Do I have to repay my automobile insurance company if they pay my medical bills from my medical payments coverage and I recover a settlement from the at-fault driver?
Probably. Most automobile insurance policies that have medical payments coverage require that you re-pay them if you make a recovery from the at-fault driver. Under certain circumstances you can force the company to reduce the amount of the re-payment. Your lawyer can help you with this issue.
I was hurt in a car accident. I do not have health insurance. I heard that my auto insurer might pay some of my medical bills under what is known as "medical payments coverage." What is that?
Many car insurance policies have medical payments coverage. This insurance coverage pays your medical bills if you are involved in an incident covered under the terms of the policy. There is a limit on the coverage provided, often $10,000 but it may be much higher.
If you have this coverage you should definitely use it to get the medical care you need without paying the medical bills out-of-pocket.
I have heard about people seeking "policy limits" in car wreck cases. What does that mean?
"Policy limits" refers to the sum total of liability insurance policy dollars that are applicable to a given case.
So, if a person has $300,000 of insurance on their car and they cause a wreck that injures someone else, a policy limits demand by the injured party is a demand that the insurance company pay $300,000 to settle the case.
It means that for any one car wreck that is the fault of another driver who does not have any insurance your insurance company will pay you up to $50,000 in losses and damages you suffer. If more than one person in your vehicle is injured in the wreck, the company will pay up to $100,000 to all of the persons in your vehicle who were injured and covered under the policy but no more than $50,000 for any one person.
Note that each person who is injured does not automatically get $50,000 – they must demonstrate amount of their damages and can recover up to $50,000 each.
Your policy also provides your protection if the at-fault driver was underinsured. For example, assume that the driver that hit you was from another state and had a liability insurance policy that provided the driver $10,000 / $20,000 in liability insurance coverage. That means that for any one car wreck that was the other driver’s fault his insurance company will pay a person injured in the wreck up to $10,000 in losses and damages they suffer. If more than one person is injured in the wreck, the company will pay, on the at-fault driver’s behalf, up to $20,000 but no more than $10,000 for any one person.
It means that for any one car wreck that is the fault of another driver who does not have any insurance your insurance company will pay you up to $250,000 in losses and damages you suffer. If more than one person in your vehicle is injured in the wreck, the company will pay up to $500,000 to all of the persons in your vehicle who were injured and covered under the policy but no more than $250,000 for any one person.
Note that each person who is injured does not automatically get $250,000 – they must demonstrate amount of their damages and can recover up to $250,000 each.
Your policy also provides your protection if the at-fault driver was underinsured. For example, assume that the driver that hit you had a liability insurance policy that provided the driver $100,000 / $300,000 in liability insurance coverage. That means that for any one car wreck that was the other driver’s fault his insurance company will pay a person injured in the wreck up to $100,000 in losses and damages they suffer. If more than one person is injured in the wreck, the company will pay, on the at-fault driver’s behalf, up to $300,000 but no more than $100,000 for any one person.
I live in Tennessee. I was in a car wreck in Nashville and got hurt. It was the other driver’s fault. The other driver has no insurance. I looked at my automobile insurance policy and it says that I have uninsured motorist insurance of $25,000 / $50,000. What does that mean?
It means that for any one car wreck that is the fault of another driver who does not have any insurance your insurance company will pay you up to $25,000 in losses and damages you suffer. If more than one person in your vehicle is injured in the wreck, the company will pay up to $25,000 to all of the persons in your vehicle who were injured and covered under the policy but no more than $50,000 for any one person.
Note that each person who is injured does not automatically get $25,000 – they must demonstrate amount of their damages and can recover up to $25,000 each.
I live in Tennessee. I was in a car wreck in Nashville and got hurt. It was the other driver’s fault. The other driver has no insurance. I looked at my automobile insurance policy and it says that I have uninsured motorist insurance of $100,000 / $300,000. What does that mean?
It means that for any one car wreck that is the fault of another driver who does not have any insurance your insurance company will pay you up to $100,000 in losses and damages you suffer. If more than one person in your vehicle is injured in the wreck, the company will pay up to $300,000 to all of the persons in your vehicle who were injured and covered under the policy but no more than $100,000 for any one person.
Note that each person who is injured does not automatically get $100,000 – they must demonstrate amount of their damages and can recover up to $100,000 each.
I was in a car wreck yesterday. It was probably my fault. I looked at my automobile liability insurance policy and it says that I have liability limits of $250,000 / $500,000. What does that mean?
It means that for any one car wreck that is your fault your insurance company will pay a person injured in the wreck up to $250,000 in losses and damages they suffer. If more than one person is injured in the wreck, the company will pay, on your behalf, up to $500,000 but no more than $250,000 for any one person.
So, if one person was hurt in the wreck, the insurer will pay no more than $250,000 in damages. If two people were hurt, the insurer will pay up to $500,000, but no more than $250,000 per person. If three people were hurt, the insurer will pay up to $500,000, but no more than $250,000 per person. Note that each person who is injured does not automatically get $250,000 – they must demonstrate amount of their damages and can recover up to $250,000 each.
I was in a car wreck yesterday. It was probably my fault. I looked at my automobile liability insurance policy and it says that I have liability limits of $300,000. What does that mean?
It means that for any one car wreck that is your fault your insurance company will pay a person injured in the wreck up to $300,000 in losses and damages they suffer. This is true whether one person is injured or five people are injured: the most the insurance company will pay is $300,000.
To the extent that a person injured in the wreck has claim worth more than $300,000 you are personally responsible for the amount of damages over $300,000 if the wreck was your fault. Likewise, if more than one person is injured and the total damages caused by your negligence exceeds $300,000, you are personally responsible for the amounts over $300,000.
I was in a car wreck yesterday. It was probably my fault. I looked at my automobile liability insurance policy and it says that I have liability limits of $25,000 / $50,000. What does that mean?
It means that for any one car wreck that is your fault your insurance company will pay a person injured in the wreck up to $25,000 in losses and damages they suffer. If more than one person is injured in the wreck, the company will pay, on your behalf, up to $50,000 but no more than $25,000 for any one person.
So, if one person was hurt in the wreck, the insurer will pay no more than $25,000 in damages. If two people were hurt, the insurer will pay up to $50,000, but no more than $25,000 per person. If three people were hurt, the insurer will pay up to $50,000, but no more than $25,000 per person. Note that each person who is injured does not automatically get $25,000 – they must demonstrate amount of their damages and can recover up to $25,000 each.
Tennessee Injury Law Center