North Carolina’s automobile insurance system provides for a type of coverage called “medical payments,” which applies to personal injuries in a car accident. This insurance is different from liability coverage, and provides payment for medical treatment whenever the policy holder (or the occupants of a covered vehicle) are injured while in an automobile. Medical payments coverage is optional coverage NOT required by North Carolina law. Therefore, not all automobile policies have it. If you have questions about whether you have medical payments coverage, contact your insurance carrier. You can also look on the declarations page of your policy to see your coverage.
Other states have a similar type of coverage called personal injury protection, or “PIP.” Different states handle PIP differently, both as to what is covered, and what is required for claims. In some states, such as New York, PIP coverage can essentially replace your health insurance for the first round of medical expenses up to the limit of your PIP coverage.
If you recently relocated to North Carolina, it’s important to review your automobile coverage today, so that you know whether you are protected, and to what extent. While your old coverage may still apply if you are in the process of moving, different deadlines apply for claims under PIP coverage than apply under medical payments coverage, and if you aren’t careful, your claims may be barred. The attorneys of the Miller Law Group have decades of experience helping our injured clients determine what coverage they have, and what types of coverage to pursue in each case.
For a free consultation of your car wreck claim, contact the Miller Law Group, or call 919-348-4361.