Personal Injury Law Glossary of Common Terms

Often times you may hear a personal injury attorney or insurance company talk in “terms of the trade” which sounds like some type of abbreviation or legal jargon. It can be confusing and a little frustrating which is why I wanted to create a guide to help you understand not only what those abbreviations are bit what they mean as well. If you ever need a further explanation you welcome to reach out to me personally at (813) 598-4868. As an attorney, one of my primary goals is make sure the public is education on personal injury law so they can make the best decision regarding their case.

Answer

Accident Report

Attorney-Client Privilege 

Bad Faith Claim

Burden of Proof

Bulge

“BI Limits” – Bodily Injury Limits

Used in a sentence: What are the “BI Limits”?

A personal injury attorney will request from the at-fault insurance company at the beginning of the claim what the “BI Limits” or Bodily Injury Limits are so the attorney knows how much the at-fault party has in coverage to pay for medical expenses, lost wages, attorney’s fees and other damages. There is no requirement to have bodily injury coverage in Florida. 

Claims Adjuster

Collision Coverage

Comparative Fault

Complaint

Used in a sentence: My attorney filed the complaint.

Concussion

Consultation

Contingency Fee

“Dec Page” – Declaration Page 

Used in a sentence: My attorney reviewed the at-fault party’s “dec page” and found they had $50,000 /$100,000 in bodily injury limit.

A declaration page shows a summary of what the coverages are. On the at-fault party’s dec page, your attorney will be looking for bodily injury coverage, rental car coverage, and liability coverage. On your dec page, your attorney will be looking to see if there is any um coverage, medpay, collision coverage, pip coverage, and rental car coverage.

Defendant 

Demand Letter/ Demand Package

Deposition

Discovery

Distracted Driver

“Driver Policy”

Duty of Care

“EMC” – Emergency Medical Condition

Exhaustion of Benefits

Expert Witness

Future Medical Expenses

Health Insurance

Herniation

HIPAA Act

“IME” – Independent Medical Evaluation

Information Exchange

Insurance

Interrogatories

Judgment 

Jury

Jury Instructions

Letter of Protection

Mediation

“MedPay” – Medical Payments Coverage

Motion

“MMI” – Maximum Medical Improvement

“MRI”  

Negligence

No-Fault Coverage

Out-of-Pocket Expense

“Owner Policy” 

Plaintiff

Post-Concussion Syndrome

“PD Coverage” – Property Damage Coverage

“PI Attorney” – Personal Injury Attorney

Used in a sentence: I hired a PI Attorney.

A PI Attorney or Personal Injury Attorney is an attorney that primarily handles negligence claims that result in injury. Negligence claims include but are not limited to auto accidents, motorcycle accidents, slip and falls, and wrongful death claims. PI Attorneys typically practice tort law.

“PIP Coverage” – Personal Injury Protection Coverage

“Pre-Suit”

Premise Liability

“PFS” – Proposal For Statement

Property Damage

Quality of Life

Questionable Liability

Rental Car Coverage

Statute of Limitations

Trial

“UM Limits” or “UIM Limits” – Uninsured/Underinsured Injury Limits

Used in a sentence: What are the UM Limits?

A personal injury attorney will also request the “UM Limits” or Uninsured/ Underinsured limits so the attorney knows how much the at-fault party has in coverage to pay for medical expenses, lost wages, attorney’s fees and other damages. This is optional coverage that you can purchase for yourself and your family in the case that someone causes an accident and either does not have enough coverage or does not have any coverage. This is also optional coverage but incredibly important to have in order to protect yourself.