What to do when car crash injuries mean that you can’t work

On Behalf of | Feb 2, 2022 | Motor Vehicle Accidents

Car crashes occur in California every single day. While most crashes only cause property damage or minor injuries, collisions can cause catastrophic, life-altering injuries as well. Some of the worst car crash injuries include spinal cord injuries, amputations, severe fractures and traumatic brain injuries.

Unlike bruises, scrapes and simple fractures, these injuries could cause permanent symptoms that do not respond to treatment. They may even prevent you from ever going back to work again. What can you do to support yourself and your loved ones if you can no longer work because of a car crash?

Insurance can help those with big crash costs

Every driver in California has to provide proof of liability insurance coverage when they register their vehicle. It is not legal to drive without insurance in California, but the sad truth is that some people do get behind the wheel despite a lack of insurance.

For every uninsured driver on the road, there are numerous other drivers without adequate insurance. California only requires $15,000 in bodily injury liability coverage if a person hurts one person. Although that increases the $30,000 of coverage in a crash that affects two or more people, those amounts are often far less than what you need just for emergency medical care, to say nothing of your lost wages.

What happens when insurance isn’t enough?

If the other driver’s liability insurance isn’t enough to reimburse you for your losses, then you need to look at your other options for compensation. The younger you are or the higher your income is, the more lost wages you will have because of this injury. Some people will have coverage on their own insurance policy that helps, like underinsured and uninsured motorist protection.

A civil lawsuit is an option if you can show that the other driver was negligent while driving. Third-party liability could also help. In some cases, you could potentially file a civil lawsuit against someone other than the other driver. A mechanic who failed to repair a vehicle properly, leading to an issue that caused the crash might have insurance to reimburse you or be vulnerable to lawsuits.