consult
X

Request a Free Consultation

Please fill out the form below and we will be in touch soon.

  • MM slash DD slash YYYY

Blog Home

What Is Florida’s Personal Injury Threshold?
Posted By:

What Is Florida's Personal Injury Threshold

If you’re involved in a personal injury lawsuit in Florida, then you’re likely to hear a lot of language being thrown around that you may not completely understand. One of those terms is something called the “serious injury threshold.”

 

The serious injury threshold is an important part of any Florida personal injury lawsuit. This is the element that determines your rights in regards to the compensation you seek as a person who has suffered injuries.

 

However, Florida is a no-fault insurance state, which adds another layer of confusion to this already complex topic. Here’s what you need to know about the serious injury threshold in Florida and how it relates to your personal injury case.

 

Serious Injury: What Is It?

 

The no-fault laws that govern car insurance in Florida may mean that there is only a certain amount of compensation that victims can receive for their injuries. If parties who are at fault for an accident need to be held accountable, then the serious injury threshold enters the picture.

 

Under the serious injury threshold, the term “serious injury” is defined. The law defines an injury as serious if it has a significant impact on the life of the victim. These injuries can plague a person for months and even years.

 

A non-serious injury, by comparison, is an injury that will heal quickly and without a great deal of suffering, pain, or medical intervention.

 

Under the law of the state of Florida, serious injury is defined by the serious injury threshold as:

 

  • Permanent and substantial loss of a function of the body
  • Injuries that are medically certain to be permanent
  • Disfigurement or scarring that is permanent and significant
  • Death

Serious injuries are considered health maladies such as traumatic brain injury, broken bones, injuries to internal organs, injuries to the spinal cord, and burns.

 

An injury must rise to meet this definition if it is to be considered severe enough to meet the serious injury threshold. If this bar is met, different rights for the victim come into play compared to those who suffer non-serious injuries.

 

 

Serious Injury Threshold: How Does It Work?

 

When accidents happen, the law seeks to provide the parameters under which someone can bring a lawsuit to seek compensation that is outside of Florida’s no-fault insurance system. Serious injuries related to a car accident give the victim the right to bring a personal injury lawsuit to help cover medical bills, repairs to their property, mental anguish, disabilities, legal fees, pain, suffering, and inconvenience from an injury that has altered the course of their lives forever.

 

The lawsuit is filed against the person who is at fault for the injuries. However, any injuries that don’t meet the serious injury threshold in the state cannot qualify to file this type of lawsuit. The victim must only file benefits through their own insurance provider and the personal injury protection they are required to carry in Florida.

 

How Serious Injury Threshold Works With Florida Insurance

 

As a no-fault state, Florida requires drivers to carry insurance to cover their own injuries if involved in an accident. However, the serious injury threshold allows those who meet it to seek compensation for serious injuries after an accident.

 

If the serious injury threshold is not met, then the victim does not have to prove fault in order to get the at-fault driver’s insurance to pay for any of their injuries or other damages. They simply file an insurance claim with their insurance company. The claim will pull from their bodily injury liability insurance, personal injury protection insurance, property damage liability insurance, and bodily injury liability insurance, which they are required to have when operating a motor vehicle in the state.

 

This required insurance should cover damages for injuries that don’t meet the serious injury threshold. But, if they qualify through the serious injury threshold, they may get better compensation for their damages – damages that are presumably much more significant.

 

How Serious Injury Threshold Works With Florida Insurance

 

How to Meet Serious Injury Threshold

 

As you can see, meeting the serious injury threshold can be helpful in seeking compensation beyond your own insurance, but you still need proof that you meet it. The burden of proof is on the victim to show that their injuries are serious, so they must show evidence to establish it.

 

Evidence varies from case to case, but, in most cases, you can prove that you suffered serious injuries through this type of evidence:

 

  • Medical records
  • Test results
  • Treatment plan
  • X-rays
  • Physician statements
  • Expert testimony
  • Videos and photos

Proving a serious injury can take time, but it is worth the effort to get the compensation you deserve for your injuries.

 

About the Author:

Andrew Winston is a partner at the personal injury law firm of Winston Law. For over 20 years, he has successfully represented countless people in all kinds of personal injury cases, with a particular focus on child injury, legal malpractice, and premises liability. He has been recognized for excellence in the representation of injured clients by admission to the Million Dollar Advocates Forum, and named one of America’s Top 100 High-Stakes Litigators. Mr. Winston is AV Preeminent Rated by the Martindale-Hubbell Law Directory, enjoys a 10.0 rating by AVVO as a Top Personal Injury Attorney, has been selected as a Florida “SuperLawyer” from 2011-2021 – an honor reserved for the top 5% of lawyers in the state – was voted to Florida Trend’s ”Legal Elite,” recognized by Expertise as one of the 20 Best Fort Lauderdale personal injury attorneys, named one of the Top 100 Lawyers in the Miami area for 2015-2021, and one of the Top 100 Lawyers in Florida for 2015-2017 and 2019-2021.

 

 

Categories
AWARDS & MEMBERSHIPS

AWARDS & MEMBERSHIPS

SUPER LAWYERS 10 YEARS

TOP RATED PERSONAL INJURY LAWYER IN DAVIE FL
2011-2023

Super Lawyers is a rating service of outstanding lawyers from more than 70 practice areas who have attained a high-degree of peer recognition and professional achievement.

AWARDS & MEMBERSHIPS

SUPER LAWYERS FLORIDA TOP 100

FLORIDA TOP 100 LAWYERS
2015-2017, 2019-2023

Super Lawyers magazine features the list and profiles of selected attorneys and is distributed to attorneys in the state or region and the ABA-approved law school libraries.

AWARDS & MEMBERSHIPS

SUPER LAWYERS MIAMI TOP 100

MIAMI TOP 100 LAWYERS
2015-2017, 2019-2023

Super Lawyers magazine features the list and profiles of selected attorneys and is distributed to attorneys in the state or region and the ABA-approved law school libraries.

AWARDS & MEMBERSHIPS

FLORIDA TREND’S

FLORIDA LEGAL ELITE
2011-2023

Now in its 13th year, Florida Legal Elite presents a prestigious roster of attorneys chosen for recognition by their peers.

AWARDS & MEMBERSHIPS

MILLION DOLLAR ADVOCATES FORUM
LIFETIME MEMBER

THE TOP TRIAL LAWYERS IN AMERICA ®

ONE OF THE MOST PRESTIGIOUS GROUPS OF TRIAL LAWYERS IN THE UNITED STATES. MEMBERSHIP IS LIMITED TO ATTORNEYS WHO HAVE WON MILLION AND MULTI-MILLION DOLLAR VERDICTS AND SETTLEMENTS.

AWARDS & MEMBERSHIPS

EXPERTISE BEST CAR ACCIDENT LAWYERS 2023

BEST CAR ACCIDENT LAWYERS IN FORT LAUDERDALE
2016-2023

Our goal is to be a hub where qualified experts can connect with people to share their knowledge, experience, and skills.

AWARDS & MEMBERSHIPS

EXPERTISE BEST PERSONAL INJURY ATTORNEYS IN FORT LAUDERDALE 2023

BEST PERSONAL INJURY ATTORNEYS IN FORT LAUDERDALE
2016-2023

Our goal is to be a hub where qualified experts can connect with people to share their knowledge, experience, and skills.

AWARDS & MEMBERSHIPS

MARTINDALE-HUBBELL AV PREEMINENT

AV PREEMINENT
2016-2023

For more than 130 years, Martindale-Hubbell has been evaluating attorneys for their strong legal ability and high ethical standards through a Peer Review Rating system. Prior to the 1887 edition of Martindale’s American Law Directory, which was the first publication to provide such ratings to attorneys, there was no way of truly knowing if the lawyer you were considering to do business with was trustworthy, ethical, or skilled in the legal field.

AWARDS & MEMBERSHIPS

AMERICAS TOP 100 HIGH STAKES LITIGATORS 2022

2018-2023

Selection to America’s Top 100 High Stakes Litigators® is by invitation only and is comprised of the nation’s most exceptional trial lawyers for high stakes legal matters. For initial consideration, an attorney must have successfully litigated (for either plaintiff or defendant) a matter (1) with at least $2,000,000 in alleged damages at stake or (2) with the fate of a business worth at least $2,000,000 at stake (i.e. bet-the-company litigation valued in excess of $2,000,000).

AWARDS & MEMBERSHIPS

LAWYERS OF DISTINCTION

LAWYERS OF
DISTINCTION

Lawyers of Distinction members have been selected based upon a review and vetting process from our Selection Committee. After a thorough review of credentials, attorneys are nominated by our Selection Committee. Lawyers do not pay for this nomination. These potential candidates who meet the criteria of our screening process have demonstrated a high degree of peer recognition and professional competence

AWARDS & MEMBERSHIPS

AVVO

TOP ATTORNEY PERSONAL INJURY
10.00
SUPERB

Avvo was founded in Seattle, Washington by tech-savvy lawyer Mark Britton to make legal easier and help people find a lawyer.

AWARDS & MEMBERSHIPS

LEAD COUNSEL

LEAD COUNSEL
RATED

Since 1997, the Lead Counsel Rating has been available for free to attorneys who have demonstrated the following three requirements:

Professional Experience
Peer Recommendations
Spotless Record

See More Results