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The other driver’s policy can sometimes cover your medical care

On Behalf of | Dec 15, 2019 | Firm News |

Getting into a car crash in any circumstances can be quite stressful, but when you don’t have health insurance, a car crash that leaves you hurt could feel like the end of the world. It is common for people to panic and worry about how they will cover the cost of the treatment they need for their broken bones, head injuries or other serious medical issues caused by the crash, and recover missed wages.

Depending on the severity of the injuries you suffer, it could cost thousands of dollars to get the care that you need and take weeks or even months for you to return to work. The good news is that if the other driver caused the collision, you likely have the right to seek coverage through their motor vehicle liability insurance policy.

Your policy protects you from liability, not expenses

Many people are a bit confused about how Ohio’s motor vehicle insurance program works. They assume their policy will cover them for property damage and medical care if they get into a crash, but that isn’t the case.

You don’t pay insurance to protect you from the expenses that come from a crash. Instead, you pay for coverage against financial liability. The person who causes a crash assumes liability for the collision and the impact it has on other people, including the expenses involved in getting medical care and repairing or replacing their vehicles.

Your policy only pays out money if you are fully or partially responsible for a collision. If the crash is the fault of the other driver, their insurance policy covers your medical costs and property damage losses, which means you don’t need to worry about whether you have health insurance or not.

Even low-cost policies have $25,000 worth of medical coverage

Quite a few people in Ohio purchase the least amount of car insurance they can to keep the costs for their insurance premium low. The flaw in the logic in doing so is that they may leave themselves vulnerable to substantially higher expenses if they cause a crash that hurts multiple people or causes catastrophic property damage.

However, even the cheapest policies will cover $25,000 worth of personal injury costs for one person hurt or up to $50,000 worth of injury coverage for two or more people hurt in a crash. That means that if you don’t have insurance but the other driver is at fault for the collision, you can go to the hospital to get the care you need without worrying about paying for the costs out-of-pocket.

Informing the staff that your injuries relate to a car crash will also benefit you, as they can update your records to include that information, making it easier to prove your claim for medical coverage in the future.

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