Short answer: You may still have sources of payment when the at-fault driver has no bodily-injury liability insurance. Depending on the policies and people involved, possible coverage can include PIP, uninsured-motorist coverage, collision coverage, medical-payments coverage, health insurance, and coverage tied to another responsible party.
Do not rely only on what the other driver says
Obtain the crash report or driver-exchange information, report the collision to your insurer, and ask each carrier to confirm its coverage position in writing. A driver may misunderstand the policy, carry insurance under another vehicle or household, or have coverage connected to work or rideshare activity.
Start with every potentially applicable policy
- Your own auto policy;
- A resident relative’s policy;
- The policy on the vehicle you occupied;
- An employer or commercial-vehicle policy;
- A rideshare policy;
- An umbrella policy; and
- The policies of other legally responsible drivers, owners, or businesses.
How uninsured- and underinsured-motorist coverage may help
Florida Statute § 627.727 addresses uninsured- and underinsured-motorist coverage. UM coverage can protect insured people who are legally entitled to recover damages from an uninsured driver. It can also matter when the responsible driver has liability insurance but the available bodily-injury limit is too low for the proven damages.
UM coverage is not automatically present on every Florida policy. When a policy includes bodily-injury liability coverage, the insurer generally must offer UM coverage, but the named insured may reject it or choose lower limits in writing. Review the declarations page and request the signed UM selection or rejection document if coverage is disputed.
Other coverage may address immediate losses
- PIP: An applicable PIP policy may pay covered medical expenses and part of qualifying lost income without first deciding fault.
- Collision coverage: Your collision coverage may pay covered vehicle damage, usually subject to a deductible. The carrier may later pursue the responsible party.
- Medical payments coverage: Optional MedPay may address covered medical expenses under the policy.
- Health insurance: Health coverage may pay eligible bills after deductibles, copays, coordination, and possible reimbursement rules.
- Other responsible parties: Depending on the evidence, a vehicle owner, employer, commercial carrier, bar, product manufacturer, roadway entity, or another driver may share responsibility.
If the driver fled the scene
A hit-and-run adds proof and policy-notice issues. Report it promptly, preserve photographs and video, request nearby surveillance footage, save dashcam files, and keep the incident number. An unidentified vehicle may qualify as uninsured under applicable policy language, but the specific notice and evidence requirements matter. See the firm’s Florida hit-and-run guide for focused next steps.
Practical next steps
- Get the report number and driver-exchange information.
- Notify your insurer and request the complete policy, declarations, endorsements, and UM selection or rejection documents.
- Ask every involved carrier to state its coverage position in writing.
- Preserve proof of medical care, wages, expenses, vehicle damage, and effects on daily activities.
- Do not sign a release without understanding which injury and property claims it resolves.