Coverage for Bodily injury

by cxchih » Fri Jul 04, 2008 03:48 am
Posts: 2
Joined: 04 Jul 2008

If you happen to be involved in an accident where you are at fault of hurting the other person then your liability insurance is supposed to pay for the damages. Similarly if you are hurt as a result of somebody else's fault then their bodily liability insurance will come into play.

Your bodily liability injury not just protects the party injured but also his passengers (if any) and the passengers in your car (if any). Besides this it also covers the legal costs of defending yourself in court if the other party decides to sue you after an accident.

Do you need bodily injury liability insurance?

If you drive regularly or even almost regularly, you need bodily injury insurance. Most states require you to have a minimum amount of coverage and there are also some states that don't make this insurance mandatory. However, accidents usually don't come with a warning, so if you are a regular driver do get your liability insurance.

Why would you need bodily injury insurance?

The cost of treating someone in hospital can be high. Treatment can be expensive and if you have to bear it out-of-pocket all at once it can be a real burden. An accident can lead to law suits against you. You surely didn't save money for some law suit that might come up against you. Liability insurance not just pays for the liability you have towards others but also for legal suits to protect you. A third party may sue you even if you are not at fault at an accident and BI coverage protects you in any case.

Related Readings

I had a car accident 2.5 years ago. My car was totalled and I got paid for the car loss by the defendant's insurance company. I have been having low back pain, hip pain and leg pain on my right side since the accident. I was diagnosed with disc protrusion. I have had physical therapy, facet injections, ESIs, accupuncture, taking anti-inflammatory medicines, etc, but nothing had worked so far. My medical bills come to $45,000, my out of pocket payment (deductible) is about $4,500. I didn't have actual wage loss since I am paid salary not hourly. My treatment is still going on.

The defendant/trucking company hired an attorney. I had a deposition two months ago and a deposition with my primary doctor was scheduled in late July. Today, my lawyer told me that the defendant attorney made a bodily injury offer of $50,000 which will leave me about $15,000. My attorney called this offer a decent one. Considering the suffering that I have had and future treatment, plus $4,500 that I have paid out of pocket for the medical bills, I don't feel this is a fair offer.

Should I accept their bodily injury settlement offer? Have anyone come across such a bodily injury claim settlement before?


I appreciate your comments.

Total Comments: 33

Posted: Fri Dec 10, 2010 09:23 am Post Subject: Liability

I live in WI. I was in an accident. I knowingly drove my vehicle that has a freezing gas line. I was in my lane but I did not move to the side of the road. I was going 5 MPH in a 50 hoping to drive to my local store to get something to fix my problem. I told this the police after the accident. I was hit from behind. The guys car was totaled. Now what? Am I negligent in anyway because I knowingly drove a vehicle whose ability was compromised?

Posted: Fri Dec 10, 2010 07:02 pm Post Subject:

Am I negligent in anyway because I knowingly drove a vehicle whose ability was compromised?

Probably. Be driving so slow on a road that allows for a much higher rate of speed you were creating a dangerous situation. Also, it's not like that situation came to be while you were already on the road... you knew of your vehicle's condition and still choice to create that danger.

Are you 100% at fault. No way. But I see the other carrier putting some liability against you. In some states this will reduce the amount you can collect. In some it would bar recovery. It appears in WI if you are 51% at fault in the loss you cannot recover anything from the other party. for your situation, it all depends on the adjuster. Some might say less then 50%... some might say more.

Posted: Sun Dec 12, 2010 08:05 am Post Subject: Liability

Am I negligent in anyway because I kept driving my vehicle when It was not functioning properly on a highway? The vehicle gas line froze "I think." I didn't pullover. I kept driving in the middle of the road (not on the shoulder) in a 55 MPH zone. I was going about 5 MPH. My blinkers were on. Instead of pulling over I figured I could make it the mile or two down the road and then buy what I needed to "fix" my car. I was hit from behind. Should I have pulled over? Am I at all responsible or liable for what happened? I live in WI.

Posted: Sun Dec 12, 2010 08:22 am Post Subject: Liability

Am I negligent in anyway because I kept driving my vehicle when It was not functioning properly on a highway? The vehicle gas line froze "I think." I didn't pullover. I kept driving in the middle of the road (not on the shoulder) in a 55 MPH zone. I was going about 5 MPH. My Hazards were on. Instead of pulling over I figured I could make it the mile or two down the road and then buy what I needed to "fix" my car. I was hit from behind. Should I have pulled over? Am I at all responsible or liable for what happened? I live in WI.

Posted: Sun Dec 12, 2010 09:07 am Post Subject:

Am I at all responsible or liable for what happened?

Did you not read my prior post?

Posted: Tue Dec 14, 2010 06:42 pm Post Subject: Liability

I was in an accident. Today my insurance company called me and asked me for information on the other car I hit. I asked if the other party was making a claim and they said no. They said they like to to call the other party to make sure that all was okay etc. and that they wouldn't make a claim. Is this normal. Shouldn't they wait until the party make a claim and pursues me before they start making phone calls etc.?

Posted: Tue Dec 14, 2010 08:33 pm Post Subject:

Is this normal

Very normal! But I'm confused on who reported the loss... I'm guessing that you did. First, if I had a dime for every insured person who said they were not at fault when they were... I'd retire right now! Second, perhaps the other person still disagrees with who's at fault. If so, they need to be mailed a denial. Third, what if the other person thinks you are at fault and has injuries... better to get this person on the record now so that they can't change their store later on. Basically your insurance company is protecting you by doing this.

Posted: Mon Oct 17, 2011 12:59 am Post Subject: pencil

my son sat on a pencil at school by a bad prank. it went thrrough 4 inches and recieved stitches and couldnt play sports or run for 6 weeks . needless to say he still has a shooting pain. now they want to settle with me... the hospital put a lien on them until 12 thousand doallars is paid. i want my son to get pain and suffering and i do not want to sue they are just young girls . they paid all my out of pocket medical co pays and missed work pay. what amount of settlement should i agree too.

Posted: Mon Oct 17, 2011 05:47 am Post Subject:

First of all, start a new thread to post your query to get advice from experts.

I think it's difficult to decide on how much you can claim for pain and suffering in this case.

In my opinion, you are the best judge as you can feel what your son is actually going through regarding his mental and physical agony.

You may also ask the treating doctor, friends and relatives to help you decide on the amount.

Posted: Wed Mar 13, 2013 06:10 pm Post Subject: Step down in policy limits

is there a step down in liability limits law in Misssissippi for a guest passenger in an automobile accident.

if limits for state of vehicle is lower than state of accident. would the veh state limits prevail or the state of the accident for a guest passenger?

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