If you are injured as a passenger in a car accident, it can
be confusing and aggravating determining whose insurance coverage is responsible
for paying your medical bills and other expenses from the auto accident.
Filing a claim against the at-fault driver’s insurance.
The first thing to do is to determine who was at fault.If the driver who hit the vehicle you were riding in was at-fault,
that driver’s insurance is liable. Often, the accident report will allow you to
figure out who was at-fault. If your car accident occurred in Raleigh, Cary, Wake Forest, or on a
NC
highway, your crash reports should be available online. You should have
been provided an insurance exchange form at the scene of the accident so that
you can file your claim. If not, the driver of the vehicle you were in should have
received one.
If the at-fault driver does not have enough insurance to
cover your injuries, you will need to determine if the driver of the car you
were in has additional coverage under their Underinsured Motorist coverage. If
they do, file a claim against their insurance. This should not make their
insurance increase because they were not at-fault for the accident. If they do
not have additional coverage, you should look to your auto insurance policy to
determine what Uninsured Motorist coverage you have.
If the driver of your vehicle was at-fault.
If the driver of the car you were in was at-fault in the
accident, their insurance is liable. Even though it may be your friend’s
insurance, you will need to file a claim against it. For what it’s worth, their
insurance will likely go up regardless of whether you file your claim or not,
since the points will be for having an at-fault accident, not for how many
insurance claims are made. Therefore, you’re probably not doing them any favors
by not filing it, you’re only hurting yourself.
Again, if their insurance does not have sufficient coverage,
the Underinsured Motorist coverage on your auto insurance may have additional
coverage. Similarly, your auto insurance should not increase from filing this
claim because you did not cause the accident.
To have an experienced auto accident attorney review your
case for free, call Hemmings & Stevens today. Our team will help you wade
through the various insurance coverages that may be available to you to make sure that
you are properly compensated for your injuries and expenses.
