You’ve been in a serious car accident along the busy roads of Worcester. The damage to your vehicle is great, but that doesn’t measure up to the pain that goes along with your injuries. Not only is your car totaled, but you’re about to receive numerous medical bills for thousands of dollars. Who pays for that?
• Medical Bills
The state of Massachusetts follows the “no fault” system, which means that, when injury occurs from a car accident, your automobile insurance will pay up to $2,000 of the medical bills. After that $2,000, either your healthcare coverage, or, if you do not have health insurance, your auto insurance through your P.I.P.(Personal Injury Protection) coverage will pay the amount appropriate to the insurance you bought. However, P.I.P. will only cover up to $8,000, which includes the initial $2,000 of medical bills.
• Lost Wages
During your recovery time, you will probably miss a bit of work. If you did not exhaust your P.I.P. coverage for medical bills, you may use it to recover up to 75% of your lost wages, provided that your employer did not pay you during your time of absence.
You also can use it to recover the part of your wages which have not been paid by your employer. A similar exemption is provided for part-time employees.
However, this is not automatic, if your employer has not paid you the wage of over 10 weeks in the period you missed, the maximum time you can claim and recover is 60% of your salary. This is to ensure that there is a level playing field between full-time workers and part-time workers. Similarly, if you only work for less than 13 weeks out of a month (with an exception for public sector employees) or fewer, your employer will be required to pay you for your work-related absences.
• Pain and Suffering
If another party negligently caused your injuries, you may be able to receive compensation in addition to any “no fault” benefits though a bodily injury claim against that party. If the other party is deceased, you can receive compensation through their life insurance policy. However, in Massachusetts, you cannot pursue rear-end accidents motorcycle injury claims or the like, unless one of the following has occurred because of the car accident: medical bills exceeding $2,000; body disfigurement; bone fracture or loss of body part; loss of hearing or sight; or death.
Your medical bills may be exorbitant, and you need attorneys who are knowledgeable and experienced in obtaining the compensation you deserve and need from the insurance companies. If you’ve been seriously injured in an automobile accident in the Worcester, Massachusetts area, please contact us for your free case evaluation and to learn your options.
