The First Thing to Consider BEFORE Your Auto Accident!

Recently there has been a number of auto accidents on US 460 between Elkhorn City, Kentucky and Pikeville.    I drive  US 460 on a daily basis .    Over the past 21 years as a lawyer who has handled hundreds of auto accident cases,  I am attuned to these accidents and how they happen and this makes my concerns very personal.

 Before you are involved in an auto accident there are a number of  things  you should do to make sure you and  your family is protected.  First and foremost you should take out your auto insurance policy and take a look at your coverages.  You can quickly find your coverages by looking at the declarations page of your policy.  It is usually, found in the first five pages of your policy when your insurance company sends it to you.

The first coverage to look at is added reparations benefits (PIP) on your automobile policy.  Every auto policy in Kentucky comes with Basic Reparations Benefits also called Personal Injury Protection or PIP benefits.   Kentucky requires basic PIP coverage on all motor vehicles except motorcycles. Basic PIP is to be paid by the insurer of the vehicle in which the injured person is riding at the time of an accident, or the vehicle which strikes a pedestrian, regardless of who was at fault in the accident. Basic PIP provides up to $10,000 per person per accident for medical expenses, lost wages and similar “out of pocket” costs due to an injury.

Here  is  a list of the things that PIP will pay for if you are in an auto accident.

KRS 304.39-020(5) is the Kentucky law what types  of basic PIP benefits are paid.

“(a) “Medical expense” means reasonable charges incurred for reasonably needed products, services, and accommodations, including those for medical care, physical rehabilitation, rehabilitative occupational training, licensed ambulance services, and other remedial treatment and care. “Medical expense” may include non-medical remedial treatment rendered in accordance with a recognized religious method of healing. …  Medical expense shall include all healing arts professions licensed by the Commonwealth of Kentucky. There shall be a presumption that any medical bill submitted is reasonable.

(b) “Work loss” means loss of income from work the injured person would probably have performed if he had not been injured, and expenses reasonably

incurred by him in obtaining services in  lieu of those he would have performed for income, reduced by any income from substitute work actually performed by him.

(c) “Replacement services loss” means expenses reasonably incurred in obtaining ordinary and necessary services in lieu of those the injured person would have performed, not for income but for the benefit of himself or his family, if he had not been injured.

(d) “Survivor’s economic loss” means loss after decedent’s death of contributions of things of economic value to his survivors, not including services they would have received from the decedent if he had not suffered the fatal injury, less expenses of the survivors avoided by reason of decedent’s death.

(e) “Survivor’s replacement services loss” means expenses reasonably incurred by survivors after decedent’s death in obtaining ordinary and necessary services in lieu of those the decedent would have performed for their benefit if he had not suffered the fatal injury, less expenses of the survivors avoided by reason of the decedent’s death and not subtracted in calculating survivor’s economic

loss.”

Here are the DO’s and DO NOT’S regarding your PIP coverage.

DO NOT take a deductible on your PIP benefits.  It is not worth the money you save.

DO purchase PIP on your motorcycle.

DO purchase added reparations benefits in $10,000.00 increments up to  $50,000.00 dollars.

Call your insurance agent and have them price all the above options for  you.  It could end up being the best money you ever  spent.

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