Personal injury claims will only affect your premiums when you were at fault. If your insurer has paid a personal injury claim in the past year or so, you should compare prices to see how much your rates could change. Use our online rate comparison tool and request quotes that take into account your claim. However, in some states, the average premium increase after an accident is higher than the national average.
The more damage you cause in your accident, the more you can expect your premiums to increase. If you have a no-claims or good driver discount, you could also lose it, which is another reason for a high rise in car insurance premiums after an at-fault accident. And, if you have a history of at-fault accidents, you may see an even greater rate increase because car insurance companies may consider you a high-risk driver. In that situation, you are normally considered insured under the policy; and insured persons cannot file liability claims against the policy that insures them.
Car insurance premiums increased 56% with an accident causing property damage, while rates only increased 47% in an accident with a bodily injury lawsuit. Remember that the resolution of any injury claim is usually based on too many variables, including the skill of the person negotiating the settlement, so that you can reasonably rely on numbers that have been drawn up on a website. You may be able to file a claim under your own insurance coverage, or you can file a third-party claim directly with the at-fault party's insurance company. If your injuries are serious or lasting, the liquidation value of the pain and suffering portion of your claim increases significantly.
Instead of filing a third-party lawsuit with the negligent driver's insurance company or filing a lawsuit against the at-fault driver, you file your claim with your own insurance company. However, if you caused a serious accident that resulted in bodily injury or property damage, it may be beneficial to file an insurance claim. The term no-fault state generally refers to a state whose laws require that financial liability for certain injuries and other losses resulting from a car accident come from the injured person's auto insurance coverage, regardless of who caused the accident. Most personal injury lawyers handle cases on a contingency fee basis, which means you won't have to pay upfront fees.
But if you claimed a deduction related to the same injury or illness that gave rise to the settlement, you will most likely need to report the settlement as Other Income to the IRS. And if you have car insurance and have medical bills that need to be paid, and your claim against the other policy is still under review, you may be able to file a claim for medical payments under your own car insurance policy. For example, if Driver A's liability policy does not provide sufficient coverage for your losses, you may need to file a claim under Driver B's policy for the remainder of your claim (that is, assuming both drivers played a role in causing the accident). If the agreement covers physical injury or physical illness, the compensation will not be taxable as income, as long as you have not previously claimed any medical expense deduction related to that same injury or illness.
In several of these states (including Texas), insurance companies must offer no-fault or personal injury protection coverage to customers who purchase an auto insurance policy, but the customer is free to decline these optional coverages. Insurance claims can take time to process, especially when you file a claim against someone else's policy. .
