Repealing PIP, a state study found, could save Floridians $81 per car per year, nearly $1 billion collectively. Lawmakers for years have debated whether to get rid of the PIP system, which requires motorists to carry $10,000 in PIP coverage to help pay medical bills after accidents.

Floridians pay the nation’s third-highest car insurance rates despite state roads being relatively straight, flat, and snow/ice-free. 

PIP repeal bills are working through committees, with sponsors citing tweaks that make them more appealing to insurers, physicians, and hospitals that have vigorously opposed past reform attempts.

The proposal, at least for now, appears stalled in the Senate over a proposed amendment designed to restrict “bad faith” lawsuits, which involve allegations that insurers have not properly looked out for the interests of their customers (policyholders).  

Unfortunately, insurers regularly engage in bad faith behavior and practices.  Accident victims and policyholders must have a mechanism to hold bad faith insurers accountable. 

The law states that your insurance company must treat you fairly and honestly when evaluating the validity of your claim, and settle claims against you if it can do so within the coverage limit.  

If you are currently facing problems with your insurance company, you should get in touch with the insurance claim attorneys at Corless Barfield Trial Group.  Insurers look to delay, deny or underpay valid personal injury and property damage claims all the time. We will help you fight back against an insurer’s illegal tactics.  Please call our office at 813-258-4998 for a free and confidential case evaluation. 

Insurance companies are expected to act in “good faith” when resolving, examining, and settling claims made against their policyholders. Yet in many situations, insurance companies act in defiance of the law, which is why you need an attorney representing your rights. 

What type of activity illustrates bad faith? The following actions on the part of your insurance company may serve as the basis for prohibited bad faith conduct:

• fails to pay or settle a claim within policy limits without a reasonable basis; 
• fails to properly and promptly investigate or defend a claim; 
• fails to provide justification for denying a claim; 
• offers inconsistent or baseless interpretations of the policy; 
• uses deceptive practices or intentional misrepresentations to avoid paying claims; 
• terminates a claim that should have been paid; or 
• fails to offer the full value of a claim’s worth, or giving an unreasonably low offer to compensate damages.

It should come as no surprise that insurers have sought for years to put more restrictions on bad faith lawsuits and have attempted to tie it to no-fault auto insurance, as they are doing here when it comes to repealing PIP coverage. 

Corless Barfield Trial Group has secured record-setting judgments against insurance companies that refused to protect their insureds by properly evaluating the claims against them.  Our attorneys have successfully tried countless bad faith claims. Our goal as personal injury and property damage lawyers is to ensure the insurance company does not wrongfully deny your claim for full and just compensation. For your no-obligation, case consultation, call Corless Barfield at 813-258-4998. 

At Corless Barfield Trial Group, we don’t recommend settlement unless it’s in our client’s best interests. We offer our clients this unique, tactical benefit: Corless Barfield Trial Group thoroughly and painstakingly prepares cases with the view that they are going to trial. It’s all in the name – we are a personal injury law firm prepared and focused on trial. Corless Barfield Trial Group is committed to creating winning strategies for trial.

If you’ve been seriously injured or lost a loved one due to another’s negligent or reckless behavior, we will assess your case and provide you with an honest opinion on your case at no cost to you. For a free consultation, call us today at 813-258-4998.

Corless Barfield Trial Group is a law firm serving the Carrollwood and Westchase communities. If you are wondering if you have a personal injury case, the best thing to do is get a professional opinion from Corless Barfield as soon as possible. There are time limits on filing a case and delaying could jeopardize your right to compensation.

Our attorneys have extensive experience representing seriously injured people and their families in motor vehicle accidents, slip and falls, motorcycle accidents, premises liability accidents, and other catastrophic event cases. We provide the highest quality of service to our clients. Our lawyers handle accident and personal injury claims including:

• Car Accidents
• Pedestrian Accidents
• Truck Accidents
• Commercial Vehicle Accidents
• Motorcycle Accidents
• Bicycle Accidents
• Slip, Trip, and Falls
• Premises Liability
• Wrongful Death

Our group of top-rated, experienced, and knowledgeable personal injury attorneys have substantial resources to develop and present comprehensive and convincing evidence in court.

Corless Barfield Trial Group maintains strong relationships with internationally known experts in the fields of medicine, engineering, accident reconstruction, law enforcement, technology specialists, and economists to provide evidentiary support for our client’s claims.

We spare no resource in the investigation and preparation of each case for trial. We incorporate cutting-edge courtroom technology into our litigation strategy to help support expert testimony and assist jurors in fully understanding the various and complex aspects of a case.

All personal injury cases are carefully developed so that our courtroom presentations are powerful and successful. We aim to out-prepare and out-perform opposing counsels, insurance companies, and other third party entities so that our client’s message resonates with judges and jurors. We have the resources necessary to go up against the largest adversaries.

Our personal injury lawyers know the lengths insurance companies will go to limit the amount of money they have to pay to injury victims and we’re ready to fight for your rights. Our talented litigators understand how insurance companies operate and are prepared to stand up to them at trial. Contact us today at 813-258-4998 to schedule your free case evaluation with a personal injury trial attorney. We are your community law firm.

HB 107 makes driving while texting a primary offense, meaning law enforcement can stop motorists for just that offense.  (There will be a six-month grace period where only citations will be issued.) Prior to the new law, texting while driving was a secondary offense that officers could only cite drivers for after pulling them over for a different violation. In the past, law enforcement needed to see a driver weave, speed, or engage in any other traffic violation.  

Also, the law bans the use of handheld wireless devices in school and construction zones. The ban doesn’t apply to drivers using a navigation device or texting while not moving.

A first offense is punishable by a $30 fine, with a second costing $60 and 3 points added to your license. Court costs and fees also would apply.

Were you injured in an accident caused by a distracted driver?  If you or a loved one has sustained a serious or catastrophic injury caused by a driver who was texting or otherwise distracted, you should contact a personal injury attorney that specializes in texting and driving car accidents as soon as possible. 

At Corless Barfield Trial Group, our personal injury lawyers have helped countless clients who were injured in texting while driving accidents. We can provide the legal counsel and effective advocacy you need to successfully pursue a claim against a negligent driver. Contact us at 813-258-4998 for a free consultation. 

The seriousness of texting while driving cannot be understated:  Studies have shown that texting while driving poses a comparable or greater car accident risk than drunk driving. Watch Corless Barfield Trial Group’s John Mulvihill discuss these important studies.

If you believe distracted driving was a factor in your injury-causing motor vehicle accident, it is crucial to contact an attorney who will seek maximum compensation for you. Corless Barfield Trial Group helps victims of car accidents caused by distracted drivers. We aid accident victims throughout the Tampa Bay area. For an experienced texting while driving attorney, call us now at 813-258-4998. 

The proposal would eliminate the $10,000 no-fault coverage in 2018 while mandating motorists get at least $25,000 in coverage for bodily injury or death and $50,000 for bodily injury or death of two or more people.

Florida drivers are only required to carry personal injury protection of at least $10,000 to pay for medical benefits after an accident.  But the people pushing for House Bill 1063, i.e., the insurance industry, suggest $10,000 isn’t enough when health care costs are rising.

Abandoning no-fault for bodily injury, which provides coverage if motorists cause accidents that hurt someone else, would put more questions of medical coverage into the courts, as injured parties would seek to recoup expenses from at-fault drivers.

More than 90 percent of motorists have PIP and some form of bodily-injury coverage, which is why most motorists would be projected to see a savings from eliminating no-fault with HB 1063. However, the change could negatively impact health care premiums.

Since 2015, rates have gone up 25.7 percent. Meanwhile, all liability coverage has gone up 23.4 percent the past two years. The increases are due to rises in medical care, costs of vehicle body work, people driving more, and an increase in distracted drivers. How much you save depends on whom you are, how much you drive, and how many cars you insure.

Lawmakers supporting the bill predict the average driver will save about $81 a year for each vehicle they insure, but critics forecast costs will ultimately increase later. The costs would rise higher in Tampa Bay. In Hillsborough County, getting car insurance would cost $308 more on average for those who have the bare minimum now, according to a statewide report commissioned by the state’s Office of Insurance Regulation. In Pinellas, that would become a $385 annual increase. Rates vary depending on a county’s traffic density, percentage of uninsured drivers, and accident rates.

Currently, drivers and passengers get car damages and PIP paid for up to $10,000, no matter who is at fault in an accident. Drivers have to pay an additional cost to insurance companies to pay for bodily injuries, which cover them if they are at fault. The insurance industry is pushing to scrap PIP and instead require all motorists to carry coverage that includes bodily injury if they are at fault.

HB 1063 is now moving through the state legislature, which calls for eliminating Florida’s no-fault insurance plan. Consult a Corless Barfield Trial Group attorney to understand changes to automobile insurance policies and learn about your rights by calling 813-258-4998 if you are involved in a motor vehicle accident.