One of the ways for Ocean City, Maryland drivers to protect themselves in the event of an Ocean City auto accident is to make sure to have enough insurance, including a type of coverage that pays out immediately if there is a car accident.
“PIP” insurance, which stands for “personal injury protection,” is no-fault coverage, which means that you can claim PIP benefits regardless of who caused the auto accident. It’s a little known but important type of auto insurance coverage that covers out-of-pocket losses, such as lost wages and medical bills, from motor vehicle accidents regardless of who caused the crash.
PIP coverage pays out quickly. For the first couple of weeks after the accident, you don’t have to worry about medical bills or lost wages if you have PIP coverage. PIP comes in and takes care of things up to the policy limits until the insurance situation has been resolved.
In addition to lost wages, PIP covers reasonable and necessary expenses for medical treatment and other expenses incurred as a result of the accident for up to three years after the car accident. These expenses can include the cost of ambulance service fees, x-rays, surgical fees, hospital fees, medical bills, professional nursing expenses, prosthetic devices, dental procedures and funeral costs.
PIP covers the policyholder, the policyholder’s family, passengers, the driver and passengers in another vehicle and pedestrians injured in the motor vehicle accident.
Maryland has a minimum coverage requirement. Drivers are required to have a minimum of $2500 PIP coverage on auto policies under Maryland law. Many Maryland drivers carry higher limits. Coverage can be chosen in amounts ranging from $2,500 to $20,000. The amount is listed on your insurance policy.
Don’t take too long to file a claim against your PIP coverage. There is a deadline for claiming PIP benefits. Under Maryland law, insurers can set a one-year “statute of limitations” from the date of the accident for PIP claims to be made. So, if an insured makes a claim for PIP benefits after the 12-month limit, the claim will probably be rejected.
If you’re injured by another driver and have PIP coverage as part of your auto insurance policy, you would typically use up the PIP coverage before taking advantage of other options such as filing a claim under the other driver’s liability insurance policy. However, if you are significantly and permanently injured you can bypass your PIP coverage and file a lawsuit against the other driver. An Ocean City auto accident attorney can provide more details.
It’s important to note that PIP insurance does not cover property damage and the other drivers’ injuries.
If someone injured in a car accident is covered by a health insurance policy, then that person’s health insurance typically picks up medical payments where the PIP coverage ends. So, PIP comes in before health insurance.
The insurance companies can’t raise your rates for claiming PIP benefits. As of 2010, insurers can no longer increase insurance rates or add surcharges to policies because of a PIP claim by drivers who did not negligently cause an auto accident.
Maronick Law, LLC is open during the pandemic and will continue to meet your Glen Burnie, Annapolis, Baltimore, Essex, Ocean City, Towson, White Marsh auto accident needs. If you’ve been in a Baltimore motor vehicle accident, you should talk to a car accident attorney. An Ocean City motor vehicle accident lawyer can make sure that you are fully compensated for the expenses you face while recovering.
If you have access to Zoom, we can meet with you remotely. The consultation is free. You can contact Thomas Maronick on his cellphone at 202.288.0167, the law office at 410.402.5571 or via the website.