Not the same as liability insurance, which pays for someone else's injuries if you cause a crash. Personal injury protection - usually called PIP - is coverage under your own auto policy that helps pay your medical bills and sometimes lost wages after a car accident, no matter who was at fault. In many states, it is part of a no-fault insurance system, meaning you first turn to your own insurer for basic injury-related costs instead of immediately pursuing the other driver.

That matters because treatment starts fast and bills follow close behind, especially after a serious wreck where ambulance care, imaging, and follow-up visits pile up before fault is sorted out. PIP can also cover things like replacement services if injuries keep you from handling daily tasks. It usually does not pay for vehicle damage, and it may not cover pain and suffering. Those claims may require a separate personal injury claim against the at-fault driver, depending on state law.

How PIP affects a case depends heavily on where the crash happened. Florida's Motor Vehicle No-Fault Law, Fla. Stat. § 627.736 (2023), requires most drivers to carry $10,000 in PIP, generally paying 80% of medical expenses and 60% of lost wages, with treatment required within 14 days. In no-fault states, PIP rules can limit when an injured person can file a lawsuit for noneconomic damages.