What’s the difference between personal injury and bodily injury?
The main difference between personal injury protection and bodily injury liability is who they cover when there is an accident. While personal injury protection covers both you and your passengers, regardless of who is found to be at fault, bodily injury liability covers the injuries of others in an accident in which you are at fault.
Another difference between the two terms is that you may find each one within a legal context since each may present different standards of proof and liability. To better understand how personal injury lawsuits come about, at atlantapiattorney.com, you may find more information on the duty that people have to keep others safe from harm and how the breach of this duty must be proven for your case to be successful.
Understanding Bodily Injury
Bodily injury applies to certain types of harm done to the body during an incident. These may include burns, bruises, fractured bones, cuts, and nerve damage. A bodily injury insurance policy will cover most of the costs of the injuries of another person involved in the accident.
If you are driving and fail to stop at an intersection hitting a pedestrian, you may be liable for their injuries. The limits of your bodily injury policy will determine whether it will cover some or all of their losses.
Legal Implications
Depending on where you live, which could be either a “fault” or a “no-fault” state, this will determine the type of policy you need to carry should you happen to be in an accident.
Once there is an accident, damages will first be filed through your insurance policy, notwithstanding who caused it. You may face additional costs beyond your PIP policy limits, but you are allowed to pursue compensation for additional losses through the other party’s insurance company.
In general terms, bodily liability insurance covers the damages of the other party if you were responsible for the accident, while personal injury protection covers your losses and injuries after the accident. Some factors affecting these definitions may come into play depending on your state.
Understanding Personal Injury Protection
No matter what state you live in or where the accident occurred, all injured victims are allowed to pursue compensation from the liable party to cover their injuries and losses. For the claim for compensation to move forward, you must prove that this incident caused your injuries and that there are expenses associated with it.
It is not just a matter of voicing your opinion. You must produce relevant evidence to support your account of the event that led to the injuries you are dealing with at this time.
To help you with your case, you should put together a file in which you should include as many of the following documents as possible:
- Photographs of the accident showing the location and damage to the cars, in cases of car accidents, or the victim’s injuries in all cases.
- The police report or any other document you might have received from law enforcement.
- Your medical records cover all doctor’s visits, hospitalizations, surgeries, treatments, therapies, prescription drugs, and more.
- A file showing the income you have lost or been unable to earn due to your injuries. It may include pay stubs, bank statements, a letter from your boss, and any other document explaining your lost income.
- A journal describing all communication you have had with the insurance company and the result of each interaction.
- Receipts showing the damage to your personal property like those you might have gotten when you took your car to the dealer or mechanic to have it repaired.
Anytime you are injured or become ill because of an accident due to the other party’s negligent actions. Whenever there is proof of these damages, you may have a valid personal injury claim.
