Continuation from April, 2010 blog—more coverage definitions:

Bodily Injury Liability:  Covers other people’s body injuries or death for which you are responsible.  It also provides for a legal defense if another party in the accident files a lawsuit against you.  Claims for bodily injury may be for such things as medical bills, loss of income or pain and suffering.  In the event of a serious accident, you want enough insurance to cover a judgment against you in a lawsuit to ensure your personal assets won’t be jeopardized. Bodily injury liability covers injury to people, not vehicles; therefore, it is a good idea to have the same level of coverage for all your cars.  Bodily Injury Liability does NOT cover injuries to you or other people on your policy.  Coverage is limited to the terms and conditions contained in the policy.

Personal Injury Protection (PIP):  Covers within the specified limits (often, up to $10,000 or three years, whichever comes first), the medical, hospital and funeral expenses of the insured, others in his/her vehicle and pedestrians or bicyclists struck by the insured’s vehicle.  It will also cover a portion of the lost income, within specific limits, of the covered parties listed above.  PIP is only available in certain states, Washington State being one of them.

Adapted from an article from CarInsurance.com – 05/14/2009

Next – Continuation of coverage definitions of car insurance.

Law Offices of Buckland & Schumm, P.S.  We offer free consultations and have over 27 years of experience EXCLUSIVELY in personal injury law, with a long history of success helping accident victims understand their legal rights.