When are you entitled to make a bodily injury claim in car accident?
You are entitled to recover for pain and suffering when someone else causes your pain. In other words, if you crash against a telephone pole, you insurance company will cover your medical bills (if you have personal injury protection), but will not cover your pain and suffering.
Now, if you cause the accident and you have a passenger, they will be entitled to make the claim against the driver’s (you) insurance company. The passenger will file this claim as a bodily injury claim against you, the driver.
The payments for injury claims will come out of the bodily injury liability coverage (you always have liability coverage for property damage and injuries if you have any auto policy). The reason is because since you cause the accident (your negligence, not the pole’s), then you are liable to your passengers (innocent people sitting in your car).
Remember that any passenger can make this claim: Your spouse, your children, and pretty much everyone else except for your dog.
Read more about bodily injury claims.
