Attorney Andrew D. Myers provides personal service and is your advocate for settlement or court. Don’t waste another day wondering whether or not you need legal counsel – contact us today and find out how we can help!



Stay Connected: Download Our Mobile App
Categories: Personal Injury

AUTO INSURANCE IN MASSACH– USETTS

Massachusetts Car Insurance

Car accidents cause trauma.  Those injured wonder why they suffer again when they try to figure out auto insurance.

PIP

Massachusetts law includes ‘no-fault’ auto insurance.  This means that under the ‘PIP’ or Personal Injury Protection coverage of your own insurance policy, regardless of fault, your insurance pays up to $8K of your medical bills. There are many exceptions, such as, if you have your own health insurance, then your PIP limit tops off at $2K even though your policy clearly states “$8,000.”

PIP also includes any wage loss, which PIP reimburses at 75%.  The intricacies of the Massachusetts ‘no fault’ law and how it applies to your case need to be addressed with an attorney experienced in insurance law.  Here are more basics on Massachusetts PIP.

No Fault Auto Insurance

Even though they call it ‘no-fault’, you still go after the at-fault party for your bodily injury claim. Also, despite the fact that the legislature enacted the ‘no-fault’ scheme, after your own insurance company pays your medical bills, they go after the at-fault party’s insurance company for reimbursement under a process called subrogation.

Uninsured & Underinsured

Two other pertinent provisions in an auto insurance policy are “uninsured” and “underinsured”.  Where you are injured by a motor vehicle operator who has no insurance, you are eligible to recover for your own bodily injuries through your own uninsured provision.

The underinsured provision is there for you if the value of your own claim exceeds the policy limit of the other guy.  But, this is there for you only to the extent that your own underinsured provision exceeds the other guy’s liability limit.  For example, pretend your claim is worth 30K.  The other guy has a minimal $20K policy, and your underinsured provision is $25K.  Subtract the first $20K of your underinsured coverage and you would collect only up to the $5K.  But, don’t even think about taking the other guy’s policy limit until you put your own carrier on notice and also get their assent to the settlement.

This is one of many traps lurking in the auto insurance system.  This is one of many reasons why there is much more to personal injury law than meets the eye.  A wise person heeds the insurance industry’s own statistics indicating that represented injured people obtain much higher recovery than unrepresented people.

Medical Payments

Your own ‘medical payments’ provision covers medical bills for car accident injuries.  ‘Med pay’ often pays without the complications of PIP.  In states like New Hampshire, where auto insurance is still not mandatory, it is vital to obtain ‘med pay’ to protect yourself.  But, ‘med pay’ is always a smart choice when buying auto insurance to avoid PIP’s complications.

More personal injury topics featured here.

Views: 9

Andrew Myers

Attorney Myers is a member of the American Association For Justice, Massachusetts Academy of Trial Attorneys, New Hampshire Association For Justice, National Association of Consumer Bankruptcy Attorneys & Rotary International. Legal services provided in Massachusetts (MA) and New Hampsire (NH).

View Comments

  • There are many choices when it comes to selecting auto insurance in MA. It's always best not to opt for the bare minimum if at all possible.

Recent Posts

Inside the Chilling Luigi Mangione Case

Law enforcement flew Luigi Mangione from Pennsylvania to New York where he faces state and…

1 day ago

Gotcha Moment Backfires on Karen Read Prosecutor

e Dog Bite book special prosecutor Hank Brennan attempted to use against expert witness Dr.…

3 days ago

Media to Turn Over Karen Read Outtakes

Media to turn over Karen Read Outtakes. Judge Beverly Cannone ordered Boston Magazine & a…

4 days ago