Yimes Media © Copyright 2011
Privacy Policy | Affiliate Disclaimer
Yimes Media, (A. Scott Williams), is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com
Free Information about making a Maryland personal injury protection claim after a car accident
Visit our other websites for help with property damage claims, choosing a lawyer and diminished value claims.
What Is PIP?
One important point to remember here is that just because you were injured in a car accident, you are not automatically entitled to the full amount of your personal injury protection coverage. You need to submit bills and/or lost wages to be considered for payment. If your bills and wages do not exceed your coverage amount, you will only receive up to the amount of your bills and wages. Additionally, submitted bills will be reviewed for reasonableness. This means the full amount will not automaticall be paid. If you receive a payment that is significantly less than the bill submitted, you should consider speaking with a personal injury attorney.
Next
The Availability of PIP can be confusing. Below is an outline of situations...
Did You Know: good personal injury lawyers offer a free initial consultation. If you have questions about a Maryland car accident, just ask!
Additionally, statistics show that cases handled by a personal injury lawyer settle for an average of 40% more than cases handled without a lawyer.
Benefits for medical bills and lost wages are available even if these bills or wages are paid by another source. This coverage extends only to those individuals who were in the vehicle that the PIP policy covers.
PIP can also extend to pedestrians injured in an accident with car in the State of Maryland.Generally PIP is available to everyone in the vehicle at the time of the car accident regardless of whose fault the accident was. There are exceptions to this statement and they are discussed in the section on availability and limits.
Maryland PIP, for a Maryland resident will apply even if the accident occurs outside the State of Maryland. It is limited to the amount of coverage the policy carries. Generally the minimum is $2,500 per individual. PIP can also be purchased in the amount of $5,000 and $10,000 per individual.
Maryland PIP is the short name for Maryland Personal Injury Protection. It is coverage that the insured purchases with a liability policy in the State of Maryland. PIP is used to pay medical bills and lost wages that accrue to people who are injured in a car accident. PIP can be collected even if you caused the car accident and usually does not require the hiring a personal injury lawyer. Of course, if you are injured as the result of someone else's negligence, you should seriously consider hiring a personal injury lawyer.
Some people do waive PIP coverage because they reason that they have health insurance to pay for their bills. This is not a advisable reason to waive PIP because in addition to paying for your medical bills, PIP pays for lost wages as a result of your injury. Health insurance does not pay lost wages. Additionally PIP coverage pays for passenger medical costs, your health insurance will not pay your passengers medical costs.
Won't the negligent driver pay for my medical bills? Yes, if you are not at fault, but PIP will also pay for your medical bills on top of whatever the at fault party's insurance company pays. This is a classic double recovery and is permitted under Maryland Law. Personal Injury Lawyers have been collecting this recovery for years.
PIP coverage can be denied if claims are not properly and timely filed with your insurance company. It is important to contact your insurance company after an accident has occurred and request that they send to you the PIP forms. In Maryland, you must file the PIP forms within one year of your car accident.
Though Maryland PIP automatically starts as a part of every automobile policy in the State of Maryland, it can be waived by signing a waiver. PIP is a relatively inexpensive component of a policy and therefore any waiver should be carefully considered, and in the opinion of any good personal injury lawyer, never waived.
This means that an individual making a Maryland PIP injury claim may recover up to $2,500 by submitting medical bills and/or a lost wage claim to the PIP carrier. Of course, more may be recovered if the bills and/or wages exceed $2,500 and the policy of PIP insurance has a higher coverage amount. In addition, Maryland PIP only pays 85% of lost wages.