If you lose money from your job or business because of injuries you sustained in an auto accident, you can sue the liable party for reimbursement. Unfortunately, you won't actually get the cash until after your case resolves, which can put you in a financial bind if you don't have any savings to cover your bills while you're unable to work. If you're trying to figure out how to keep the lights on while you litigate your case, here are a couple of options you may want to pursue.
File a Claim with Your PIP Insurance
Personal Injury Protection (PIP) insurance is designed to provide insurance holders a quick and easy way to get immediately reimbursed for certain losses and expenses rather have to wait months for an auto accident lawsuit to end. One loss this part of your auto insurance policy will cover is lost wages. Typically, all you'll need to do is fill out a form provided by the insurance company and submit it along with evidence of the money you're out due to the accident. It will typically take around 30 days (depending on where you live) for the insurance company to review your request and cut you a check if you're approved.
While this can help you get money to cover your bills sooner than if you wait for your case to settle, be aware the insurance company may ask for reimbursement when you win your case. This is because the liable party is responsible for paying your lost wages and the insurance company wants to get the money it fronted you from the defendant. If it doesn't go after the defendant directly for the cash, then your provider will typically ask you to repay the money if the payment for lost wages was included in any monetary award you recover from the defendant. Thus, it's important to plan for this possibility when calculating how much you're likely to receive when the case ends.
File for Disability Coverage
Injuries that impairs your ability to work in the short or long term may qualify you to receive disability benefits through either Social Security or disability insurance. It may take a little more time and effort to obtain money from these resources. However, you could potentially get additional cash above and beyond the wages you lost because you were unable to work. For instance, Social Security disability may send you monthly payments for several years if your injury is so severe you can't work as much as you used to or at all.
Again, though, some disability insurance plans and programs may require you to reimburse them when you win your case, so be sure to read the fine print before pursuing applying for benefits.
For more advice on supplementing your income while litigating your auto accident case, contact personal injury attorneys like those at Prediletto, Halpin, Scharnikow & Nelson, P.S.
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