If you are involved in an auto accident, your life changes in an instant. Other than having your vehicle damaged or totaled in the crash, you could suffer a serious injury. You may need surgery to repair a badly broken bone or face months of recovering from a traumatic brain injury.
You may not realize right away what your auto insurance will cover for your medical bills and recovery costs. You may not even realize you may have more benefits than you think.
Some areas you need to be aware of about your auto insurance policy include the following:
- Massachusetts requires drivers to have personal injury protection (PIP) as part of their auto insurance. The minimum is $8,000 of coverage. This money can go toward paying your medical bills, lost wages and other healthcare costs.
- You may have coverage to protect you if an uninsured or underinsured driver hit you. Most likely, if you suffered injuries because of an uninsured driver’s negligence, that person doesn’t have the money to pay for your injury costs. You need to check with your insurance provider about if your policy covers costs you incur because of an accident with an uninsured or underinsured driver.
- You could have medical payments coverage, which will help pay the costs for your injuries or of those for passengers in your vehicle. With medical payments coverage, your hospital visit, surgery costs and x-ray bills could be covered.
Anytime you suffer injuries in a car accident, you should seek medical treatment right away. You want documentation of your injury and proof you are following your doctor’s treatment plan. If you don’t seek medical treatment, you may not be able to receive maximum injury compensation from your insurance company.
You also want to inform your insurance provider of your accident and check what your coverage may cover. If your insurance company offers you a settlement for your injury costs, you should consult an experienced personal injury attorney. More than likely, the insurance company’s initial settlement is lower than what you could receive through pursuing a personal injury claim with an attorney’s help.
