Legal

Why It Is Important For A Motorcyclist To Have A Personal Injury Protection

By Mashum Mollah

9 Mins Read

Published on: 23 November 2022

Last Updated on: 11 November 2024

Personal Injury Protection

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Although motorcycles are thrilling to ride, they are dangerous by nature.

However, it would be great to choose the right insurance due to the high-security risk while riding a motorcycle.

Insurance won’t prevent accidents from happening, but if they do, it can help reduce their financial and emotional impact.

Personal Injury Protection (PIP) is a type of insurance that can help with some financial losses from an accident, such as paying your medical bills if you’re injured and supporting you and your family financially.

What is Personal Injury Protection (PIP)?

Personal injury protection covers medical expenses in a car collision, known as PIP, regardless of who is at fault. Personal injury protection usually offers no-fault insurance for drivers.

PIP payments pay for things like medical bills, lost earnings, essential services, and funeral expenses related to an automobile-related injury or death. The named insured (you) and household members who live with you are eligible for PIP benefits.

Most of the time, PIP applies to all types of drivers, but it is especially useful for motorcycle drivers because they can often get into accidents, even if they are not at fault.

However, getting these benefits might not be the easiest thing as each state in the USA has different regulations regarding the legality of PIP.

If you are based in Hollywood, FL, and find yourself in an accident, you must immediately contact a motorcycle accident lawyer in Hollywood, FL, for concerns about PIP insurance or other elements of your motorcycle accident. The same goes for all locations. Always hire a local lawyer.

What is Personal Injury Protection (PIP)

Relevant Information on PIP Coverage

Regardless of who caused the collision, personal injury protection will pay your medical bills and lost income if you are hurt.

Most jurisdictions mandate PIP insurance for drivers, but the minimum necessary coverage varies from state to state. So when an uninsured motorist strikes you, personal injury protection may pay your medical bills and other losses in some situations.

After an accident, your PIP benefits may assist your recovery, but it’s crucial to know what is and isn’t covered. Remember the following points.

  • PIP coverage usually covers your medical expenses, lost wages, and additional related expenses up to policy limits.
  • Your health insurance frequently includes PIP coverage as a supplement; thus, it will pay your medical expenses first if you have health insurance.
  • In some circumstances, PIP insurance will pay for burial costs.
  • In some states, filing your PIP claim is a prerequisite to bringing a dues lawsuit.
  • You can’t cover the property damage under PIP coverage.

What Does Personal Injury Protection Cover?

PIP coverage helps to cover a range of costs associated with personal injuries, such as:

  • Medical Benefits: PIP coverage helps pay for your health insurance costs and medical expenses for you and your family members after a motorcycle accident. These expenses may include a range of dental, surgical, medical, ambulance, hospital, prosthetic procedures, and surgical and ambulance services. You can incur your medical expenses within one year after the motorcycle accident. After that, more time is available, but you must expressly request it (and spend extra coverage). In addition, you can extend your PIP medical coverage if you don’t have health insurance.
  • Wage Loss: Your PIP coverage helps if you’re injured in an accident and lose money because you can’t work. If you are self-employed and need to hire temporary workers to complete duties, you may also be eligible for this benefit. You must have a doctor’s order for at least 14 days off work (or to limit the amount of work) to be eligible for these benefits. For up to 52 weeks, the injured person can receive PIP wage reduction benefits.
  • Rehab costs: PIP insurance can offer coverage that protects you from paying out-of-pocket rehabilitation costs if you need physical rehabilitation due to a motorcycle accident.
  • Household services: After a motorcycle accident, you may need help with house cleaning and yard work. In this case, parents may also need help with childcare. Again, PIP can offer benefits that help lower the costs of these services.
  • Funeral Expenses: After a motorcycle accident, our PIP coverage may be able to help with the funeral, burial, or cremation expenses. PIP will pay up to $5,000 of reasonable and necessary funeral expenses incurred within one year of the date of injury.
  • Additional Expenses: PIP covers medical appointments and home services like kid parenting, house cleanliness, and adaptations to the home for those who have trouble walking.

A crucial component of any motorcycle insurance policy is PIP coverage. Also, if the accident wasn’t your fault, it can still help you recover from an injury.

What Does not PIP Insurance Cover?

PIP covers reasonable expenses paid for essential services in an indemnified occupation that is not connected to or resides in the injured person’s home.

  • Property Loss: You cannot apply for PIP coverage for your motorcycle or other types of property damage. You need to get collision coverage if you want help covering the costs of car repairs.
  • Physical and Emotional distress: You cannot apply for PIP coverage for your emotional distress and pain. These are damages to pay you for the pain and suffering you suffered due to the injury.
  • Punitive damages: You cannot apply for PIP coverage for punitive damages because these damages indicate the punishment of the person responsible for the accident.

If your hospital bills surpass a certain amount, you may need to file a personal injury lawsuit against the party responsible for the accident to recover those damages.

PIP insurance allows you to pay for lost income, medical fees, and other expenses if you are injured in an accident. However, to take full advantage of your car insurance coverage, you must first understand what personal injury coverage does and does not cover.

Procedure to File a PIP Claim

If you have been involved or have PIP coverage in a motorcycle accident, you should submit a claim to your insurance provider. You should send the following details to your insurance or indemnity firm.

Procedure to File a PIP Claim
  • Your contact details, address, and name: The insurance provider will need to contact you to learn more about the collision, and your injuries.
  • The time and date when the accident occurred: If you are not at fault, the insurance company will require you to learn more about when the accident occurred to assess your coverage.
  • The Exact location when the accident occurred: Since many PIP policies have geographical limitations, the insurance company will need to know the precise location of the accident when it happened.
  • The contact details and name of the witness: Witnesses can help the insurance company identify the actual cause of the accident and who is responsible for that incident.
  • The contact details and name of the other driver: You should contact the insurance provider for the other motorist.
  • Acquire a police report: A police report can be helpful to the insurance company in identifying the cause of the accident.
  • Acquire Medical Expenses records: You should note each of your medical bills and submit them to your insurance provider. Additionally, it would be the best impact if you account for any lost wages because your insurance provider may be able to reimburse you for them.
  • Evidence of lost Income: They will need to see your lost wage documentation to discover how much you can obtain from the insurance company.

Additionally, you will need to pay a health insurance deductible, the amount you must submit before your insurance provider covers your medical expenses.

The typical health insurance deductible is $500 or $1,000, although it can be higher in other areas.

Your insurance provider will evaluate your claim and decide whether to cover your medical expenses. If you are insured for health care, they may choose to cover only a percentage of your motorcycle accident-related medical expenses. However, they may decide to cover your medical costs if you are not guaranteed health care.

The Importance of Having Personal Injury Protection Insurance

Like some people, you probably won’t consider personal injury protection (PIP) insurance unless you require it. However, one of the critical forms of insurance you can have is PIP coverage.

Your choice of insurance products says a lot about you. It shows responsibility and self-care that you take care of yourself and your loved ones when you have PIP coverage.

The following three arguments support obtaining PIP coverage:

PIP Coverage Helps To Cover Your Medical Costs

PIP also covers passengers in the insured motorcycle. In addition, PIP coverage pays for medical bills, such as clinic costs, medical stores, doctor visits, and pharmaceutical medications when you are injured during driving or riding a motorcycle.

PIP coverage can help cover lost wages and essential services if your injuries prevent you from working.

PIP Coverage Helps To Cover Your Funeral Costs

Personal injury insurance can help cover your funeral expenses if you die in a motorcycle accident.

Although PIP coverage is essential, not all states mandate it. If you plan to buy more PIP coverage than you can afford, ask your insurance provider if it’s legal in your state.

PIP Coverage Helps To Cover Your Funeral Costs

How Does PIP Insurance Work?

If you get injured in a car accident, your no-fault insurance will help cover your medical and surgical treatment costs, lost earnings, and other expenses. The amount of compensation you receive will depend on your level of coverage.

PIP insurance covers your family members even if they are not on your motorcycle at the time of the accident. Therefore, even if they do not have their insurance policy, your family members may be eligible to receive compensation if you have PIP coverage.

PIP Insurance: A Priceless Resource

If you do not have PIP insurance and are in an accident, you may be responsible for the costs of your medical care. Given that this may be an expensive endeavor, it is essential to have adequate coverage.

PIP insurance is a helpful asset if you are in a motorcycle accident. It can help cover your medical expenses, lost income, and other expenses related to the accident. If your state has PIP regulations, you should have adequate coverage.

How Much PIP Insurance Do You Require?

Each state has different requirements for PIP insurance coverage. However, the minimum coverage requirement is often $5,000. To find out the exact rules in your state, be sure to check with the insurance department in your state.

If you are in an accident and do not have PIP insurance, you may be responsible for the costs of your medical care. Therefore, it is critical to ensure you have enough coverage because this can be a costly affair.

What are The Differences Between Motorcycle and Vehicle Accident Insurance Coverage

In addition to the fact that injuries sustained in motorcycle accidents are generally significantly more severe than injuries sustained in automobile accidents, the insurance requirements for driving each type of vehicle can vary based on the state where you live.

For example, all licensed drivers must carry personal injury coverage in Florida because it is no-fault. Regardless of who caused the accident, personal injury protection ensures that the insurance provider will cover your medical expenses and property damage. Unfortunately, Florida’s no-fault legislation does not apply to riders of motorcycles.

Therefore, if a motorcyclist does not have excess insurance, their insurance provider may not pay a large enough amount to cover all of the rider’s damages. Therefore, it is much more important for people injured in a motorcycle collision to be able to show that the other driver was negligent.

You should retain a personal injury attorney who focuses on motorcycle accidents because vehicle accidents and cases involving motorcycles are significantly different in various ways.

A motorcycle accident attorney will be familiar with the motorcycle laws and ordinances of the area and how a motorcycle injury case can handle. This critical information can differentiate between the success or failure of your injury lawsuit.

Conclusion

Motorcyclists who are involved in accidents can suffer quite serious injuries. Unfortunately, many riders need more insurance after sustaining severe injuries in an accident.

By being aware of the importance of this insurance and taking the necessary steps to obtain the required coverage, motorcyclists can prevent some of the tragic consequences of motorcycle accidents.

Motorcyclists should be well aware of these PIP benefits and take reasonable precautions to preserve their ability to reap these PIP benefits.

Additional:

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Mashum Mollah

Mashum Mollah is a tech entrepreneur by profession and passionate blogger by heart. He is on a mission to help small businesses grow online. He shares his journey, insights and experiences in this blog. If you are an entrepreneur, digital marketing professional, or simply an info-holic, then this blog is for you. Follow him on Instagram, Twitter & LinkedIn

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