All vehicular accidents in the state of Florida are governed by the Florida Automobile Reparations Reform Act, commonly known as the No Fault Statute; which underwent its last significant revision effective October 31, 1984. In Florida, regardless of who causes a vehicular accident, so long as the vehicles’ owners and drivers have complied with the financial responsibility provisions of the above referenced Act, an injured party must first use their own PIP or Personal Injury Protection motor vehicle insurance coverage to take care of their bodily injuries and loss of income. The Personal Injury Protection coverage must pay 80% of all reasonable and related healthcare/medical/chiropractic charges incurred, as well as 60% of your gross lost wages. These payments from an individual’s Personal Injury Protection insurance company must be paid even if the injured individual was a passenger in a Fort Lauderdale or Miami-Dade or neighboring communities’ taxicab.
Regardless of whether an individual was an occupant in a taxicab, private vehicle, motorcycle, or bus, fault must still be determined in order to seek compensation for all recoverable damages that are not included within one’s own Personal Injury Protection coverage benefits. An individual is entitled to compensation for non-PIP covered additional medical expenses, loss of wages, future medical expenses and loss of wages, loss of enjoyment of life and pain and suffering. This holds true whether or not the accident was caused by a taxicab or by another vehicle.
Unfortunately, all too often local taxicab companies and their ownership interest attempt to shield their financial exposure regardless of whether their drivers were at fault or not. These companies attempt to force the taxicab driver into acquiring their own liability insurance coverage or create some form of corporate relationship between the two so as to shield or limit the taxicab fleets liability and limit the amount that they will ultimately need to pay regardless of the size of a potential judgment against them.
