and World Reports as a Tier 1 law firm, which is the highest ranking that can be received. Sean McQuaid and Jonathon Douglas have dedicated their careers to continuing the firms legacy of superior legal representation.
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St. Petersburg Personal Injury Attorneys McQuaid & Douglas
5858 Central Ave suite a, St. Petersburg, FL (727) 381-2300
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Sean McQuaid and Jonathon Douglas were voted best personal injury attorneys in Saint Petersburg, Florida for 2019.
