Bodily injury liability coverage is an auto insurance policy that covers injury-related costs in the aftermath of a car accident. This type of insurance typically kicks in on the behalf of a driver deemed “at fault” for an accident, in which an involved party or parties have sustained physical injuries. Coverage extends to short-term as well as long-term costs that aren’t exclusive to only passengers within another vehicle, it includes costs accrued for pedestrians or bystanders who were also injured in the incident that the at-fault driver caused. If the liable motorist has also been injured due to these circumstances, bodily injury coverage will not cover the costs associated with them. The purchase of the optional auto insurance collision coverage plan, however, may cover these costs.
Coverage
Considered a large portion of liability insurance, bodily injury coverage is not restricted to solely literal bodily injuries, it has the capacity to provide compensation for psychological and emotional harm inflicted on a car accident victim. The following list details the damages or losses that a third party can claim as bodily injury:
Medical expenses
Transportation in an ambulance, admittance into a hospital, service by medical staff, and the equipment used to remedy an injury all cost considerable amounts of money. It won’t take long for a car accident victim to accumulate a long list of fees specifically attributed to medical care, and the costs don’t stop there. Follow-up visits, rehabilitative services, and physical therapy may be necessary depending on the severity of the injury. In these cases, bodily injury insurance kicks in to cover these costs.
Pain and suffering
Bodily injury insurance may also cover emotional and psychological harm inflicted onto a victim. Oftentimes, car accidents leave victims feeling traumatized or distressed over the course of events. Even though this form of injury can be difficult to measure, it doesn’t make them any less valid than visible, physical injuries in the eyes of insurance companies. Therefore, this type of harm inflicted upon a victim may be compensated under this type of insurance coverage.
Lost Wages
When a party suffers an injury that needs prolonged medical attention, it may impede his or her ability to work and sustain income in the way that they were before. This occurs especially in instances when a person has a physically strenuous job that requires they be in good health. An injury may prevent them from being able to return to work until they have fully recovered. In these instances, bodily injury insurance will most likely pay them for the duration of time they are not capable of earning wages.
Funeral costs
Unfortunately, some accidents result in fatalities. Dealing with the loss of a loved one is very difficult, and takes a large emotional toll on all parties involved. Insurance providers feel that it is necessary for them to cover all of the costs involving a funeral to ease the burden carried by family members and friends, especially in the event that the accident was caused by the motorist responsible for causing the accident.
Legal Fees
When an accident occurs, there’s always a possibility that an injured party may sue the at-fault driver for the damages they sustained. When a fatality occurs, the family has the option of suing on behalf of their loved one, also. Bodily insurance claims may cover legal fees for those who wish to seek economic and/or non-economic damages for the injuries they sustained.
How Bodily Injury Liability Insurance Works
Bodily injury insurance coverage is offered in forms: combined single limit policies and split limit policies. Colorado residents are provided with the option of choosing whichever one best accommodates them.
Split Limit Policy
When a licensed motorist chooses a split limit policy, the insurance provider has complete control over how much they are willing to pay for liability coverage. It’s important to note that bodily injury liability insurance is split into two categories under this type of policy, bodily injury expenses per person and bodily injury expenses per accident. When a person purchases a split limit policy package they will most likely see two numbers that represent these categories. It will most likely be displayed like so: 20,000/40,000 (or any other variation of this). In this example, the number 20,000 would represent the bodily injury per person. The number 40,000 represents the bodily injury per accident.
Bodily injury per person refers to the maximum amount of compensation an insurance provider is willing to pay for the injury-related fees belonging to any single party involved in an accident.
Bodily injury per accident concerns the maximum amount of compensation an insurance provider is willing to pay for the injury-related fees belonging to all parties involved in an accident.
Single Limit Policy
When a Colorado resident opts to choose a single limit policy, the policyholder gets to decide how the bodily injury coverage (and property damage coverage) is divided.
For example, let’s say that an insurance provider offers you a total of $250,000 in single limit liability coverage. That number represents just how much insurance provider is willing to spend on per person coverage, per accident coverage and property damage coverage altogether. This type of policy is less common than split limit policies among insured drivers.
Colorado Bodily Injury State Limits
Since having bodily injury insurance is a requirement for drivers in Colorado, there are minimum insurance limits placed on these policies by the state. Each resident must buy a package that covers at least $25,000 per person involved an accident and $50,000 for the entire accident as a whole.
Experienced Car Accident Attorneys
If you or a loved one has sustained injuries as a result of being in a car accident, you may be entitled to compensation. Although many people choose to go through their insurance company for compensation, pursuing legal recourse is also a viable option for recovering the damages you seek. Contact the law offices of Jeremy Rosenthal for assistance in assessing your options. We’ll help you get the compensation you deserve.