Most Common Questions

Medical Treatment

Can I see doctors for injuries from a car accident if I don't have health insurance?

Yes. In Pennsylvania, your car insurance will pay your medical bills until your PIP Benefits exhaust. Once your PIP Benefits exhaust, some doctors will treat you on a Letter of Protection, meaning their bill will get paid out of your injury case settlement money.

How much money will my car insurance pay for medical treatment for injuries from a car accident?

Your Declarations Page will tell you how much PIP Coverage you have for injuries from an accident.

Do all car insurance policies have the same amount of PIP Coverage?

No. In Pennsylvania, the mandatory minimum amount of PIP Coverage is $5,000. If you want your car insurance to pay more than $5,000 for your medical treatment, you can purchase additional PIP Coverage.

Legal Fees & Costs

How much does it cost to hire an injury lawyer?

$0. Because an injury attorney works on a contingency fee, they don't require you to pay any money up front to hire them.

How does a lawyer get paid from an injury case?

An injury lawyer only gets paid if they get you a settlement for your injury case. The amount they get paid is a percentage of your settlement. The percentage they get can be found in the Contingency Fee Agreement you signed when you hire a lawyer for your injury case.

If a lawyer doesn't get me any money for my injury case, do I have to pay the lawyer for the time or money spent on my case?

No. You only have to pay an injury lawyer if they get you a settlement for your injury case.

Do I have to pay the injury lawyer the money they spent on my case?

You only have to pay back the injury lawyer for money spent on your case if they get you a settlement.

Case Value & Time it Takes to Settle

How much is my injury case worth?

The value of your case depends on multiple factors. Most but not all of the factors that help determine your case value are:

1. How serious your injuries are (does the medical testing show anything and whether any of your injuries are permanent);

2. The kind of treatment you received (e.g., injections or surgery);

3. How long you received medical treatment for;

4. Whether there are any significant gaps in treatment;

5. The amount of time you missed from work;

6. The amount of money you will not be able to make working in the future;

7. How the injuries from your accident affected your life;

8. The amount of unpaid medical bills;

9. The amount of money you will need in the future to treat your injuries from the accident;

10. The amount of insurance coverage available.

How long will my injury case take to settle?

Every injury case is different, but genenerally speaking, an injury case can take anywhere from 1-3 years.

Parts of my Car Insurance Policy

What is PIP Coverage?

PIP Coverage is the amount of money your car insurance will pay for medical treatment for injuries you have from a car accident.

What is Uninsured Motorist Coverage?

Uninsured Motorist Coverage is the maximum amount of money your car insurance will pay for your injury case if you were involved in a hit-and-run accident (the other car fled the scene and you are unable to identify the other vehicle) or the other car in the accident does not have car insurance.

Is Uninsured Motorist Coverage on All Car Insurance Policies?

No. In Pennsylvania, Uninsured Motorist Coverage is optional, so if you want this coverage you have to purchase this as an added feature to your car insurance policy.

What is Underinsured Motorist Coverage?

Underinsured Motorist Coverage is additional money you can get from your own car insurance company when the other driver does not have enough coverage to fully compensate you for all of your injuries from the accident.

Is Underinsured Motorist Coverage on All Car Insurance Policies?

No. In Pennsylvania, Underinsured Motorist Coverage is optional, so if you want this coverage you have to purchase this as an added feature to your car insurance policy.

What is the difference between Limited Tort and Full Tort?

If you have Limited Tort, in order to get money for pain and suffering, you have to show you suffered a serious impairment of a bodily function.

If you have Full Tort, you can automatically get money for pain and suffering in your injury case as long as you suffered injuries from your car accident.

Does Full Coverage help for my injury case?

No.

Things to do During my Injury Case

What things can I do during my injury case that may increase the value of my case?

1. Continue with medical treatment as long as you are still in pain from your accident;
2. Get the medical treatment your doctors recommend to help with your injuries;
3. Keep receipts of any money spent to help with your injuries;
4. Keep receipts of any money spent for help around the house; and
5. Keep a journal of all the problems you are experiencing in your life because of the pain from your injuries

Damage to Your Car

Whose insurance company pays for the damage to my car if the other car caused the car accident?

You can let your insurance company take care of the repairs since your car will usually get repaired faster than waiting for the other car's insurance to take care of the repairs.

If my car insurance pays for the repairs to my vehicle from the car accident, do my insurance rates increase?

Your insurance rates will not increase as long as you didn't cause the accident.

If I paid the deductible for my car to get repaired from the car accident, will I get reimbursed for the deductible?

If the car accident was not your fault, your insurance company will either reimburse you for your deductible or your injury attorney will ask for you to be reimbursed as part of your injury case.