Florida personal injury lawyer, Guy S. DiMartino, DC, JD explains first party and third party insurance claims.
A client called the office the other day very concerned about his case. One of his healthcare providers spoke to an insurance adjuster on the case and the insurance adjuster told the provider that he was the “third party” adjuster and he was not paying the medical bills. My client called up because there werent “three cars” in the accident.
This statement made me think that lawyers and insurance adjusters will throw terms around frequently without making sure that people who dont deal with this stuff every day know what they are talking about.
First Party INSURANCE Claim
The term first party claim applies to claims that you, “the insured”, make against your insurance policy. The following are typical first party claims:
- Personal Injury Protection “PIP” claim
- Medical Payments Claim
- Uninsured Motorist Claim
- Underinsured Motorist Claim
- Collision Claim
- Comprehensive Claim
- Sinkhole Claim
- Homeowners Claim
- Fire Claim
- Life Insurance Claim
- Private Disability Claim
Third Party INSURANCE Claim
A third party claim is a claim that is made against another partys insurance company. An example of third party claims are:
- Bodily injury car accident Claim
- Premises liability Claim
- Auto Property Damage Claim
Why does it matter? Because in theory the insurance adjuster should treat a first party claim different than a third party claim. The insurance company should treat their own insured much better than another party. Does this really happen in practice? No. Also, if you have to bring some first party claims against your insurance company, the insurance company may be responsible for your attorneys fees.
If you have any questions about a Florida insurance claim, you can call me directly on my cell at 352-267-9168 or fill out the internet consultation form on the right.