Does Insurance Cover Car Accident Injuries?

05 Oct Does Insurance Cover Car Accident Injuries?

Having been in private practice for over 18 years and having worked with thousands of patients I have found that MOST patients do NOT know what insurance coverage they have after a car accident.   Below I will cover some of the basics of insurance coverage.

PIP- Personal Injury Protection or PIP is the part of your insurance that covers medical bills.  In the state of Utah everyone has a minimum of $3,000 of PIP on their insurance.  You CANNOT opt out of PIP coverage.  If you are in an accident you have at least $3,000 to pay for medical bills.  Another interesting aspect of PIP in the state of Utah, is that regardless who is at-fault your PIP pays your bills up to the limit you have on your coverage.

Bodily Injury- This coverage is what covers the medical bills and any other long term injuries that may be a result of an accident that you caused.  If you happen to cause the accident and the person in the other vehicle was injured this coverage will go to help them get the treatment they need to get back to full health.

UIM- Uninsured/underinsured Motorist.  This coverage is available on your insurance as long as you do NOT opt out of it.  This will help to pay for any medical bills that go above and beyond the PIP or the bodily injury coverage on the at-fault person’s insurance.  Basically if you are rear ended by someone that does NOT have insurance the UIM would kick in after your PIP was used up.  This coverage is essential.  I would recommend that you do NOT opt out of this benefit.  

Lost wages-This coverage is there to help cover any wages that you lose due to not being able to work because of the injury.  This typically only covers a percentage of your pay.  Your insurance agent or insurance rep can help you understand this.

Household Services- If you have been injured in an accident and are unable to do normal household duties you can file this claim.  This will pay you cash for each day that you are unable to do your normal household duties.  All you need to file this claim is a letter from your treating physician.  

These are the different aspects of your car insurance policy that will help pay for anything related to injuries from an automobile accident.  If you have never looked at the exact amounts you have for each of these we suggest you contact your agent and review this ASAP.  It usually only costs a few cents each day to increase the coverage you have. 

Having the correct coverage will ensure you can get any treatment you need and cover you for any long term injuries.  

If you or someone you know was injured in an auto accident call our office.  We can answer any questions they have about the claim or to help them with treatment 801-492-9300