What Is a Bodily Injury Claim?

You may hear the terms personal injury and bodily injury in relation to your legal claim. These are different types of cases and may require different standards of proof and liability. The state in which you live may have different impacts for these terms with regards to their laws, so it is critical to hire lawyers like those at Morgan & Morgan who have a reputation for working in states across the country and an awareness of the local and state requirements. 

In general, bodily injury refers to specific kinds of harm done to a person's physical body after an accident, such as nerve damage, burns, fractured bones, cuts, or bruises. In a car accident, for example, when another person carries bodily injury coverage, this includes the costs of the other person who was hurt in the accident. Bodily injury insurance will depend on your specific policy but may include some or all of a victim's losses.

One of the most important components of whether or not bodily injury coverage applies is whether you live in a no-fault or a fault state. For example, in Florida, which is a no-fault car insurance location, drivers must carry policies with a minimum of $10,000 set aside for personal injury claim coverage. 

Drivers in that state are not legally mandated to carry bodily injury liability coverage unless they're also registered as a taxi. In those situations, you will file for damages through your own insurance company even if another party was responsible for the accident. However, you may need the support of experienced and qualified personal injury attorneys like those at Morgan & Morgan in the event that your personal injury protection coverage does not fully cover all of your needs. In general, think of bodily liability coverage as paying for the damages of the other person if you are at fault for the accident. Personal injury protection in those states in which it applies covers your losses and your own injuries after an accident.

Victims in personal injury accidents are eligible to pursue compensation from a liable party to cover damage costs. They must be able to show, however, that because of this situation you have incurred expenses. Different types of evidence may be used in a personal injury claim, such as proof of lost wages, police reports, videos or photographs of the accident, statements from eyewitnesses, records of all of your communication with the insurance companies, and receipts for any property damage. 

In a bodily injury claim, this includes any expenses that are associated with your injuries that you would normally submit to your bodily injury insurance carrier. This can also include costs related to any other party's injuries in the accident or your own injuries. Because of the statute of limitations that may apply in your case, it is imperative to hire a personal injury attorney as soon as possible.

If you live in a no-fault state and the scope of your injuries now and possible expenses in the future exceed the coverage of your personal injury protection, someone else may be held accountable for your injuries. In the event that you live in a fault-based state and have evidence indicating that the other person is responsible for your injuries, this information may be used to file a personal injury claim. There are so many factors at play in a personal injury or bodily injury case that it is crucial to begin collecting evidence quickly after the incident itself and to consult with a dedicated and knowledgeable personal injury attorney. 

When you pursue a legal claim for compensation, there are many questions that must be answered in the early phases of your case. You may not even be sure if you yet made the grounds to file a legal claim, but working with a dedicated and experienced lawyer like those at Morgan & Morgan will help to clear up many questions and to prepare you for the initial steps to take to protect yourself. 

You may not be able to fully cover the damages you've sustained with a payment from your insurance company, and you may also have questions about communicating with your insurance company and whether or not they are fulfilling their contractual rights to you. There may also be more than one liable party involved in your lawsuit, making it more complicated to file a legal claim and to get damages. 

Due to these competing and potentially complex  factors, you deserve a legal team with the right experience in insurance, personal injury cases, and bodily injury claims. 

If you can show that someone else is responsible for the injuries you have sustained, this information becomes the basis of your personal injury claim. This may be handled alongside the damage component of a car accident claim, but is also viewed somewhat differently because of the long-lasting nature of your injuries. Unfortunately, far too many victims faced many challenges in pursuing personal injury claims because the insurance company may be difficult to work with or the other side may allege that your injuries are not as severe as you claim. 

Due to the complexity of all of these different issues, it is vital to hire a dedicated and experienced lawyer who will begin Gathering evidence on your behalf and help to prepare a strong claim for you. We will look for all potentially liable parties who may be named in a lawsuit and relay this information to you as we discuss a trial strategy.

The right personal injury lawyer can have a significant impact on your ability to resolve your bodily injury claim, including potentially resolving it outside of court in settlement conversations. Because of the scope of the complex issues at play, it is vital that you consult with a qualified and knowledgeable personal injury attorney immediately. 

The lawyers at Morgan & Morgan are prepared to help you during an initial consultation so that you understand the full scope of your rights and what is involved in filing a lawsuit.

To get started, contact Morgan & Morgan for a free, no-obligation case evaluation.