Washington Insurance Claims – How can a personal injury attorney help you?
When you are in a car accident in Washington or the Seattle area, you will undoubtedly deal with an insurance company in some form. All Washington drivers are required to carry at least $25,000 in liability insurance. This is the type of insurance that kicks in when someone rear-ends you or causes an accident in which you are injured. Liability insurance is designed to provide coverage to the person that caused the accident. Typically this type of insurance will not cover your ongoing medical expenses or wage loss but will result in a lump sum payment when you conclude our claim, rather through a settlement, arbitration or even trial.
For your immediate medical needs, your Personal Injury Protection is available. This is insurance available under your own policy to cover any accident-related medical expenses. Usually you will want to use this insurance to cover things like your initial emergency room visit, ambulance ride, and the subsequent treatment. Most people in Washington carry $10,000 in PIP coverage though it is offered in higher increments. Once you exhaust your PIP coverage, you will need to look to other avenues such as your own health insurance.
Finding available insurance is vital to any personal injury claim. If a person who rear-ends you or causes a car accident does not have enough insurance to compensate you, you will need to look to alternate sources such as your own uninsured motorist coverage. This insurance, which you purchase from your car insurer, will protect you and your family if a significant injury occurs but the person causing the accident does not have insurance or enough insurance.
A creative personal injury attorney can help you with your claim and help you understand Washington law and policies that affect your recovery and the amounts of insurance available to help you and your family get back on your feet. Call a Seattle area personal injury attorney if you or a family member are injured and need to determine whether you can recover for the injuries that you suffered.