A motor vehicle accident can have a devastating impact on you and your family. If you or a loved one has been injured, contact our firm to schedule a consultation with an experienced personal injury attorney.
What You Need to Know About Car and Truck Accident Claims
To collect the compensation you need to support your recovery following a motor vehicle accident, you need to establish the liability of a defendant, prove your damages in detail, and identify one or more sources of compensation — usually but not necessarily an insurance company. Every step of this process can be complicated, and the advice of an experienced personal injury lawyer can help you negotiate it successfully. Contact McGrady & McGrady in Hillsville to learn how our attorneys can help you achieve your accident recovery goals.
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At McGrady & McGrady, we protect the interests of people who have been hurt in southwest Virginia car, truck or motorcycle accidents. Most of our clients are residents of the local area, but we also represent people from other states who were injured while driving through the region. Contact us in Hillsville for a free consultation about your legal options.
A distinctive aspect of the personal injury practice at McGrady & McGrady is our ability to find additional sources of insurance coverage that can often help meet the claims of people who have been badly hurt in car accidents. To learn more about this feature of our work, contact our office in Hillsville, Virginia.
No-Fault Insurance
When a driver has been in an accident, no-fault auto insurance allows the driver to collect from his or her insurance company no matter who was at fault. Not every state has a no-fault insurance structure, but those that do have very specific laws governing when, how much and for how long the injured party may collect. Consult with an attorney from McGrady & McGrady, LLP in Hillsville, Virginia, to discuss how your state views fault and to determine how the laws may affect your right to recover damages for injuries.
How No-Fault Insurance Works
No-fault insurance is a system in which auto insurance pays benefits the insured driver in case of an accident. The insurance compensates the insured driver for monetary losses, no matter who was at fault. This is contrary to systems in which the at-fault driver’s insurance company must pay the bulk of the compensation after an investigation and determination of fault by the insurance companies or the courts.
The system is designed to streamline the process of payments to injured people and to lower the burden on the courts. Under the no-fault insurance system, it can be more difficult to sue an at-fault driver for damages; the insured typically must have been quite seriously injured in order to take such legal action. On the other hand, monetary recovery for the insured is more certain under no-fault insurance because the compensation is immediately available through the insurance policy of the injured party. No-fault insurance policies often have a cap on the compensation they will pay.
The no-fault insurance system prevents injured parties from receiving a windfall due to the accident, but it also ensures compensation no matter who caused the accident. In a no-fault state, the other driver will also receive compensation from his or her insurance company if that driver sustained certain economic losses. The specifics of no-fault insurance laws vary widely by state.
Personal Injury Protection (PIP)
If you have a no-fault insurance policy, it is probably called a personal injury protection (PIP) package. PIP insurance pays for the medical expenses of the insured driver and the passengers who were injured in an auto accident. PIP insurance typically covers things like medical bills, wage loss and funeral expenses, but not pain and suffering or vehicle damage. This varies by state and particular insurance policy. The PIP packages have limits on what they will pay.
Speak with an Attorney
How you handle the situation after a motor vehicle accident can make a significant difference in your monetary recovery. Dealing with insurance companies can be especially tricky. In addition, the no-fault and fault insurance systems vary widely by state. Speaking with an attorney from McGrady & McGrady, LLP in Hillsville, Virginia, will help to clear up the confusion these systems can cause.
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