Car insurance is necessary for anyone who owns, leases, or drives a vehicle in Pennsylvania. Most people understand the importance of having auto insurance, but what does minimum liability insurance cover? Does it cover property damage, and to what extent does it cover serious injuries such as internal injuries or traumatic brain injuries?
Pennsylvania is a no-fault car insurance state, meaning your insurance company will pay for medical expenses and lost wages if you sustain a car accident injury. However, if you cause an accident that causes damage to another person’s vehicle or property, they could file a lawsuit against you and seek damages from your assets.
As such, it’s important to have enough liability coverage to protect yourself from lawsuits. In PA, the state requires drivers to carry at least $15,000 worth of bodily injury liability coverage per individual injured in an accident and $30,000 worth of bodily injury liability coverage per accident.
However, many people purchase higher liability limits above and beyond these requirements.
PA Minimum Liability Insurance Requirements
As we have mentioned above, Pennsylvania is a no-fault car insurance state. If you get in a car accident, your insurance company will pay for your medical bills, regardless of who was at fault for the crash.
Medical Benefits
This type of insurance covers the cost of medical care for you if you’re involved in an accident, regardless of who is to blame. Every driver in Pennsylvania must have this coverage. The minimum amount allowed for medical coverage is $5,000 and covers common car accident injuries such as soft tissue injuries, head injuries, and chest injuries.
Property Damage Liability
This type of insurance covers any damage your car does to other people’s property (such as a fence, house, or car). You must have this coverage if you want protection against other people who may sue you for damages caused by your vehicle. The minimum amount allowed for property damage coverage is $5,000.
Bodily Injury Liability
This type of insurance covers medical expenses for car accident injuries caused by your car and people who have sued you for damages. It also covers funeral expenses if someone dies from an accident involving your vehicle.
In Pennsylvania, all drivers are required to carry this type of insurance. The minimum amount allowed for bodily injury coverage is $15,000 per person.
However, the law requires drivers to pay $30,000 per accident, making the total minimum liability in Pennsylvania stand at $40,000.
Why You Should Pay More Than Pennsylvania Minimums
You may have the impression that the minimum liability insurance is all you need and that paying more is just throwing money away. That’s not true at all. The Pennsylvania minimums don’t cover everything.
The minimum liability amounts in Pennsylvania don’t cover all the damage and injury a driver could cause in an accident—they only cover up to $15,000 per person, $30,000 total for all people hurt in an accident, and $5,000 for property damage. If you cause more damage or injury than that, your auto insurance will not cover it.
Additional Types of Auto Insurance Coverage
Additional types of auto insurance coverage include:
Collision Coverage
Collision coverage takes care of repairs to your vehicle if it is damaged in a collision with another car or object. The coverage generally applies only to your car and does not cover damage to other vehicles or objects.
Comprehensive
For any damage that is not covered under collision coverage (e.g., if an animal runs into your car or if water from a storm causes damage), comprehensive will cover it.
Uninsured/Underinsured Motorist (UM)
This insurance helps cover the cost of injuries sustained by people whom drivers have hit without liability insurance or with insufficient coverage to cover medical bills and other losses associated with the accident.
Personal Injury Protection (PIP)
PIP provides medical care for you and your passengers if they are injured in a car accident, regardless of who was at fault for causing the accident or whether anyone else was injured.
Income Loss
If you’re injured in a car accident, your ability to work may be affected. Your income loss coverage is designed to help you pay for the costs of your recovery and keep your income flowing during this time. You can also use it if you cannot drive for a while due to an accident or other event.
Funeral Benefit
Funeral benefit coverage will pay for the cost of a funeral for you or a family member. It may be available in the form of a lump sum payment, or it could be in the form of an agreement to pay any applicable death benefits.
Know Your Rights and Responsibilities
If you’re involved in an auto accident, it’s essential to know your rights and responsibilities. If the other driver does not have car insurance, you may be able to file a claim with your own insurance company. If they are insured, but their policy does not provide enough coverage to pay for all of your damages, you may also be able to file a claim with theirs.
In Conclusion
After a car crash or any other kind of accident, you might be overwhelmed with medical bills and other expenses. You’ll need to get in touch with your insurance company, take time off work, and find a doctor for treatment of both mental and emotional injuries.
After all, car accidents often leave people with several broken bones, common injuries, and post-traumatic stress disorder.
What may not come to mind right away is that you may be eligible for compensation from whoever is deemed responsible for the crash. This means you should consider getting in touch with a personal injury law firm like Siddons Law Firm in case there are grounds for making a compensation claim.
If the other driver is at fault, you may be able to recover monetary compensation for your medical bills, lost wages, pain and suffering, and other damages.
We understand that, for most people, car crashes can confuse them, not knowing what to do next. So, why not give Siddons Law Firm Offices a call at 610-255-7500, and we can charter the way forward together.