What if I didn't go to the ER right away?

Two separate consequences.

PIP. Florida's no-fault law requires initial care within 14 days. Beyond that window, PIP medical benefits are lost. That's a hard deadline with no discretionary extension.

The liability claim. A claim against the at-fault driver isn't governed by the 14-day rule. Missing it doesn't end that claim — but it damages it, because the delay becomes the insurer's central argument that the injury came from something else.

What helps if you delayed. A documented reason — you were caring for a child, you had no transportation, you don't have insurance, you were told to wait and see. Consistent symptom reporting once care began. And treatment that continues without unexplained gaps.

What hurts: activity inconsistent with injury during the gap, particularly anything visible on social media, and a first medical visit that came only after speaking with a lawyer.

Go now if you haven't. The gap stops growing the day you're seen.