Auto Accident Coverage
If you have been involved in an auto accident, there may be a lot that you are worried about. You may have damage to your vehicle that need repairs. If it was a serious accident, you may be injured. If you are worried about how you are going to manage this financially, here is some information about auto accident coverage.
After an accident there are basically two areas of damages that we need to be concerned about. The first being damage to your vehicle. If your vehicle is repairable it will be repaired at a reputable shop. The party at fault will normally pay for the repairs and there will be no deductible. If for some reason the other party is not insured or has no property damage coverage—assuming you have collision coverage—your vehicle will be repaired, but you will be required to pay any deductible on the vehicle before it’s released to you.
The other aspect or the other damages in an automobile accident are the injuries and damages that you suffer. Those damage are basically of two basic types. Economic damages, which are unpaid medical bills and unpaid wage losses. Those bills are not paid by your personal injury protection or PIP benefits under your automobile insurance company.
The second types of damages for bodily injury are non-economic damages for pain and suffering, mental anguish, inconvenience, disability or impairment and the loss of the ability to enjoy life’s pleasures. Those damages are subjective in nature in other words it’s up to the jury or the insurance company as to their value. In order to be eligible to recover non-economic damages an individual must have a permanent injury or a significant permanent disfigurement, such as a facial scar. Or they have to have a loved one killed in the accident. In other words, there must be a death to the claimant, serious permanent disfigurement, or permanent injury to that individual before they can collect non-economic damages.
If you have any questions about pip or auto accident coverage for your damages, contact Morgenstern & Herd for a free consultation.
