If you suffer an injury due to the negligence of another driver, that driver is usually legally required to pay for your medical expenses. However, negligence laws in the state of Maryland may make it challenging to recover damages for some auto accidents.
Purchasing personal injury protection and medical payments insurance provides an extra layer of protection for Maryland drivers injured in car accidents.
What are personal injury protection and medical payments coverage?
Maryland law requires all drivers to purchase a minimum of $2,500 in personal injury protection coverage. This coverage reimburses policyholders for medical expenses and lost wages that result from an auto accident, up to the limits of the coverage. This coverage applies no matter who caused the accident. Medical payments coverage is similar to PIP coverage, but it only pays for medical or funeral expenses.
Reasons to consider PIP and MedPay
Maryland operates under a negligence standard called contributory negligence. This means that any person who contributes at all to their own damages in a car accident cannot collect from the other party, even if the other party is significantly more at fault. This can make recovering damages from an at-fault party difficult because few accidents are solely caused by one driver with absolutely no contribution from the other.
The application of the contributory negligence standard in Maryland makes it a tough choice to rely solely on collecting damages from the at-fault party when you sustain injuries in a car crash. Purchasing PIP and MedPay coverages can protect your financial interests and help ensure that you and your family members receive adequate medical care after an accident.
