What to do if Your PIP Coverage Denies Your Claim
Oregon car accidents happen too frequently, and more than 40,000 crashes occur annually. Recently, the Oregon Department of Transportation reported that more than 500 reported crashes were fatal, and over 23,700 crashes resulted in injuries.
Oregon car insurance laws require car insurers to provide Personal Injury Protection (PIP) coverage. This insurance coverage pays out benefits when you are injured in any car, or if a car injures you while you are a pedestrian (i.e. walking or riding a bike). PIP is a critical form of insurance that is the first way to pay for car-accident-related medical bills and wage loss.
However, it is not always the most straightforward task to get your PIP insurer to pay for the benefits you are owed. In this situation, when your PIP insurer is trying to deny your medical or wage loss benefits, having the help of an attorney can be advantageous for you in responding and fighting to get the compensation you are entitled to. The Portland PIP denial lawyers at Rosenbaum Law Group can assist you when facing pushback from your PIP insurance provider.
Responding to a PIP Claim Denial in Oregon
The first thing to understand is the importance of PIP. It is the first safety net that car-accident-victims rely upon to pay medical bills and wage loss (if they are disabled and unable to work their regular job for fourteen or more calendar days). The second thing to remember is that Oregon law requires each auto insurance policy to provide PIP and that coverage can extend in unique ways to insure you, even if the auto insurance policy is not one you personally paid for. Third, it’s important to remember that if you were the individual who paid for the insurance policy and you need the benefits, that you did not pay those benefits as a donation to your insurance company: it was a down payment you made so that if you ever need your insurance, those benefits will be available to help you. Finally, most people want to know about premium increases; using your PIP coverage when another party causes your accident and injuries should not lead to an increase in insurance premiums.
Still, even though you paid for your coverage, and deserve the benefits you paid for, doesn’t mean the PIP insurance company is going to make it easy for you to obtain your benefits. It is not uncommon for an insurance company to wrongly deny PIP benefits to a claimant.
Such a denial can be incredibly problematic because PIP can pay for medical bills and lost wages, and it can also pay for essential services, childcare costs, and death benefits. The financial burden you face after a crash can be substantial if your coverage refuses to kick in and help. You could not only suffer physical bodily harm but financial ruin as well.
Depending upon the length of your disability, you may be owed up to 52 weeks of pay for the time you must take away from work when injured (or more if multiple PIP policies provide coverage). Additionally, if you have medical bills, PIP must pay them if they are reasonable in amount and the treatment was necessary to address injuries the car crash caused. It is imperative that when the insurance company denies you the full benefits you are owed or denies your claim outright, you have legal support to help you protect your legal rights and financial interests.
Speak to an Oregon PIP Denial Attorney Today
You may already be distressed and frustrated after an accident that caused you physical bodily harm, and rightfully so. Having to also deal with an uncooperative insurance company behaving unfairly and denying you the benefits you are owed can worsen your situation. Let an attorney at Rosenbaum Law Group fight for you and make things right.
For more information, please call a Portland, OR, personal injury attorney at Rosenbaum Law Group today at (503) 288-8000 to schedule a free consultation to discuss your case.
