What you need to know about no-fault accidents

10:42 AM, Dec 26, 2017
7:19 PM, Dec 19, 2018

<span style="font-size:10.5pt"><span style="font-family:&quot;Verdana&quot;,sans-serif">Nobody likes to read jargon-filled fine print, especially at the bottom of complex insurance policies. Unfortunately for many people, until they're involved in an accident, they might not realize what is and isn't covered.</span></span></span></span>

<span style="font-size:10.5pt"><span style="font-family:&quot;Verdana&quot;,sans-serif">Every state requires different types of insurance, and reimbursement after an accident can be opaque, especially when authorities have difficulty determining who was at fault.</span></span></span></span>

<span style="font-size:10.5pt"><span style="font-family:&quot;Verdana&quot;,sans-serif">As a result, many states, including Michigan, have adopted no-fault systems, meaning that no matter who is at fault in an auto accident, insurance companies pick up the medical bills, rehabilitation expenses and wages lost due to personal injury for every person involved.</span></span></span></span>

<span style="font-size:10.5pt"><span style="font-family:&quot;Verdana&quot;,sans-serif">However, no-fault systems are still complex and insurance companies are notorious for shirking accident victims of the benefits they're due.</span></span></span></span>

<span style="font-size:10.5pt"><span style="font-family:&quot;Verdana&quot;,sans-serif">Along with learning about how no-fault works, if you've been in an accident, you can also </span></span></span></span>talk to a professional<span style="font-size:10.5pt"><span style="font-family:&quot;Verdana&quot;,sans-serif"> for advice about your unique situation.</span></span>

<span style="font-size:10.5pt"><span style="font-family:&quot;Verdana&quot;,sans-serif">States with no-fault systems</span></span></span></span>

<span style="font-size:10.5pt"><span style="font-family:&quot;Verdana&quot;,sans-serif">The tort or lawsuit system is infamous for long and expensive court battles that financially drain plaintiffs and defendants alike, and that is one of the reasons many states have adopted the no-fault system.</span></span></span></span>

<span style="font-size:10.5pt"><span style="font-family:&quot;Verdana&quot;,sans-serif">As of this year, 12 states and Puerto Rico have no-fault auto insurance laws. </span></span></span></span>

<span style="font-size:10.5pt"><span style="font-family:&quot;Verdana&quot;,sans-serif">Controversy about paying for damage</span></span></span></span>

<span style="font-size:10.5pt"><span style="font-family:&quot;Verdana&quot;,sans-serif">The amount of property protection insurance money awarded to drivers varies depending on the elements of the accident.</span></span></span></span>

<span style="font-size:10.5pt"><span style="font-family:&quot;Verdana&quot;,sans-serif">In Michigan, PPI can pay as much as $1 million for property damage and all medical costs. It will also pay up to 85 percent of the income you would have earned if you had not been hurt, for up to three years, according to the </span></span></span></span>Michigan Department of Insurance and Financial Service<span style="font-size:10.5pt"><span style="font-family:&quot;Verdana&quot;,sans-serif">.</span></span>

<span style="font-size:10.5pt"><span style="font-family:&quot;Verdana&quot;,sans-serif">Although PIP makes some aspects of the insurance claim process smoother, opponents of no-fault laws say that forcing people to buy insurance with these provisions make premiums and medical procedures too expensive, according to the </span></span></span></span>Michigan Chamber of Commerce<span style="font-size:10.5pt"><span style="font-family:&quot;Verdana&quot;,sans-serif">.</span></span>

 

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<span style="font-size:10.5pt"><span style="font-family:&quot;Verdana&quot;,sans-serif">Thresholds for lawsuits</span></span></span></span>

<span style="font-size:10.5pt"><span style="font-family:&quot;Verdana&quot;,sans-serif">The restrictions placed on personal suits is the biggest difference between insurance policies that require PIP and those that don't.</span></span></span></span>

<span style="font-size:10.5pt"><span style="font-family:&quot;Verdana&quot;,sans-serif">Unless you meet requirements, like your medical costs exceed a certain amount or you are seriously disabled as a result of the crash, you cannot sue the other driver.</span></span></span></span>

<span style="font-size:10.5pt"><span style="font-family:&quot;Verdana&quot;,sans-serif">Insurance companies protect themselves</span></span></span></span>

<span style="font-size:10.5pt"><span style="font-family:&quot;Verdana&quot;,sans-serif">The players with stakes in insurance laws are health and car insurance industries, and each enlists state representatives to push bills and reforms that will shift the cost of wrecks onto the other industry or the people involved in accidents.</span></span></span></span>

<span style="font-size:10.5pt"><span style="font-family:&quot;Verdana&quot;,sans-serif">If your health insurance has to pay your medical bills, your auto insurance company comes out better financially. Ultimately, neither is concerned with the financial or physical wellbeing of their customers.</span></span></span></span>

<span style="font-size:10.5pt"><span style="font-family:&quot;Verdana&quot;,sans-serif">"Insurance companies won’t tell you everything you are eligible for simply because they don’t want you to know or pay out," according to law firm </span></span></span></span>Goodman Acker P.C.<span style="font-size:10.5pt"><span style="font-family:&quot;Verdana&quot;,sans-serif"> "They also will often deny or try to cut benefits you are entitled to. Even if you are at fault you may be entitled to benefits because we are a no-fault state."</span></span>

<span style="font-size:10.5pt"><span style="font-family:&quot;Verdana&quot;,sans-serif">Insurance companies want payment for covering people against the possibility of getting injured but then want to pay as little as possible when an accident occurs, so you need to look out for yourself.</span></span></span></span>

<span style="font-size:10.5pt"><span style="font-family:&quot;Verdana&quot;,sans-serif">Getting an advocate in your corner</span></span></span></span>

<span style="font-size:10.5pt"><span style="font-family:&quot;Verdana&quot;,sans-serif">If you are injured in a car accident, regardless of whether it's your fault, enlisting the help of someone who's looking out for you will help you defend yourself and get fair compensation for your accident.</span></span></span></span>

<span style="font-size:10.5pt"><span style="font-family:&quot;Verdana&quot;,sans-serif">Contact the no-fault lawyers at </span></span></span></span>Goodman Acker P.C.<span style="font-size:10.5pt"><span style="font-family:&quot;Verdana&quot;,sans-serif"> for a free consultation about the details of your case.</span></span>

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