Bodily Injury Car Accident Insurance Coverage in Pennsylvania

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Car insurance is a pretty daunting topic. Most people who get in a car or truck accident often have no idea what kind of car insurance they have. It’s nothing to feel embarrassed about. Insurance agents are good at what they do, getting people to buy the most economical car insurance policy, and that often means people buy car insurance policies with different limits and different kinds of coverage.

In an article posted earlier this  month, the importance of underinsured and uninsured coverage for Pennsylvania residents was discussed.  Again, these 2 kinds of coverages are so important. If you don’t have UIM or UM coverage, call your insurance agent now to talk about getting them added to your policy. This article will discuss bodily injury coverage.

What is Bodily Injury Liability Coverage

Many people who get into a car accident don’t understand why the other, negligent driver isn’t on the hook for everything. The reality is that they are, in a sense. Pennsylvania car accident insurance law requires anyone who owns a registered car in this state to carry at least $15,000 of bodily injury liability coverage. This coverage protects a driver from their own negligence, i.e., when they cause a car accident. In exchange for paying a car insurance premium, the car insurance company promises that if you’re negligent in causing a car accident, the car insurance company will pay the person(s) you injured up to the amount of the bodily injury coverage you purchased. Remember, PA law requires a $15,000 minimum. Many people purchase more coverage, such as $50,000, $100,000 or $300,000.

How Bodily Injury Liability Coverage Comes into Play After a Car Accident

If you’re injured in a car accident due to the other driver’s negligence, you could make a claim against that driver’s insurance company up to the amount of bodily injury liability coverage on their policy. If your injuries exceed that amount (i.e., if the other driver only had a $15,000 minimum policy and you have serious injuries), you may be able to make a UIM claim on your own policy. Read more about UIM and UM coverage in Pennsylvania.

The nature of the UIM claim is a contract claim. Your car insurance company promises that in exchange for you paying the policy premium, it promises to pay you for injuries you sustained in a car accident caused by someone who didn’t buy enough bodily insurance coverage or who didn’t have any coverage at all.

In my view,  UIM and UM coverage are an absolute necessity. This kind of coverage protects you from other drivers who are financially irresponsible. Bodily injury protects you from your own negligence.

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Our injury and accident lawyers work hard to get you fair compensation for injuries suffered in a car or truck accident. For more information, contact our Pennsylvania car and truck accident lawyers. Call for your free consultation. Click To Call

Our attorneys serve car and truck accident victims in the following areas: Allegheny County, PA; Berks County, PA; Bucks County, PA; Chester County, PA; Delaware County, PA; Lehigh County, PA; Montgomery County, PA; Northampton County, PA: Philadelphia County, PA; Atlantic County, NJ; Burlington County, NJ; Camden County, NJ; Cumberland County, NJ; Gloucester County, NJ; Salem County, NJ; New Castle County, DE; Kent County, DE; Atlantic City, NJ; Philadelphia, PA; Pittsburgh, PA; Newark, NJ; Doylestown, PA; Media, PA; West Chester, PA; Norristown, PA; Camden, NJ; Wilmington, DE; Newark, DE; Georgetown, DE; and New Castle, DE. Our lawyers can obtain special admission in other states such as New York, on a case by case basis.

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