What Injuries Does Your Insurance Cover? 4 Things To Know

Victims of vehicle accidents always have a common question regarding the coverage of an auto insurance policy. Injuries range from minor wounds and abrasions to traumatic brain injuries and spinal cord injuries. Medical treatment and hospitalization may cost so much money, possibly leading to financial hardship, most especially if the injured victim is the sole breadwinner of the family.  

This article will tackle the types of injuries that car insurance covers for your reference. 

1. Car Insurance Coverage Options 

Kansas injury lawyers shared the common injuries sustained in a car accident in their blog post, such as head injuries resulting from contusions and concussions that may lead to traumatic brain injury. Other injuries include back injuries, neck injuries, burn injuries, internal bleeding, blindness, emotional distress, and compartment syndrome or swelling of the fascia (containing blood vessels, muscles, and nerves) in the arms or legs.  

So, what's the best car insurance coverage that covers these injuries? Every state has a set of mandatory and optional insurance coverages, so it's crucial to understand what your state requires. By doing so, you can choose the right auto insurance coverage for your protection. 

Take a look at the following car insurance coverage options you can choose from: 

• Liability Coverage: All drivers must carry minimum liability coverage, including bodily liability and property damage liability. 

• Motorist Coverage: This insurance coverage pays for your medical expenses and vehicle repairs if an uninsured driver hits you. 

• Comprehensive Coverage: This car insurance coverage is usually optional, covering vehicle damage against fire, theft, vandalism, and hail.  

• Collision Coverage: It covers a car accident resulting from collision with an object, like a utility pole.  

• Medical Payments Coverage: It helps pay for costs of X-rays, surgery, hospital visits, and more for both the passengers and driver of the insured vehicle. 

• Personal Injury Protection: This car insurance coverage is available in some states, covering medical expenses after a car accident and other expenses due to sustained injuries, such as lost income or child care expenses. 

2. Auto Insurance Injury Coverage 

Now that you know the different auto insurance options available, it's time to know what injuries your insurance covers. Auto insurance companies don't pay victims per injury. Instead, they settle or provide compensation depending on the amount of coverage stated in the policy based on the injury's nature and extent. For instance, the basic car insurance bodily-injury coverage required by most states is US$100,000 per person and US$300,000 per accident, regardless of the type of injuries the victim sustained. 

3. All Types Of Physical Injuries Are Covered  

The bodily liability insurance covers all injuries resulting from motor-vehicular accidents up to the policy's stated amount. These physical injuries may include: 

• Treatment for minor wounds, cuts, and abrasions  

• Laboratory examinations and scan studies to rule out injuries  

• Surgery to correct fractures and close open wounds  

• Rehabilitation expenses due to physical disability after the accident 

• Treatment for traumatic injuries, spinal cord injuries, internal injuries, and other major medical conditions caused by the accident 

4. Emotional Injuries Can Be Covered 

Insurance companies would likely scrutinize claims containing pain and suffering or emotional injury requests to protect their revenue. In a personal injury lawsuit, emotional injuries or pain and suffering pertain to a portion of compensation, focusing on the plaintiff's (victim) physical pain, emotional distress, and mental anguish resulting from someone's negligence.  

Check the following things you need to know about emotional injuries or pain and suffering as a part of insurance coverage: 

• Emotional Injury Cases: Some examples of pain and suffering injuries include chronic pain and future pain after a vehicle accident, causing severe neck injury.  

• Computation: In general, calculating the amount of compensation for pain and suffering involves multiplying the number of recovery days and per diem. For instance, a US$200 multiplied by 300 days (recovery period) would be US$60,000. Some use multipliers (1.5 to5) to the actual value of physical damage.  

• Insurance Company Payout: However, pain and suffering are difficult to quantify, unlike medical expenses and lost wages. Insurance companies usually include pain and suffering damages under the car insurance policy's bodily injury liability coverage to make payments. However, this coverage has limits. For instance, if a driver only carries US$60,000 bodily liability insurance, the insurance company will only cover up to this total amount for medical expenses, lost income, and pain and suffering altogether. 

Conclusion 

Car insurance policies typically cover bodily liability insurance, which dictates the amount a victim can obtain from the at-fault driver's insurance company. Bodily liability coverage would cover hospitalization and medical treatment of any accident-related injuries, including physical and emotional injuries. However, the maximum amount of compensation would highly depend on the amount specified in the agreed policy.  

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