Auto Insurance Claims: Filing an insurance claim., auto injury claim

Question
In September last year i got into a pretty bad wreck. I was the passenger when my friend hit a light pole head on going about 60 mph. I ended up in the hospital for about 4 days and had to undergo surgery on my face because i fractured a bone on both sides above my right eye. I now have a metal plate and a scare on my face. Because i was in college my parents insurance covered most of my medical bill. Can i still go about an insurance claim against my friends insurance (Allstate) cause my bill ended up being about 25,000. How much money could i get in he just had liability??? How do i go about getting enough money to pay for the rest of this bill? I missed work for a month because of the wreck. I live in Colorado. Any suggestions on how to go about making a claim?

Answer
Michael,

I'm an expert in insurance property damage claims, not injury or liability claims.

If your friend won't turn in your claim to his insurer, then you have to sue him and the vehicle owner. If he still fails to turn in the claim after he gets notice of suit, his insurer may not pay any court judgment against him. That may push him to turn in your claim.

That being said, consider the eBook at www.autoaccidentclaims.com on how to handle auto injury claims. You can also resubmit the question and ask for a auto insurance liability expert or an accident attorney, preferably who knows Colorado law.

Start with reading the Allstate auto policy to see how they pay for passengers injuries. If your friend won't let you see his copy, you can download a copy from UClaim.com in the products page.

Look under medical payments coverage for non liability issues. If that amount has been exhausted, look for coverage under the liability section if your friend, the driver, was negligent in hitting the light pole.

If there was negligence by the driver, you should have a claim for your medical bills past, current and future, pain and suffering, disfigurement, lost time from work, etc. Also consider retaining a lawyer, because liability claims are also subject to state laws that are not shown in the policy.

And most important, find out what the STATUTE OF LIMITATIONS is to file a lawsuit, often 1 year from the accident. If you blow that, then the insurer can get out of paying everything, even if they owed it.