A distracted driver sideswipes your vehicle.
When you wake up in the hospital, you discover your leg’s broken. To make matters worse, you also now owe thousands of dollars in medical bills. What will you do?
Today, the average cost of critical care hovers right around $20,000. However, that number can go way up depending on your type of injuries.
Luckily, you don’t have to foot the bill yourself when another driver’s at fault. Instead, you can look into filing a bodily injury claim. What is bodily injury and how does it work?
Read on to find out everything you need to know about bodily injury claims.
What Is Bodily Injury?
What is bodily injury coverage exactly? For this article, we’ll be talking about bodily injury claims that result from a car accident.
Bodily injury coverage is a type of liability insurance built into most auto policies. It’s common for states to have laws requiring drivers to carry some amount of bodily injury coverage.
What Does Bodily Injury Cover?
First, bodily injury insurance will help pay for medical expenses. Medical expenses include the cost of emergency care services you might need at a hospital.
If there are still funds left over, the medical expenses can also help pay for follow-up visits to the doctor. Any associated costs like having to buy a wheelchair would also fall under medical expenses.
Next, bodily injury insurance can help cover lost income or wages. For instance, let’s say a car hit you and your injuries made it impossible for you to return to work right away.
To help compensate you for your lost income, bodily injury liability coverage will be able to help out. Each state has its own laws about the amount of compensation you can receive specifically for lost income.
Next, bodily injury can also help pay for legal fees. If the car accident, and injuries, wind up going to court, the other party may need legal help.
If they wind up needing legal help, their bodily injury insurance will help cover it. Keep in mind however that bodily injury insurance doesn’t pay for your legal fees, just the at-fault party’s.
Finally, If the at-fault driver causes of fatality, bodily injury insurance can help cover funeral costs. Of course, for the insurance to work you’ll have to know how to file a claim.
Third-Party Claim
Do you think you have a bodily injury claim but aren’t sure what to do next? Bodily injury claims are a type of third-party claim.
That means that you’ll be filing the claim against a third party, which in this case is the at-fault driver. To make this happen, you’ll need to contact the at-fault driver’s insurance company to file your claim.
The Right Way to File a Bodily Injury Claim
Making a personal injury claim or bodily injury claim isn’t something you want to do through trial and error. One small mistake at the beginning of the filing process can become a big deal later on.
For instance, if you give incorrect information about your medical bills, it could mean you’re payout for the claim is too low. Luckily, there are specific steps you can take to make sure you’re setting up your claim for success.
Here are the steps to follow when filing a claim for bodily injury liability:
- Save evidence
- Seek medical treatment
- Contact attorney
- Contact at-fault party’s insurance
- Continue medical treatment
- Negotiate settlement
- Reach settlement
Any photographs you have of the accident scene, or your immediate injuries are a type of evidence. It’s a good idea to preserve the evidence just in case you need to file a lawsuit later on.
Seek Medical Treatment
After the car accident, you should seek immediate medical attention for your injuries. We find that it’s always a good idea to go straight to the hospital from the accident scene. This way, you’ll be able to prove that your injuries were a direct result of the accident and not something else.
Next, if you believe you have a substantial bodily injury claim, seek out the help of an experienced personal injury attorney. They’ll be able to walk you through each step of the process to make sure you get fair compensation for your injuries. You can learn more here about how to find the right personal injury attorney for you.
Talking to Insurance Companies
If you hire an attorney, it’ll be their job to contact the at-fault driver’s insurance company to notify them of your claim. If you’re the one calling the insurance company, be sure to stick to the facts.
Let the insurance company know that you’re filing a bodily injury claim, and then give them any information they asked for about the accident. However, be careful to not disclose any information they don’t ask for.
The insurance company doesn’t have your best interest at heart, and their main goal is to pay you as little as possible. By sticking to the facts you’ll be able to avoid accidentally admitting guilt, or some other mistake that could delay your claim.
Continue Treatment and Wait for the Right Offer
Moving on, you’ll need to continue seeking medical treatment for your ongoing injuries. Keep records of every doctor bill, as well as other medical expenses such as prescriptions. If you’re missing work because of your injuries, gather evidence to prove that as well.
Finally, you don’t have to rush to accept the first settlement payout the insurance company offers you. If you feel that the insurance company isn’t offering you enough money to fully compensate your injuries, don’t take the offer. Instead, talk to your attorney and explore the options you have to renegotiate the settlement to get the funds you deserve.
Get The Help You Need
What is bodily injury? It’s a way for you to get the help you need. If you’re hurt in a car accident and it’s someone else’s fault, don’t wait to do something about it.
Start the process of filing your bodily injury claim today. For more ways to have the best life possible, explore the rest of this site.
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