Car accidents can result in serious injuries and substantial financial losses, even seemingly minor collisions can cause injuries such as whiplash or soft tissue damage that require medical treatment.
In New York, if you are injured in a car accident, compensation for your losses may be available through various sources. An experienced car accident attorney can help assess what your losses entail and ensure that you receive maximum reimbursement available to you.
Medical Payments Coverage
Medical payments coverage (also referred to as personal injury protection or no-fault insurance) covers your and your passengers’ medical costs following an accident, regardless of who was at fault. While some states mandate personal injury protection as part of an auto policy’s mandatory coverage requirements, most offer optional medical payments insurance as an add-on.
As well as covering your health insurance deductible and copays, health savings accounts (HSAs) cover out-of-pocket expenses not covered by health insurers such as ambulance fees and specific diagnostic tests like MRIs or CT scans. Should an accident cause surgery or long-term treatments that could cost thousands of dollars.
Car accidents often result in unexpected medical costs. Even if there are no major injuries sustained, it is crucial that a thorough medical assessment be completed immediately to detect any internal or hidden injuries that might not be apparent right away. Failure to receive prompt medical care could result in worsening injuries that require more expensive treatment that ultimately reduce the settlement amount you deserve from personal injury claims.
Therefore, many drivers choose medical payments coverage on their auto policies; it can often be fairly inexpensive and help ensure you don’t settle for less than you deserve. When purchasing both PIP and medical payments coverages separately or simultaneously it would be wise to consult a car accident lawyer in order to establish which bills should be covered by each party involved in an accident claim – either their health insurance provider or auto insurer.
Property Damage Coverage
New York and most other states mandate minimum property damage coverage requirements for drivers, with its purpose being to cover repair costs after an accident. It should be remembered, however, that this differs significantly from bodily injury coverage which covers medical bills, pain and suffering as well as lost wages among others.
If your property damage coverage extends beyond what the at-fault driver’s insurance company is covering, and they cannot fully pay the costs of repairs, it may cover any remaining amounts. Depending on your policy and state laws, filing an additional diminished value claim could also be possible in addition to filing your property damage coverage claim.
For instance, if a car accident caused extensive damage to your vehicle that wasn’t fully repaired afterward, filing a diminished value claim is one way of recovering any difference between its value before and after repair based on Blue Book values or similar assessments.
After being involved in an accident, it’s best to contact your insurance provider as quickly as possible to report all damages. This will ensure your claim is filed in time and that their adjustor works with the other driver’s insurer to secure an equitable settlement for you.
Bodily Injury Coverage
If it is determined that you were responsible for causing an auto accident, liability coverage (also called bodily injury) may cover injuries or losses sustained by other parties involved – including drivers and passengers in other cars as well as pedestrians or unrelated family members in your own car. Furthermore, your liability coverage could cover legal expenses related to lawsuits brought by injured third parties against you.
Most states mandate minimum amounts of bodily injury coverage, often listed on your policy as “per-person limit” and a “per-accident limit,” for example $100,000/$300,000. The first number represents the maximum payout your policy can provide per person injured; while the latter remains constant regardless of how many are hurt in an incident.
Your bodily injury coverage may also help cover other compensatory damages, including lost wages, future earning capacity loss, funeral costs and pain and suffering compensation. In order to file these claims you may need to file with health insurance, auto insurer or another party responsible – depending on their state-mandated minimum limits it could even help cover medical bills that go beyond what a basic policy covers; additional coverage could prove invaluable when facing unexpected bills from treatment facilities or hospitals.
Liability Coverage
Car accident victims can seek compensation for economic losses such as medical bills, lost income and pain and suffering, in addition to non-economic injuries like emotional scarring.
Your losses determine how much compensation from an insurance company after a car crash, so to determine how much compensation might be available it’s essential that you access accurate expense records from a professional like an estimator or mechanic.
Most drivers carry liability coverage that will reimburse them if they’re found responsible for an auto accident, regardless of fault. Depending on your state, this could cover both property damage and bodily injuries sustained by other parties involved. Some states have minimum coverage requirements which you should verify to make sure that you have enough protection in place.
An experienced car accident attorney can help you understand your rights and the fault system in your area, which will enable you to make informed decisions regarding coverage and ensure you don’t put yourself at risk by not carrying enough.
Depending on the state you reside in, you may have the option of filing suit directly against an at-fault driver if their negligence contributed directly to your injuries. Doing this requires more work, which could impact how much of a settlement payment you’ll be eligible to claim from their insurer.