Personal Injury Protection Coverage in College Park
Personal injury protection (PIP) in College Park is insurance coverage purchased by the owner of a vehicle. PIP coverage provides payment for medical bills and lost wages in the case of an accident, regardless of who is at fault. The coverage applies to the owner and any relative that is in the same residence as the vehicle owner.
Personal injury protection is often referred to as first party coverage because it is purchased by the owner of the vehicle. It is no fault coverage meaning it does not matter who caused an accident and is contractual with the driver’s insurance company. In the event of an accident PIP covers medical bills and lost wages up to the amount of coverage that was purchased. Generally, it offers a minimum coverage of $2,500, $5,000, and $10,000 increments. In some instances, insurance companies offer higher coverage. Learn more about filing a claim against the at-fault party in your accident and consult with a car accident attorney in College Park today.
Benefit of PIP
In College Park, a person does not have to purchase personal injury protection coverage. While it is required to be offered with every policy, a person can opt out of obtaining that coverage. Personal injury protection coverage is recommended and useful if a person is involved and at-fault in an accident by assisting with medical expenses and lost wages.
If a person is not at fault in an accident, and the at-fault party’s insurance company should pay medical bills and lost wages, there is a period of time before the suit is resolved where those costs will come out of hand. If an individual is injured and cannot work or has medical expenses there could be a gap in pay not covered by another source. Therefore, it is very helpful to have personal injury protection coverage to take care of those expenses in the interim before the case against the at-fault party is resolved.
Personal injury protection helps to pay off medical bills and be reimbursed for lost wages even when there is other coverage, such as health insurance. If the person takes leave from work, they can still obtain the personal injury protection payments. Whether or not a person has another source of recovery for expenses in the interim, personal injury protection is very useful.
Lack of Coverage
In cases where individuals opted out and do not have PIP, they can experience financial hardship. When someone is in an accident, their normal expenses continue and bills have to be paid. When a person is not working due to an injury they must concentrate on their treatment. Throughout this period of decreased income and extensive injury, there can be a serious financial impact on their ability to pay ongoing expenses. It is important to have sufficient coverage for protection in the event of an accident.
It’s also important to purchase enough insurance in the event the other party does not have insurance or has insufficient insurance. Accidents that cause serious injuries typically can only be compensated for sufficiently if there is enough insurance by the at-fault party. Most people do not have a lot of assets or assets that can be easily pursued. In most instances, at fault parties facing a substantial judgment against them, can file bankruptcy.
In addition, an individual should ensure that they do not purchase the minimal amount to save as much money as possible. The person should consider the reason for purchasing PIP, which is to protect their interests and make sure there is sufficient coverage to protect them in the event of a serious accident. A person should consider having higher coverage for liability purposes. They can also obtain uninsured motorist coverage or under-insured motorist coverage.
When a person is in an accident and the at-fault party does not have enough insurance to cover the cost of serious injuries, they can buy a policy based on the coverage they obtained to protect their interests. This is why PIP applies in the circumstances and uninsured motorist coverage and underinsured motorist coverage is important to consider.
Misconceptions
A common misconception about PIP coverage is that it affects a person’s insurance rates. If a person is an accident and they have PIP coverage, they may believe that exercising their rights under the PIP coverage raises their insurance rates, which is not true.
The PIP coverage is there in the event that a person has medical expenses and lost wages after having been in an auto accident. It is first party coverage available by contract to be used if and when someone is involved in an accident. It does not have any impact on their future rates because this is no fault coverage. There is no impact for using PIP because there is no analysis of fault, and there is no effect whether a person is at fault in an accident or not.
PIP coverage is important to have. It helps bridge any gap for payment of medical expenses and lost wages when involved in an accident, and it is not particularly expensive coverage and the benefit far outweighs the cost when someone is involved in an accident.