First of all, if you have been injured in a car accident you will need to fill out a form from your auto insurance company called a PIP application. PIP stands for Personal Injury Protection. This form allows the insurance company to see if your pain is related to the car accident. Second, you will need your chart notes to confirm that you have injuries from the accident. The notes we take in our clinic are very detailed and will document where your injures are and how they are related to the accident.- you are covered for all accident related injuries.
- you are covered for up to $10,000 in medical bills if you have a PIP insurance policy in Washington State (this is through your own car insurance company)
- you are covered up to $25,000 from the at-fault person's insurance (the person who caused the accident). This assumes that they have car insurance.
- if the person who hit you did not have car insurance, then your own insurance company should cover your bills through something called "uninsured motorist" coverage. You have to prove the other driver who hit you did not have car insurance for this to take place.
- you are covered until your insurance company gets a second opinion from a different doctor of their choosing to evaluate if you are still injured from the car accident. These types of doctor visits are called an IME or Independent Medical Examination. In my experience (after 20 years in practice), when your insurance company picks a doctor for you to go see for an IME, that doctor always says you are all better and no more treatment is required. Sometimes your insurance company never asks for you to go to an IME doctor but sometimes it can be as quick as a few months post-accident.
If you feel you have been mistreated by your insurance company, make a formal complaint to your local State Insurance Commissioner. They can often help you. Or, just talk to a personal injury lawyer.
If you need help with figuring out your auto insurance or health insurance coverage, please give our office a call, we can help you.
Dr. Wade Burbank, Chiropractor *
6403 NE 117th Ave #108
Vancouver WA 98662
ph 360-567-1739
www.chiropractorvancouverwa.com
*20 year specialist in treating car accident injuries, work place injuries, and neck and back pain.