Help! Does Auto Insurance Cover A Pedestrian Getting Hit By A Car?

Statistically, 4,884 people were killed in the year 2014 in auto accidents involving vehicles and pedestrians. This means that every single day of the year there are roughly 12 people killed in vehicle and pedestrian related accidents. While the number of fatalities is slightly lower than it was a decade ago, there are still more than 65,000 pedestrians reported injured in automobile accidents every year. The question is – what kind of insurance coverage do pedestrians have? Will car insurance cover someone involved in an automobile accident who wasn't actually in a car?

How Does Insurance Work In This Situation?

Typically, injured pedestrians are covered via their health insurance and/or their disability insurance. If the pedestrian who was injured was working at the time of the accident, he/she may also be covered via worker's compensation insurance. It is, however, also possible for a pedestrian to be covered via auto insurance.

How Would Auto Insurance Cover This?

In this situation, the pedestrian would file a claim against the auto liability insurance of the driver. Just about every state in the U.S. requires drivers to carry liability insurance in order to cover personal and property damages of third parties.

If you live in a state that is considered a "no-fault" state, it would require insurance companies to pay for lost wages and medical expenses regardless of who caused the accident. This insurance is called personal injury protection. It is more commonly referred to as PIP insurance.

If you live in a no-fault state, the law may require you to pay for the medical expenses of the pedestrian up to the limit of your PIP insurance. Unfortunately, this can be a requirement in certain states regardless of if the pedestrian caused the accident. In some states, such as New Jersey, a pedestrian can receive payment from a state-mandated fund if he/she is hit by a vehicle and doesn't carry insurance. In the state of New Jersey, this fund is called the Unsatisfied Claim and Judgment Fund.

Should You Get a Lawyer?

If you are ever involved in an accident involving a pedestrian and an automobile, it is in your best interest to reach out to a lawyer. State laws vary pretty greatly when it comes to pedestrian-related auto accidents, and you want to make sure you receive any compensation you are entitled to after the accident occurs. You may even want to talk to your lawyer about the possibility of a personal injury case as well. For more information, check out a website like http://www.danielgoodmanlaw.com.