QuestionHi,
My wife was involved in an accident two weeks back. She broke her left wrist as a result and we are looking at a 8-12 cast followed by physiotherapy - roughly a 3 to 4 month rehabilitation period.
the other driver was at fault and his insurance company (which is AAA) accepted liability. I have to file for settlement (whether i do it now or later, i do not know). Here is my problem.
1. We have a very good medical coverage and expect to incur less than 500$ in medical bills for this. We are using our own health insurance to treat her
2. She has great trouble going to work. I want to claim cab fare both ways as part of the settlement. The reason being she used to drive to work earlier and cannot do so due to the injury caused by the accident. She has to change 3 modes of transport and spend more than an hour and a half instead of 50 mins to get to work.
3. Diminished value of my car which had to undergo major repairs.
4. About one week loss of wages.
5. The usual damages like not being able to do any work and other stuff obviously would apply.
My problem is that my out of pocket expenses will still be fairly low - because of the comprehensive medical coverage that we carry. What is the settlement i can expect?
AnswerHi Mrugendra,
Even though the medical bills are being covered by your medical insurance, your settlement will be based on the total amount of medical expenses, the extent and type of injury, lost wages, etc. Once you have reached a settlement your medical insurance company will expect to be reimbursed for what they paid out. This is the standard procedure when a medical insurance policy pays out on an auto accident claim.
You should expect to settle the claim for 3 to 5 times the total cost of the medical bills. Considering the fact that your wife had a broken bone and several months of rehab, it would be in your best interest to consider speaking with a personal injury attorney.
I hope this helps
Richard Hixenbaugh
