Auto Insurance Claims: RE: Insurance claim, medical payments coverage, personal injury protection

Question
Richard,
Three weeks ago I was involved in a collision where a 35 year old woman with no drivers license T boned me after running a red light. The kicker is that she says that I ran the red light. With no witnesses it makes it a he said she said according to the officer at the scene. My insurance is taking care of the total loss. The figures that they gave me seemed reasonable and I do not disagree. My real question is what is a reasonable claim for compensation for my doctor bills, rental car, inconvenience and so on. I have never been in a collission before so I don't want to get taken advantage of. What is a reasonable expectation for monetary claims? Currently my medical bill is $2200 and I have borrowed my uncles truck for the last three weeks. What do you think?

Answer
Hi Ben,

Since it seems that your claim is going through your own insurance company, what you are entitled to is a matter of your policy coverage. When a vehicle is declared a total loss there generally is no compensation for rental or loss of use, however in some situations the insurance company may pay a minimal amount up to the point that they issue you a check. However this would only be done if your have rental reimbursement coverage on your policy. As far as your medical bills, there will only be compensation if you have either Personal Injury Protection or Medical Payments coverage on your policy. You will need to ask your claims adjuster what coverage you have. Since the other driver is disputing liability, his insurance company will likely deny and coverage. You may nned to file a lawsuit and let a judge decide who was at fault and if you win then you would be able to make a claim agains the other insurance company for your injuries.

I hope this helps
Richard Hixenbaugh