personal injury protection insurance accidents

Personal Injury Protection (PIP) Insurance for Car Accidents

At Peterson Chiropractic, auto injury chiropractor services are some of our top and most popular solutions. For those who have experienced whiplash or other injuries as a result of a car accident, we provide fantastic chiropractic care services to help decrease discomfort and aid in your healthy, speedy recovery.

We often receive questions from auto accident victims interested in our chiropractic care regarding insurance coverage. One of the most common formats utilized here is known as PIP, or Personal Injury Protection. What is this form of insurance, is it required, and what does it cover? Here’s a primer on everything you need to know about PIP coverage and its use for accident victims.

PIP Basics and Comparisons to Other Insurance Types

Personal injury protection insurance is a form of car insurance that’s directly designed to provide coverage for accident-related medical expenses. It is offered in 21 states and required in 13 (more on these below).

In many cases, PIP will be referred to as “no-fault” insurance, such as in states with no-fault laws like Florida or New York. In these states, drivers must maintain certain minimum amounts of PIP to drive legally.

Areas Covered

What are the potential areas covered by PIP? They’re wide-ranging and remain no matter who is at fault, with possible benefits in several areas:

  • Medical bills, expenses and other fees resulting from a car crash, regardless of who caused it – including areas like chiropractic care and other treatments.
  • Coverage for tasks or services you can no longer perform in your daily life, from driving to cleaning, child care and more.
  • Coverage for lost wages due to injuries you experienced during the accident that force you away from work for any period of time.
  • Coverage for funeral costs if a car accident leads to death.
  • Small death benefit cash payouts.

Generally speaking, PIP will cover both the holder of the policy and other family members in her or his household. In addition, passengers in a vehicle or others driving the policyholder’s car with their permission may be covered, and PIP often extends to rides in other cars or pedestrian/cyclist injuries.

State Requirements

As we noted above, 21 states (plus Washington, DC) offer PIP. In 13 of these, including Utah, there is a legal requirement from the state to carry a certain minimum amount of PIP to be a licensed driver.

Utah’s minimum coverage required is $3,000, the lowest of any state that requires PIP coverage. The others on this list are: Delaware, Florida, Hawaii, Kansas, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, New Jersey, New York, North Dakota, Oregon and Pennsylvania.

For more on PIP coverage for auto accident injuries, or to learn about any of our whiplash treatments or other chiropractic services, speak to the staff at Peterson Chiropractic today.

Peterson Chiropractic is led by Doctor Bradley Peterson, who grew up in Davis County and attended the University of Utah.