If you get into a minor car crash on your way to work, chances are quite good that you will miss at least part of your shift. If you get hurt, you may have to call off for the whole day to seek medical attention.
However, those with major injuries may need to take an extended leave of absence from work while they undergo treatment. In extreme cases, those hurt in a car crash may no longer be able to work anymore. Whether you’ve missed a few weeks of work or you will never work again, you may need to find a way to recover your wages so that your family won’t struggle financially as a result of your car crash.
Provided that someone else was to blame for the collision, you may have multiple options for compensation.
Bodily injury liability coverage
In this scenario, the driver who is at fault for the crash provides insurance coverage to repair your vehicle and pay your medical expenses. Everyone in Pennsylvania has to carry both property damage and bodily injury liability coverage. People have to purchase what the state requires and they have the option of investing in more than that limited coverage.
If the person who caused your crash is one of those people who want to keep their initial costs low rather than carrying enough protection, you could be in a difficult situation. They may have only $15,000 of bodily injury coverage and that may have to apply to both your medical expenses and your lost paychecks.
Personal injury lawsuit
If the person to blame for the crash has a bad insurance policy or doesn’t have insurance at all, you can still hold them financially responsible for the collision. Personal injury lawsuits allow those affected by the negligence of others to pursue compensation in court. A lawsuit is an option when someone has no insurance whatsoever or when their insurance only covers a portion of your lost wages and medical expenses.
Your insurance coverage
Given that some people let their coverage lapse and many others don’t carry policies at all, you may already have decided to protect yourself against those kinds of crashes. Provided that your insurance policy has uninsured/underinsured motorist protection added to it, you can make a claim against your policy if you have major crash costs and the other driver didn’t invest in adequate insurance.
Looking into all of your options can help you minimize the financial consequences you suffer because of a motor vehicle collision. Consider all of your circumstances carefully before forming a plan of action.