Does My Auto Insurance Go Up if Someone Hits Me

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A car accident causes stress in many different areas of your life. You might be hurt and in pain and then get handed a large bill as you leave the hospital. If you need follow-up care, you’ll be receiving follow-up bills. Then there’s the time you missed at work while recovering, another financial loss. Your car probably needs to be fixed, and repair work isn’t cheap. On top of that, you might wonder if your insurance rates will go up because of your accident.Two drivers exchange details after a rear-end car accident.

The answer to the common question, “Does your insurance go up if you get hit?” is that it depends on who is found at fault for the accident. Your insurance rates should only increase if you cause the collision. Georgia law forbids insurance companies from raising your rates because someone else caused an accident or if you were in a collision with an uninsured driver. But it’s important to know that fault isn’t always crystal clear in an accident, and it’s very common for the other driver – and their insurance carrier – to push the blame off on you. As a result, you need to give yourself the best chance possible of proving you didn’t cause the accident, and consulting a car accident lawyer is the way to do that.

Attorney Ali Awad has worked on hundreds of car accidents and other personal injury cases, and he’s ready to help fight for your legal rights. He started the CEO Lawyer Personal Injury Law Firm only a few years ago, and rapidly turned it into one of the fastest-growing law firms in the country. Additionally, more than a million followers enjoy his down-to-earth legal talk on social media. If you want to protect your finances after a car accident, please contact the CEO Lawyer Personal Injury Law Firm for a free consultation about your case and options for pursuing compensation.

Should I File A Claim With My Insurance Provider If The Other Driver Is At Fault?

Although your insurance carrier shouldn’t punish you with higher rates, and it’s a good idea to let them know about the accident, they will probably tell you to file a claim with the other driver’s insurance first. Generally the at-fault driver is supposed to pay for your medical care and property damage following a collision. But since most people don’t have the resources to pay out of pocket, their liability insurance should take care of your costs. However, there are a few potential stumbling blocks here:

  • The other driver doesn’t have insurance, despite it being required in the state of Georgia.
  • The other driver has insurance, but its policy limit is well below the total damages you have.
  • The other driver’s insurance company thinks you were at fault or finds some other grounds to deny your claim.

 

Let’s look at these situations one at a time:

The Uninsured Motorist

The first thing we do in this situation is go over the client’s own insurance policy to see if they have uninsured/underinsured motorist coverage (also called UM/UI coverage) and, if so, how much. UM/UI is not required in Georgia, but insurance companies will require that you check a box on the forms to opt-out, so many people have at least minimum UM/UI policies. This is the best solution for handling an uninsured driver crash – and again, it should not make your premiums go up.

If you don’t have UM/UI, we will consider MedPay or Collision coverage if you have these “add-ons” to your liability insurance. MedPay provides an extra layer of protection by covering your healthcare costs after an accident, no matter who was at fault. (Standard liability insurance only covers your requirement to pay for other motorists’ injuries in an accident you cause.) MedPay can be used in crashes where you were at fault, where fault is unclear, or where the other driver is uninsured. Collision coverage is the same layer of protection for damage to your vehicle or other property.

The Underinsured Motorist

The minimum requirement for liability insurance in Georgia is only $25,000 for bodily injury and property damage. This covers many situations where people are hurt or suffer vehicle damage, but not all of them. If your injuries are severe or your health insurance doesn’t cover much, you could quickly end up with more than $25,000 in healthcare expenses.

Will your UM/UI coverage take care of the balance? Maybe, if you have a stacking policy. Stacking policies can be used to supplement other insurance coverage, including the at-fault driver’s policy. Non-stacking policies are only designed to guarantee you X dollars in coverage, and if you’ve already received that from the other driver’s insurance, then the non-stacking policy can’t be used. So if you have $40,000 in medical costs and the other driver has the minimum liability coverage at $25,000, a stacked UM/UI policy would pick up the remaining $15,000. An unstacked policy would not.

The Insurance Adjuster Who Blames You

Insurance adjusters are paid to reduce the company’s spending on claims, and they often do this by refuting that their client was to blame for an accident. Under Georgia’s comparative negligence laws, a driver who was more than 50 percent at fault can’t collect damages, and a driver who is less than 50 percent at fault can collect them. This means the insurance company only has to make a case that you were mostly at fault to win in court. Most car accident claims settle out of court, but insurance adjusters also use their own estimation of fault to convince claimants that they aren’t entitled to compensation. Sometimes we meet people who are convinced they have no case because the insurance company told them they didn’t!

Don’t let this happen to you. Although you can’t stop the insurer from trying to get out of paying your claim, you can make it harder for them to do so successfully by taking the following steps:

  • Don’t talk to the insurer until you’ve had a chance to speak with a lawyer first.
  • Don’t post about your accident on social media or any public site. Sometimes insurers will comb these apps looking for an opportunity to twist your words and claim you were at fault.
  • Never admit fault. You may not know everything that happened before your accident. Even if you did make a mistake, that doesn’t necessarily mean that it caused the accident, or that you are more than 50 percent at fault.
  • Secure the services of a qualified attorney who can negotiate with the insurance carrier on your behalf. In many cases, a car accident lawyer may be able to refute the insurer’s claims about fault or uncover more evidence to show what happened.

The CEO Lawyer Personal Injury Law Firm

When you or a loved one are facing the aftermath of a car accident, you need someone who’s on your side and willing to fight for your rights. Please contact the CEO Lawyer Personal Injury Law Firm for a free consultation at no obligation. If we take your case, there won’t be any cost to you until we win, so you don’t have to worry about how you’ll afford a lawyer. Visit us online to see how much your case is worth.

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Frequently Asked Questions

After a personal injury, you're bound to have legal questions. The CEO Lawyer Ali Awad can provide you with answers to these questions, just as he's given answers to his millions of curious social media followers. Take a look at some of the most common personal injury law questions for general information, and then reach out to one of our seasoned attorneys for specific guidance on your case!

Contact us now (833) 254-2923.

Help Negotiating with Insurance Carriers

To quickly resolve matters following an accident, insurance companies will offer you less than you deserve in compensation for your injuries. Many victims feel pressured to accept these offers as the bills begin to pile up, but that is rarely a good idea. The insurance company is looking to protect its bottom line; and will offer injured victims less than they deserve. An experienced personal injury attorney understands how to negotiate with the insurance company and can look out for your best interests by getting you the compensation you deserve after an injury. If you or a loved one has been injured in an accident, it is important to avoid negotiating or providing recorded statements to the insurance company without first seeking help from a qualified personal injury attorney.

Do You Have a Personal Injury Case?

The best way to determine if you have a personal injury case is to speak with a knowledgeable attorney. Our legal professionals have the expertise to evaluate your case and determine a strong legal strategy so that you can obtain the greatest amount of compensation possible under the law. We will enlist investigators, assistants, and other specialists to collect accident reports, speak with witnesses to your accident, and put together a plan. While you focus on your physical recovery, we will remain committed to fighting for the compensation that you deserve.

Personal Injury & Accident Firm

Accident victims have a limited time to file a personal injury lawsuit. This time period is referred to as the statute of limitations. This means that if you or a loved one has been injured in an accident, you have only two years to pursue a personal injury suit. If you wait too long to reach out to an experienced attorney, you might be forever barred from seeking the compensation you deserve.

What to Expect From Your Initial Consultation With a Personal Injury Attorney?

During your initial consultation with CEO Lawyer team, we will go over the important details of your personal injury accident, which include the nature and extent of your injuries, how your injuries have impacted your ability to earn a paycheck, the cost of your medical treatment, and whether further medical treatment will be required. We will answer any questions you might have, as well, in regards to our experience, our track record of success, and what to expect from the legal process. Many personal injury victims wonder if they will be able to afford the legal fees required to pursue a lawsuit. CEO Lawyer injury and accident attorneys will not ask for any type of upfront fee unless we are successful in obtaining compensation for you. That means that if you have been harmed in a motor vehicle accident, slip and fall accident, defective product accident, or any other type of personal injury accident, you can absolutely afford to contact our law office today for assistance. In fact, you cannot afford to wait. Reach out today. We understand that some accident victims might have already obtained the assistance of an attorney but may be dissatisfied with the services provided. We are standing by and prepared to help you change legal representation, regardless of where you are in the process.

Speak to an Experienced Personal Injury Attorney Today

If you or a loved one has been injured in any type of personal injury accident, you should not hesitate to speak with the experienced attorneys at CEO Lawyer personal injury law firm. Call, email, or fill out our online contact form today so that we can begin helping you pursue the compensation you deserve.