What If I Can’t Work After My Accident in Kentucky?

If you are involved in a car accident in Kentucky, chances are you received injuries that will keep you from working. This means you’ll be at home or in the hospital as you recover. One of your first questions will likely concern recovering lost wages.

PIP and Basic Reparation Benefits
Unless you have a disability policy, most Louisville or Kentucky personal injury cases will pay for your time off work only at the end of the case. This isn’t fair, but it is the way the law is set up. An exception to this is if you are injured in a car accident. You can collect lost wages. Under Kentucky PIP law, you can collect 80% of your lost wages up to a maximum of $200 per week. This is what is called Basic Reparation Benefits. I know, $200 a week isn’t a lot of money. It’s not going to pay for your mortgage or pay for your car payment. Unfortunately, that is what the law is in Kentucky if you have Basic Reparations Benefits.

Be accurate and honest
One thing you can do to help is to make sure that the documents you submit contain accurate information. Double-check everything. Insurance companies might use discrepancies as grounds to reduce the settlement amount. Also, amending documents over again may only make the process longer. The remainder of your lost wages will be paid for at the end of the case by the at-fault insurance company. This is when your Kentucky car accident case is settled. Anything that is not paid by PIP will be reimbursed at the end of the case. Unfortunately, this doesn’t do you a lot of good while you’re trying to pay your bills.

Talk with your insurance agent about Added Reparations Benefits
The best advice that I can give you applies if you have not been in an accident. This is preventative. There is nothing that can be done to change your insurance coverage after you have been in the accident. Talk to your insurance agent and purchase what is called Added Reparations Benefits. You may be able to raise that weekly lost-wage payment up to $1,000 a week with very little additional premium. You should also talk to your employer or an independent insurance agent about getting a disability policy that will pay for lost wages no matter how you’re injured, whether you’re in an automobile accident or injured falling at home.

A claims adjuster from the insurance agency will coordinate with you throughout the process. This person is likely to visit your workplace to conduct interviews with your employer. Understand that these people are paid so they will try and limit the claims that you will receive as much as they can. Just be cooperative and most importantly, be prepared. If you stated only the truth in the documents you turned in, then there’s no reason for you to feel intimidated. Note that the claim for lost wages is more tedious when you are self-employed or are holding a commission-based position. You might need to present additional documents such as tax returns.

Kentucky No-Fault Statute
The Kentucky No-Fault Statute was not enacted as a disability policy for Kentucky automobile accident victims. It was only put in place to supplement your wage loss. The at-fault party is responsible when the case is settled, but this can be years after the accident. Take matters into your own hands so you are not wondering how you are going to pay your bills should you be injured in a car accident. Contact a Kentucky car accident attorney with any questions.