Injured as A Passenger in A Car Accident

If you were injured as a passenger in a car accident, you may find yourself overwhelmed with medical expenses. If you are injured so severely you are unable to work, you may also be losing wages. At Springer & Lyle, we assist injured passengers in collecting their damages.

Collecting from Your Driver

In Texas, all drivers are required to carry auto insurance that will cover the medical expenses and other losses of their passengers if the passengers are injured in a car accident. This is true even if the driver was the one at fault for the accident. The issue of fault is not supposed to interfere with compensation for the passenger under personal injury protection (PIP) coverage.

There may be a problem if the portion of coverage for injured passengers is not enough to cover your medical expenses. If this happens, you may have a claim against the driver for additional damages. This option may not be available to you if the driver was a family member who has included you as an insured person on their policy. The policy will need to be reviewed.

Collecting from the Other Driver

You may collect from the other driver’s insurance if you can prove the other driver was at fault for the accident. This is sometimes difficult to do when both drivers claim the other driver was at fault. If it is proven that both drivers share fault, you should be able to collect a proportionate amount from the other driver’s insurance.

Insurance Companies May Blame the Passenger

It is rare for a passenger to be at fault for an accident but there are situations where an insurance company may deny your claim for compensation. If the driver of the vehicle you were riding in is proven to be drunk and at fault for the accident, the insurance company may deny your claim for compensation if it can prove that you knew the driver was under the influence and incapable of driving safely when you chose to get into the car.

How a Personal Injury Attorney Can Help

There are many ways in which a personal injury attorney can help in times like this. You need to know your rights as a passenger, what types of damages you may be entitled to receive, and how to go about filing a claim or lawsuit against those responsible for your injuries.

The personal injury attorneys at Springer & Lyle can help you collect the reasonable compensation you are entitled to for your injuries, lost wages, medical expenses, pain and suffering, and other physical damage. Contact us at 940.387.0404 for a free consultation.