If you're riding a bike and get hit by a car in South Carolina, can you get a settlement for the accident? If so, how much? Where does the money come from? How do you pay medical bills? In this brief video, Spartanburg, South Carolina car accident attorney Rob Usry answers these questions.
Transcript
Hey folks, we're talking about South Carolina bicyclist rights. When you get hit by a car, you have the right to wonder if you can get a settlement, how much you might qualify for, and how your medical bills can get paid. So, let's answer those questions.
First, you can qualify for a settlement as long as you can prove the driver of the car is at fault or mostly at fault. If you get found at fault, don't give up; the officer could be wrong. I've had that case. To prove fault, which is called liability, you need to be familiar with South Carolina bicycle traffic safety laws.
Now, how much of a settlement can you get? Well, that's often determined by the amount of insurance coverage that's available to pay. This is a critical reason to get a South Carolina car accident attorney involved in your case because we know how to find out.
Liability Insurance Coverage
First, you need to know how much liability insurance coverage the at-fault driver has. Often, the insurance company won't tell you. Also, the crash report might yield some important information that can reveal the existence of additional liability insurance.
If the at-fault driver doesn't have enough liability insurance, you might be able to make a claim on your policy if you have a type of coverage called underinsurance. And if the at-fault driver has no liability insurance, you can also potentially fall back on your own policy, again, this time through a type of coverage called uninsured.
And here's the shocker about underinsurance and uninsured: when you try to use it, your own insurance company turns against you, defending the at-fault driver like he paid the premiums instead of you.
Now, how do you pay your medical bills? Well, if you have health insurance, Medicaid, or Medicare, use it. That's what it's for. It'll have to be paid back, but it will be a better deal for you than repaying a provider. You give the right to direct repayment from your settlement, called the lien.
Contact a Spartanburg Personal Injury Lawyer
So, when you get involved in a bicycle versus car accident, it usually spells severe injuries for a bicyclist. Don't risk not knowing how much insurance is available to pay a settlement, and don't risk shortchanging yourself by not knowing the legal factors that can increase the amount of your settlement. Call me to get your questions answered and get you on the right road to getting a settlement to fully compensate you for the amount of insurance coverage that's available or that you can possibly get.
Thank you for thinking about this with me, and I hope I see you soon.
