I’ve been injured in a car accident – How do I get compensated?

Anyone who has ever been in a car accident knows the stress that can follow a collision. Dealing with a damaged vehicle, missed time away from work, and unexpected medical bills can be a challenge to handle. Even worse, many injured persons don’t fully understand their rights to compensation and often walk away from an accident without collecting all money they are entitled to receive. If you’ve been injured because of someone else’s negligence, there are several places you can look for compensation.

First and foremost, if you have health insurance, use those benefits to cover medical bills from the accident. From time to time, misinformed individuals often believe they should not use their health insurance after an automobile accident. While some health insurance plans may have certain rights to be reimbursed money paid toward your care if a settlement is later received, this should not prevent you from using your health insurance upfront to ensure medical bills are paid on time and you receive all care recommended by your doctors.

Whether or not you have health insurance, your own automobile insurance policy may also pay for your medical bills if you have Medical Payments coverage. This coverage is inexpensive to include on most policies and many drivers don’t even realize they have it. Medical Payments coverage will pay for your medical expenses from an automobile accident up to the limits listed in your policy, which could be anywhere from $500 to $100,000. This money is often very simple to obtain after an accident, yet many people fail to request it.

Even though health insurance and/or medical payments coverage may have satisfied a portion, or even all, of your medical bills, you can still make a claim against the at-fault driver’s insurance company. Every vehicle in North Carolina must carry at least $30,000 in liability insurance coverage. This coverage is available to pay medical bills, lost wages, pain and suffering, and any other damages that you can show were likely caused by the accident. Aggressively pursuing liability coverage is where a skilled attorney can be very helpful in maximizing recovery for an injured client.

Finally, many drivers in North Carolina also carry some level of Uninsured or Underinsured Motorist coverage on their automobile insurance policies. This coverage allows you to recover from your own automobile insurance policy in the event the negligent driver failed to have insurance coverage or did not carry a large enough policy to satisfy all your damages. A knowledgeable attorney can determine how much Uninsured or Underinsured Motorist coverage might be available and help you pursue this claim for maximum recovery.

Despite the many sources of recovery, after an accident most people prefer to focus on recovering from their injuries and getting back to their everyday responsibilities as quickly as possible. For these reasons, dealing with various insurance adjusters to pursue compensation under each of the methods described above can be frustrating and a great distraction from the more important things in life. If you find yourself in this situation, there is no harm in consulting with a personal injury attorney.

At Dozier Miller we provide full service to clients injured in an automobile accident. Our personal injury attorneys will help you collect funds from every available source and ensure that no money is left unclaimed. Because we realize many clients who need our assistance do not have money to pay an attorney upfront, we work on a contingency basis, which means we don’t get paid until you receive compensation. If you want Dozier Miller to handle your claim, or simply wish to talk to an attorney about your rights after an accident, please contact one of our personal injury lawyers today.

Dozier Miller’s personal injury counsel:

• J. Gentry Caudill
• W. Joseph Dozier, Jr.
• Adam S. Hocutt