What Your Insurance Company Will Do For You After a Car Accident
There's a lot of confusion about what your auto insurance company will do for you after you've been injured in a car crash.
The number one question I get is: "My auto insurance is 'taking care' of my accident, so why do I need to do anything else?" The truth is that if you've been injured in an auto accident and the accident was the fault of the other driver, your auto insurance covers only a small part of the total amount of money your are entitled to recover.
At most, your auto insurance will pay for: 1.
Payment to repair or "total" your car, and 2.
A portion of your medical bills under your "med-pay" coverage And hopefully your health insurance will pay your medical bills.
But if your accident and injuries were caused by the fault of the other driver there are additional items that you are entitled to compensation for.
The driver that causes the accident is responsible for all of the losses and harms he/she caused.
And his insurance company will cover your losses up to the limits of the insurance coverage.
Medical Bills The first major loss you have suffered is probably the cost of your medical bills.
It is critical to understand that even if all of your medical bills have already been paid by your insurance, the at-fault driver must still reimburse you for 100% of your medical bills.
After the other driver compensates you for your medical bills, the insurance company that initially paid your bills (probably your auto or health insurance) may be entitled to some reimbursement for the amount they paid.
The process of getting the full amount of your medical bills paid and reimbursing your insurance company can be fairly complicated.
The important thing is to be aware that you are entitled to additional money after a car accident even if your medical bills have already been paid.
Lost Earnings The at-fault driver's insurance company is also responsible for paying you for any time you missed from work.
If you're paid by the hour and you were not paid during the time you were off of work, figuring out this amount is easy.
All you have to do is show the insurance company your hourly rate multiplied by the amount of hours you missed.
What many people don't realize is that even if you're paid a salary and your employer was kind enough to keep paying you while you were out, you're still entitled to get reimbursed from the other driver's insurance company for the full amount of earnings you would have lost during the time you were off of work.
If you think about it, this is perfectly fair.
Why should the at-fault driver benefit from the fact that you have a generous employer? If the other driver has caused you to missed work he must pay to reimburse you for the wages you would have lost.
Out-Of-Pocket Expenses You probably have significant out-of-pocket expenses after your auto accident.
The costs for things like medical co-pays, a rental car, prescription costs, and travel expenses can really add up.
Unfortunately, it's unlikely that your auto insurance company will cover these expenses.
You are, however, entitled to get reimbursed for all of these expenses, and any other-of-pocket expenses, from the at-fault driver.
Make sure to keep all receipts from your out-of-pocket expenses.
Pain and Suffering and Disability If the car accident was fault of the other driver you're entitled to money damages for your pain and suffering and disability.
It's difficult to determine how much money an injured person should be compensated for pain and suffering and disability, so many people just ignore it and loose out on a significant portion of money they are entitled to.
I suggest determining the amount you should recover for pain and suffering and disability by imagining a stranger had the same injuries and experience you went through and asking yourself what you would award to him if you were sitting on his jury.
This is not an easy or simple process, but we provide sacral helpful examples on our website.
Summary It's important to remember that if your car crash was the fault of the other driver, you are not limited to what your insurance company compensates you for.
The majority of your compensation should come from the at-fault driver's insurance company.
The number one question I get is: "My auto insurance is 'taking care' of my accident, so why do I need to do anything else?" The truth is that if you've been injured in an auto accident and the accident was the fault of the other driver, your auto insurance covers only a small part of the total amount of money your are entitled to recover.
At most, your auto insurance will pay for: 1.
Payment to repair or "total" your car, and 2.
A portion of your medical bills under your "med-pay" coverage And hopefully your health insurance will pay your medical bills.
But if your accident and injuries were caused by the fault of the other driver there are additional items that you are entitled to compensation for.
The driver that causes the accident is responsible for all of the losses and harms he/she caused.
And his insurance company will cover your losses up to the limits of the insurance coverage.
Medical Bills The first major loss you have suffered is probably the cost of your medical bills.
It is critical to understand that even if all of your medical bills have already been paid by your insurance, the at-fault driver must still reimburse you for 100% of your medical bills.
After the other driver compensates you for your medical bills, the insurance company that initially paid your bills (probably your auto or health insurance) may be entitled to some reimbursement for the amount they paid.
The process of getting the full amount of your medical bills paid and reimbursing your insurance company can be fairly complicated.
The important thing is to be aware that you are entitled to additional money after a car accident even if your medical bills have already been paid.
Lost Earnings The at-fault driver's insurance company is also responsible for paying you for any time you missed from work.
If you're paid by the hour and you were not paid during the time you were off of work, figuring out this amount is easy.
All you have to do is show the insurance company your hourly rate multiplied by the amount of hours you missed.
What many people don't realize is that even if you're paid a salary and your employer was kind enough to keep paying you while you were out, you're still entitled to get reimbursed from the other driver's insurance company for the full amount of earnings you would have lost during the time you were off of work.
If you think about it, this is perfectly fair.
Why should the at-fault driver benefit from the fact that you have a generous employer? If the other driver has caused you to missed work he must pay to reimburse you for the wages you would have lost.
Out-Of-Pocket Expenses You probably have significant out-of-pocket expenses after your auto accident.
The costs for things like medical co-pays, a rental car, prescription costs, and travel expenses can really add up.
Unfortunately, it's unlikely that your auto insurance company will cover these expenses.
You are, however, entitled to get reimbursed for all of these expenses, and any other-of-pocket expenses, from the at-fault driver.
Make sure to keep all receipts from your out-of-pocket expenses.
Pain and Suffering and Disability If the car accident was fault of the other driver you're entitled to money damages for your pain and suffering and disability.
It's difficult to determine how much money an injured person should be compensated for pain and suffering and disability, so many people just ignore it and loose out on a significant portion of money they are entitled to.
I suggest determining the amount you should recover for pain and suffering and disability by imagining a stranger had the same injuries and experience you went through and asking yourself what you would award to him if you were sitting on his jury.
This is not an easy or simple process, but we provide sacral helpful examples on our website.
Summary It's important to remember that if your car crash was the fault of the other driver, you are not limited to what your insurance company compensates you for.
The majority of your compensation should come from the at-fault driver's insurance company.
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