Will My Insurance Costs Go up If I File a Personal Injury Claim?

On Behalf of | Feb 10, 2017 | Car Accidents

Maybe you’ve had a fender bender, and while the car only got a scratch, somehow you suffered a broken ankle, whiplash or other injury.

Even if you decided that filing a claim with your insurance for the car repair wasn’t worth it, you might be staring at several thousand in bills for the emergency room. You’ve heard that if you file a claim on your auto insurance for the doctor visits, your premium might go up? Is that true?

At-Fault or No-Fault

Colorado is a no-fault state. That means that for minor injuries that were received in an auto accident that resulted in bills for under $25,000, those medical bills should be covered by your required auto insurance, no matter if you or the other driver were at-fault.

Basically, this reduces the number of court cases created by personal injury claims, which saves money for the insurance industry. However, it does not mean that your premium won’t increase if you file for personal injury.

If more significant injuries are received, your insurance companies may complete an investigation on who may have been negligent. If you are determined to be the one who was more than 50% responsible for the accident, you won’t likely receive any payments from your insurance.

Should I File a Claim?

If you are facing large medical bills, filing a claim and paying potentially higher premiums may be the right choice as it reduces the amount of cash taken out of your pocket right this instant.

It also helps to protect you against injuries that may have been suffered by the other party. If either party received significant injuries, you may also want to contact an attorney experienced in personal injury law to provide guidance and assistance while protecting your interests, not that of your insurance company.

Attorney Chadwick P. McGrady at his desk