Massachusetts Personal Injury and Workers' Compensation Law Blog
In order to drive a car in Massachusetts, you must have at least a basic level of auto insurance. These policies are required to include both liability insurance, which protects other drivers in an accident, and personal injury protection (PIP), which covers the insured driver and his passengers. When two or more vehicles are involved in a collision, the drivers and passengers must first file claims with their individual insurance providers in order for their PIP policies to pay for their expenses. PIP is limited to $8,000 for no-fault coverage, therefore even if you collided with a fire hydrant, your medical expenditures would still be covered.
You can then file a vehicle accident claim against the at-fault party if you sustained a significant injury or your medical expenses total more than $2,000
- Up to $20,000 for a single person’s injuries;
- Up to $40,000 for two or more people’s injuries; and
- Up to $5,000 for property damage.
Additionally, drivers must have UM/UIM insurance that meets the minimum requirements for their liability insurance. If an uninsured driver injured you, you can submit a claim to your own insurance company if you have UM coverage. In turn, UIM enables you to submit a claim to your own insurance provider in the event that the other driver does not have sufficient insurance to pay for your expenses.
After a car accident, a motorist may often file a claim for PIP coverage first and subsequently a claim against the insurance policy of the other driver. However, the procedure is different for riders of motorcycles.
While drivers must have the same minimum liability and UM/UIM coverage as motorcyclists, PIP protection is not a requirement for motorcyclists from auto insurance providers. As a result, in order to receive compensation, motorcycle riders must make a claim with the insurance provider of the other driver.
Although motorcycle riders cannot acquire PIP coverage, they can buy an optional Medical Payment policy (MedPay) that can give $5,000 to $10,000 in benefits. These policies function similarly to PIP and can undoubtedly assist a rider in receiving medical care following a collision.
If you’ve been in a motorcycle accident, call our office today at 617-444-7777 for access to our free resources and a no obligation, free consultation meeting with one of our specialists.