Motor vehicle collisions are frustrating, expensive and time-consuming experiences. They are also situations you can’t fully avoid or control. Even though you do your best to be responsible at the wheel, it only takes a second for another driver’s bad choices to cause you a major headache.
Whether somebody decided to drive after drinking or to check an incoming email message, their bad decision could have a lasting negative impact on you. It is only natural to want justice following a car crash where someone else did something dangerous and affected your life. What kinds of compensation do you have a right to request after a motor vehicle collision in New York?
You can request your economic losses from insurance
Drivers in New York carry motor vehicle Insurance because car crashes can damage property and leave people seriously hurt. Your no-fault personal injury protection (PIP) coverage will cover some of your medical expenses if you get hurt in a crash, but the remainder of your expenses will become the responsibility of the person who caused the wreck.
The most basic kinds of losses people expect compensation for after a crash include their hospital or ambulance bills and their vehicle repair expenses and tow costs. If someone must miss work, they may make a claim related to their lost wages. Some drivers will realize when they add up the costs that they have from the crash that the other driver’s policy won’t be nearly enough. What happens then?
Personal injury lawsuits can help
When you have economic losses that go beyond what insurance will pay, you can theoretically take the other driver to civil court. The same kinds of expenses that you would ask an insurance company to cover can be part of a civil lawsuit.
Lost wages and medical bills often end up becoming part of a personal injury claim because low-coverage policies can’t cover the costs associated with more serious injuries. The more serious the crash was, the more likely it is that a personal injury lawsuit against the other driver or possibly a third party will be necessary for you to recoup the losses you incurred because of the wreck.
Keeping track of the financial consequences of your recent car crash will make it easier for you to negotiate with insurance providers or prepare for a civil lawsuit.