Plaid Content | We are joined by Kim Baer in studio today! She will be talking about what to do in the situation of an accident.
Some tips she gives is to take camera footage from the scene of the accident. It’s nice to have photographic evidence to refer to. Take a picture of yourself and the injuries or bruises you might have suffered from. You can also access up to a year of the other driver’s cell phone records.
Some other tips would be if handling the claim, yourself, remember once you are settled with the claim. If you need future treatment that will be on you. Watch for health insurance, they will want to be picked back from the settlement’s funds for any medical care the health insurance paid for. First, check your own auto policy to see if you have any Med-Pay coverage, this money can be used to pay your medical bills. Second, make sure your treaters submit your medical bills to your health insurance. You will have to use your settlement monies to pay the health insurance back but typically the amount you pay back will be reduced to the health insurance rates. You also want to make sure your health care providers are being paid to protect your credit rating.
most people who have been injured in a car accident will have a claim for medical bills, pain and suffering, lost wages, loss of use, disfigurement (if there were scars) and out-of-pocket expenses. If your injury affected your relationship with your children or spouse, they may have a claim for loss of the consortium.
The money you receive for a car accident is not taxable if it is for personal injuries, pain and suffering, medical bills or loss of the consortium. The exception would be a payment for lost wages.