by Tim O’Hare
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Texas law requires drivers to carry minimum liability insurance. The minimum amount required is $30,000 for each injured person, up to a total of $60,000 per accident, and $25,000 for property damage per accident. This is commonly known as a 30/60/25 policy.
In the unfortunate event that you are involved in a car accident and you are at fault, liability insurance will pay to repair or replace the other driver’s car and pay other people’s medical expenses. Liability insurance does not pay to repair or replace your car or cover your own medical expenses.
There are additional types of coverage you can purchase to cover the cost of repairs or replacement for your own vehicle, as well as your own medical expenses due to injury. Personal Injury Protection (PIP) is a coverage that pays for your medical expenses (including deductibles and/or co-pays) regardless of who was at fault in the accident. This coverage is not required, but may be purchased. Usually, PIP is a very inexpensive premium. It usually comes in increments of $2,500.00, up to $10,000.00. At The Law Offices of Tim O’Hare, we wholeheartedly recommend you purchase as much PIP as you can afford. There are a number of reasons for this: 1) PIP is inexpensive security, 2) there are millions of uninsured drivers in the state of Texas, 3) you are likely to be in an accident at some point in your life and medical services are increasingly more and more costly, 4) PIP will help you whether you are at fault or not and 5) PIP also covers lost wages.
There is also a coverage on auto policies known as Medical Payments coverage (Med-Pay). We don’t recommend this type of coverage. It differs from PIP in that it doesn’t cover lost wages and must be paid back to your insurance company in the event you settle with the other party’s insurance company, and the savings in premium compared to PIP is very minor.
Unfortunately, even if you have Personal Injury Coverage, auto insurance companies will not always cover medical expenses under these insurance plans. It isn’t uncommon for an insurance company to deny a claim or part of a claim. A common reason a claim gets denied is the insurance company determines the doctor or hospital bills are unreasonably high, in which case, the insurance company might only pay a portion of it. You would be responsible to cover the rest.
This is why we recommend that you don’t attempt to deal with the insurance company yourself, but rather hire an experienced personal injury lawyer to protect your interests.
Car accidents can cause health issues, emotional trauma and a lot of medical expenses. When you are injured in a car, truck, motorcycle or other traffic accident, you may be entitled to money for doctor and hospital bills, medications, therapy and other medical expenses caused by your accident. You may also be able to receive money for pain, emotional suffering, lost wages, benefits and future earnings, scarring and the deterioration of your quality of life.
The insurance company does not have your best interests at heart, but we do. Insurance companies will take advantage of you. We have a proven record of recovering money for our clients’ medical expenses, lost wages and pain and suffering. We can help, so give us a call, and we will discuss the best way to protect you and help you recover money for what you are dealing with through no fault of your own. We can even refer you to the right doctor to help you recover from your injuries.
If you or a family member has suffered a serious injury as the result of a car wreck or work accident, or if you need someone to handle your will, trust, probate matters, bankruptcy, child custody or child support issues, business formations or another legal matter, contact The Law Offices of Tim O’Hare for a free consultation with one of our attorneys.
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