Bodily injury liability coverage is typically a part of your auto insurance. This particular type of coverage pays for the bodily injuries sustained by other drivers or passengers in a crash caused by you. The coverage covers medical bills as well as lost wages which are directly caused by the accident.
As this type of coverage is liability insurance, it only applies to the injuries sustained by other parties. This means that if you or any occupants of your vehicle sustain injuries in the accident, the bodily injury liability does not apply to them.
What is Covered Under Bodily Injury Liability?
Bodily injury liability typically covers medical costs and lost wages as noted above. However, other additional damages may be recovered under this coverage. Here is the full range of losses that are covered under bodily injury liability:
- Medical Costs: Medical costs covered under bodily injury liability include the immediate costs of treatment as well as long-term costs of recovery. So if another driver injures you in a crash, you can seek damages under this coverage. These damages will cover the physician’s fees, prescription medicine costs, costs of any medical tests or surgical procedures that are needed, therapy costs as well as the expenses of long-term rehabilitation.
- Lost Wages: Being injured in an accident may force you to take time off from your job. This can result in lost wages. The good news is that you can recoup these lost wages through the bodily injury liability coverage of the at-fault driver.
- Legal Fees: If you cause a crash and fail to come to a settlement with the injured party, the latter may take its claim to a court of law. You will then be forced to seek legal counsel which can incur legal fees. Bodily injury liability may cover for a portion, or the whole, of the legal fees.
- Pain and Suffering: Not all losses suffered in a car accident are tangible. In any car crash, you may suffer physical injuries as well as mental trauma. Both of these can result in pain and suffering which may be short-lived or long-term. Georgia state laws allow you to recover compensation for pain and suffering. And you can do so through the bodily injury liability coverage of the at-fault driver.
Georgia’s Bodily Injury Liability Requirements
Georgia auto insurance laws require you to carry a minimum amount of bodily injury liability coverage. One of the main reasons for this necessity is that Georgia is a ‘fault’ state. This means that if one driver causes a crash resulting in injuries or damages to another driver, the at-fault driver must cover the losses of the other party. In other words, if you caused the crash, you must pay the damages for the others who are hurt in the crash. To ensure that this is possible, you must carry bodily injury liability.
The minimum amount of coverage you must carry on your auto insurance is $25,000 per person and $50,000 per accident.
Filing a Bodily Injury Liability Claim
If you have suffered injuries in a crash and believe the other driver is at fault, you file a bodily injury liability claim. This claim is to be filed with the insurance company of the at-fault driver. Ideally, the driver who was at fault should contact their insurer and let them know about the crash. In many cases, the insurer will reach out to you and discuss the details of the crash. Even when you contact the insurer about your losses, they are expecting your call.
However, it is best never to talk to an insurer before you have consulted a good attorney. The other driver’s insurer will likely try to underpay you or raise unfair objections to your claim. With a good lawyer by your side, you can make sure that you get the full amount of damages that you are entitled to.
Hiring a Reliable Atlanta Car Accident Lawyer
If you have suffered a car accident in Atlanta, GA, it is important to hire a reliable lawyer at the earliest. When the crash is another driver’s fault, you will likely have to face and negotiate with the other driver’s insurance company. And the insurer will do its best to pay you as little as possible. With a lawyer by your side, you will be in a position to negotiate for the best deal. Here at Ted Greve & Associates, we specialize in helping car crash victims recover the compensation they deserve. Get in touch today to discuss your claim with our experienced lawyers.
