Understanding Maryland car insurance and how that coverage could apply if you are ever involved in a car accident. This is especially true if you or someone you love is injured.
Maryland sets mandatory limits for bodily injury and Personal Injury Protection (PIP) coverage to protect motorists in the event of a crash. Another supplemental form of insurance is medical payments coverage (MedPay), which can also offset accident-related medical expenses in certain situations.
Without adequate insurance, you could find yourself on the hook for thousands of dollars in accident-related losses and/or facing lawsuits from injured parties. At Trollinger Law LLC, we always recommend that motorists purchase as much car insurance as they can afford.
Here’s what you need to know:
Bodily Injury Coverage vs. Medical Payments Coverage
Most states, including Maryland, require drivers to carry a minimum amount of bodily injury coverage as part of their auto policy. These minimum limits exist so that injured drivers and passengers can receive a baseline level of compensation if they’re hurt in an accident.
Bodily injury coverage is a liability policy, meaning the responsible driver in an accident will pay for any injuries suffered by other drivers or passengers. If the limits of the insurance policy do not cover the medical bills for the injured party(s), the at-fault driver could end up facing a lawsuit demanding compensation from anyone harmed in the accident.
Maryland also requires insurance companies to offer a minimum of $2,500 in Personal Injury Protection (PIP) insurance. PIP is a no-fault insurance policy that provides money for reasonable medical expenses, partial wage replacement, and household services up to the policy limits. Because it is a no-fault policy, PIP can be used even if you are responsible for the accident.
Medical payments coverage, or MedPay, is a supplemental form of no-fault coverage. MedPay covers the medical costs for anyone injured or killed while riding in your vehicle. Most insurance companies require that you exhaust your PIP benefits before tapping into your medical payments coverage.
According to the Maryland Motor Vehicle Administration, all drivers must have the following minimum insurance coverage:
- $30,000 in bodily injury coverage for a single person injured in an accident
- $60,000 in bodily injury coverage for two or more people injured in a crash
- $15,000 in property damage coverage for an accident
- $2,500 in PIP benefits (unless waived)
What Do Bodily Injury and Medical Payments Policies Cover?
While bodily injury coverage includes someone’s medical bills after an accident, it also covers other expenses, such as:
- Lost wages
- Lost earning capacity
- Pain and suffering
- Funeral and burial costs
PIP and MedPay are narrower in terms of what you can be reimbursed for. For example, there is no option to recover money for pain and suffering in a PIP claim. And as the name implies, MedPay only pays for medical expenses.
Injured in a Car Accident? Contact Trollinger Law LLC Now
Having enough car insurance makes a huge difference in protecting yourself and recovering compensation after a car accident. If you’ve been hurt, contact the car accident attorney in Waldorf at Trollinger Law LLC. You don’t deserve to pay for someone else’s bad decisions. We’ll review your policy to ensure that you’re accessing the full amount of coverage you’re entitled to.
Call or contact us today for a free consultation.
