Injuries from collisions can change the course of your life and leave you with large medical expenditures and no ability to work. You have to make sure you understand how to report your Pennsylvania car accident so you do not do anything to jeopardize your right to receive monetary benefits and compensation for losses. Truth of the matter is a serious or fatal car accident is among the most traumatic and costly of a person’s life.
How to Report Your Accident
To report a car accident, alert your auto insurer to the fact the accident has happened. Personal injury protection (PIP) coverage is a required purchase in Pennsylvania. PIP pays for car accident medical expenses and partial loss of wages due to collision injuries. PIP pays up to policy limits, regardless of who actually caused a motor vehicle accident to happen. You should always alert your insurer right away after an accident. Tell your insurer details of the collision and your intent to make a PIP claim.
In all serious motor vehicle collisions an experienced Pennsylvania car accident attorney should be contacted.
Insurers have different claims handling processes, but generally will assign an adjuster to assess damages and try to resolve your claim. You can contact your insurer through a toll-free number provided in your policy information and on your insurance card in order to get the claims process started. Keep a record of all correspondence with your insurer. Do not assume your insurer is on your side- the insurer is focused on its profits and you must know what protections your policy has in place and how the law applies to auto insurance claims to make sure you get the money you deserve.
PIP covers you for more minor injuries. Serious life changing injuries can result in hundreds of thousands of dollars in losses and your PIP will not be enough to cover damages. You may have options for filing a personal injury lawsuit or filing a wrongful death lawsuit, depending upon how badly you were hurt and whether you had full tort or limited tort coverage. PA is one of a very few choice no fault states, making it more confusing for drivers and passengers in accidents to know whether their own insurer will pay or whether they have a right to a lawsuit against another driver.
To help determine if your own insurer should cover costs or if you have a right to file a civil lawsuit, it can be invaluable to have your case reviewed by a personal injury attorney. A driver can only be sued in a civil suit if you can prove the driver was negligent or violated a legal obligation and this negligence was the direct cause of a crash. You should speak with an attorney if you believe there is a reasonable chance the other motorist may have been to blame for the crash.
The other motorist should notify his or her own insurer about the accident, but this does not always happen. Be certain to obtain insurance information from the other driver for if it becomes necessary for you to pursue a claim for injury compensation.
Marcus & Mack
