Updated: 5/15/23
Quick Tip: The Average Car Accident Settlement Is $30,000.00 (Details)
Living in Florida, it is important to be aware of how no fault insurance works as well as being familiar with the injury requirements under Florida Statute 627.737 for recovering compensation for a car accident. One reason for making this statement is because Florida’s car accident compensation law is different than most other states when it comes to victims being able to recover specific damages for their injuries.
Are All Injuries Recoverable in a Florida Car Accident?
In Florida, drivers should know that just because they are hurt in a car accident does not automatically mean they will be able to recover compensation for their injuries. Why?
The simple answer is that the Florida legislature decided that car accident injuries should NOT be recoverable unless they are significant – a term specifically used in the law.
This requirement is important to know especially for those who are trying to settle a claim with an insurance adjuster without the use of a personal injury lawyer.
See – How Do You Know If Your Settlement Offer From the Insurance Company is Fair?
Florida Car Accident Compensation Law: Florida Statute 627.737
Several years ago, the Florida Legislature passed Florida Statute 627.737 for the purpose, in part, of reducing lawsuits and lowering insurance costs. That statute as well as case law set forth the requirements that must be met before a car accident victim may recover damages for things like the loss of an important bodily function.
Florida Statute 627.737 relates to insurance policies (called contracts under the statute) and car accidents, and other motor vehicle accidents, that occur in the State of Florida. It basically sets forth the requirements that must be met before an insurance company is required to pay or compensate a victim for their non-economic damages such as pain and suffering, mental anguish, etc.
Read: Economic v. Non-economic damages in a Personal Injury Case
Are There Exceptions to Florida Statute 627.737’s Requirements?
There are some exceptions to the requirements of the statute. For instance, some plaintiffs are exempt from having to prove permanent injury in order to recover compensation under the law (for example, someone who has been injured while driving in a taxi cab or public mass transit vehicle (bus) is not subject to the permanent injury threshold).
However, for the most part Florida’s car accident compensation law will control your claim when the party causing the accident (or the at-fault party) has an insurance contract in place.
Fault
In any car accident case, the first issue to address is fault. In order to receive compensation, a victim must first prove that someone’s negligence caused their car accident. Determining fault can be done through:
- photos;
- accident reports;
- witness statements by passengers in either vehicle;
- medical records establishing injuries and treatment;
- vehicle data recorder; and
- video (red-light camera.)
In Florida, drivers have a legal duty of care to other motorists on the road. If a motorist was texting and driving and caused a rear-end collision, he or she breached this duty. It is only after a victim proves a driver has breached his or her duty of care (or proves the driver was negligent,) that a victim can recover his or her damages.
Other ways a driver can breach their duty of care include:
- failing to pay attention to the road and look out for hazards;
- failing to maintain control of the vehicle;
- failing to yield the right of way;
- failing to use turn signal(s); and
- failing to follow at a safe distance.
Read: How To Value Your Car Accident Claim
What Are The Threshold Requirements to Receive Compensation?
The Florida Supreme Court has held that (1) pain and suffering along with (2) mental anguish and (3) inconvenience are damages that are recoverable by a car accident victim. These are called “non-economic damages.”
However, an accident victim must prove that their non-economic damages are the result of an injury that has been deemed by their doctor “with a reasonable degree of medical probability” to be a permanent injury. Wald v. Grainger, 64 So.3d 1201 (2011).
Sometimes that’s not easy to determine. In fact, if the case isn’t resolved by a negotiated settlement, that question is usually answered by a jury.
For instance, in a case where a car accident victim had to have temporomandibular joint (TMJ) surgery on their jaw, experts debated if this was a permanent injury “with a reasonable degree of medical probability.” Because the medical professionals couldn’t form an unanimous opinion, the answer was left to the jury to decide. Emanuele v. Perdue, App. 4 Dist., 693 So.2d 1071 (1997).
Permanent Disfigurement and Scars
What about scars or disfigurements as the result of an auto accident? These damages may or may not be covered under Florida’s car accident compensation law.
Here, a jury will be asked to decide if the scar or “disfigurement” is a permanent injury. If the case is not settled before trial, then the jurors will observe the scars and disfigurements for themselves, and decide if they are permanent injuries. If so, then they will be covered as compensable damages. See Cohen v. Pollack, 674 So.2d 805 (1996) .
Property Damage
Most accidents involve claims not only for personal injuries but also damage to property. In serious car crashes, the vehicles are often totaled. What happens to claims for damage to your vehicle and its contents under Florida law?
The law does not apply to property damage. It applies solely to claims for bodily harm and personal injury. See, Goldkamp v. Rose, 386 So.2d 1257 (1980).
In other words, accident victims have the right to have all their property damages covered by those whose negligence caused the crash. There is no “threshold requirement” placed on property claims in a Florida car crash. Faulkner v. Allstate Ins. Co., 367 So.2d 214 (1979).
Evidence of Permanent Injury
How do you prove a “permanent injury” so your non-economic damages (pain and suffering; mental anguish; inconvenience) are covered?
Florida’s car accident compensation law requires evidence of (1) objective medical findings or (2) subjective complaints supported by expert medical testimony. Mattek v. White, 695 So. 2d 942 (Fla. Dist. Ct. App. 1997).
Some cases are easier than others to demonstrate permanent injury. Sometimes, you need to hear an expert’s opinion or the doctor’s belief that the injury is permanent because the injury itself isn’t obviously permanent. For instance, the loss of a limb is obviously a permanent injury. The loss of feeling in a limb may be permanent but is not so obvious to an observer (like the jury).
Watch: What is the legal definition of a permanent injury in Florida?
Evidence of Serious Non-permanent Injuries
Accident victims often suffer horribly from things like migraines and involuntary muscle spasms or shakes. These are conditions that can be life-altering and debilitating, but are they covered? After all, they may not be permanent injuries. So, can a victim suffering from a serious but non-permanent injury recover compensation under Florida’s car accident law?
To prevail with one of these claims, a victim must provide specific evidence supporting their claim.
- Headaches and Muscle Spasms
For instance, in one Florida case an accident victim testified to experiencing pain and soreness, headaches, and discomfort not only during the first three months after the accident happened but long afterwards. In fact, some 3 and ½ years later, the victim still had to deal with these issues.
Due to the driver’s negligence, the accident victim’s life was compromised. There were certain activities that she could no longer participate in and her lifestyle had been impacted because of these headaches and spasms.
What was the result? The court held that the victim’s testimony was sufficient evidence to prove her right to seek damages under Florida’s Car Accident Compensation Law. See Mighty Nat’l Exterminators, Inc. v. Powers, 434 So.2d 361 (Fla. Dist. Ct. App. 1983)
- Leg Pain
In another Florida automobile accident case, doctors took the stand and testified that the accident victim felt serious leg pain if he lifted his leg above a certain level. This continued to occur almost three months after the crash.
The doctors’ opinion was that the leg pain was not due to injury to his leg, but to his spine. The pain was from back strain suffered in the accident.
Was it covered? Yes. The court held that the medical opinion was sufficient evidence to prove a serious, non-permanent injury with a material degree of bearing on his ability to resume his normal activity and lifestyle. Snowden v. Sprouse, 375 So. 2d 901 (Fla. Dist. Ct. App. 1979).
Watch: Is permanent pain considered a permanent injury in Florida?
Admissibility of Evidence
Obviously, the key to overcoming the hurdle of Florida’s car accident compensation law is to gather admissible evidence to demonstrate the right to be compensated. Not all evidence will work here.
For instance, a medical opinion may need to be provided by a treating physician. That’s because the doctor who actually sees the patient during the course of his or her treatment and recovery will know much more than a physician who reviews paper records and looks at X-Rays.
Even doctors themselves will acknowledge the superior knowledge of a treating physician on what is, and is not, a permanent injury. Powell v. Napolitano, 578 So. 2d 747 (Fla. Dist. Ct. App. 1991).
What about licensed chiropractors? Their opinions are respected in Florida courts on whether or not an accident victim has suffered permanent injuries. See, Horowitz v. American Motorist Ins. Co., 343 So. 2d 1305 (Fla. Dist. Ct. App. 1977).
Other Issues to Consider
As discussed, the key issue under Florida’s car accident compensation law is the threshold requirement to recover non-economic damages. In addition to those threshold requirements, there are other issues to be aware of, including:
1. Florida’s PIP Law. Our No-Fault Law excludes all tort damages to the extent that personal injury protection (PIP) benefits are payable in the first instance, then allows non-economic damages only if the permanency threshold is met. Smiley v. Nelson, 805 So. 2d 870 (Fla. Dist. Ct. App. 2001). Florida’s PIP law helps to address the immediate issue of who pays for damages after a car accident.
2. To get covered for non-economic damages, the accident victim must meet certain criteria under the law. Things like past or future disability, physical impairment, or loss of capacity for the enjoyment of life, are not available until the accident victim proves they should be covered under the language of the law. Smiley v. Nelson, 805 So. 2d 870 (Fla. Dist. Ct. App. 2001).
3. There are other considerations here as well. For instance, the percentage of the motorist’s comparative negligence will be subtracted from the total economic damages found by the jury. This is done before subtracting personal injury protection (PIP) benefits. Assi v. Florida. Auto Auction Of Orlando, 717 So. 2d 588 (Fla. Dist. Ct. App. 1998). Update: Florida replaced its pure comparative negligence system with a modified comparative negligence system. Consequently, a personal injury victim can now recover in proportion to the defendant’s percentage of responsibility only if the victim’s own share of responsibility is 50 percent or less. If the victim bears more than 50 percent liability, the victim cannot recover from the defendant.
4. Additionally, future medical expenses and lost earnings can be recovered even if the accident victim did not suffer permanent injury. Smey v. Williams, 608 So. 2d 886 (Fla. Dist. Ct. App. 1992).
Punitive Damages
In Florida, juries are allowed to, but rarely do, assess damages over and above what the accident victim has proven in evidence, or even what the accident victim has suffered regardless of proof.
These damages are called “punitive damages.” They are allowed as “punishment” in some kinds of car accident cases.
Here, a jury simply determines an amount to award as punishment for the wrongdoer’s behavior.
The goal and hope of punitive damages is not only to punish particularly loathsome conduct of that defendant, but to provide an example to others. It is done in the public interest.
Punitive damages are allowed under Florida’s car accident compensation law but they are rarely awarded. A victim would have to show the wrongdoer was wanton or willfully negligent, reckless or acted intentionally or with utter disregard of the consequences. For example, traveling at an excessive rate of speed, driving while intoxicated or driving impaired (maybe, while texting and driving). Most insurance companies will probably not cover the wrongdoer for punitive damages. Meaning, the victim will likely have to collect any punitive damage award directly from the wrongdoer and not from their insurance company.
Furthermore, punitive damages can be awarded in Florida even though we are a “No Fault” state. And, punitive damages are available in a car accident case even if the accident victim fails to provide sufficient evidence to overcome the “threshold requirement” for his non-economic losses. See Nales v. State Farm Mut. Auto. Ins. Co., 398 So. 2d 455 (Fla. Dist. Ct. App. 1981).
What Should You Do?
Knowing the complexities of Florida’s car accident compensation law and how it can apply in a particular circumstance can be invaluable to a victim who is already having to deal with so many difficulties.
If you or a loved one has been injured in a car accident in Florida or would like to learn more about the car accident compensation law, a good piece of advice is to speak with an experienced Florida personal injury lawyer to learn about some of the issues that can arise with these claims, including how most insurance companies respond to these claims and the type and amount of damages you can recover.
Most personal injury lawyers, like Alan Sackrin, will offer a free initial consultation (over the phone or in person, whichever you prefer) to answer your questions.
Related articles:
What does your insurance company have to do once you tell them you were in a car accident?
Car Accident Cases Settled By Alan Sackrin
State Farm Settlements and Case Law
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