Kansas is one of 12 states in the country that requires all registered drivers to be covered by their own personal injury protection (PIP) insurance. This is a no-fault type of insurance so it doesn’t matter who causes an auto crash, although if you were responsible it might make your premium higher next time you extend your insurance. PIP insurance is not infinite and only covers you for relatively minor injuries up to the level you insured yourself for.
If you are more seriously injured, or your car is damaged, which isn’t unlikely in an auto accident, you will need to file a personal injury claim or lawsuit against the other driver involved assuming that he or she was at fault. If you are forced to step outside the no-fault rules in Kansas, you will find that it is sensible to use an experienced personal injury attorney to help you.
Kansas Auto Liability Insurance Rules
The state insurance rules in Kansas cover accidents that you cause as well as accidents caused by someone else. The rules are as follows. Every registered driver must hold a minimum of:
- personal injury protection insurance of $4,500 for medical costs, $900 per month for up to a year for loss of earnings, $25 per day for support in your own home if you need it because of your injuries, $2,000 funeral expenses if you die, $4,500 for rehabilitation;
- personal liability insurance (if you hit someone else) of $50,000 per accident or $25,000 per person;
- $25,000 liability insurance for damage to someone else’s vehicle;
- $25,000 liability cover per person if hit by an uninsured / underinsured driver;
- $50,000 liability cover per accident if hit by an uninsured / underinsured driver.
PIP Insurance Provisions in Kansas
Note that PIP by itself only covers fairly minimal medical costs, although the state mandated minimum amount is just that – a minimum. You can take out a higher insurance amount for any of the components listed above, but this is going to mean a higher premium.
The alternative if you are faced by a big bill for medical costs is to file a personal injury claim against the other driver, but in that case you will need to prove that he or she was at fault. Similarly, if you can’t work, you will only receive $900 a month to replace lost earnings.
How a PI Lawyer Can Help if Hit in Kansas
If you have anything other than minor injuries in an auto accident in Kansas or need to recover the full cost of your lost earnings or the damage done to your vehicle, you should contact a personal injury attorney to see what your legal options are. A personal injury claim filed with the other driver’s insurance provider will be the main option.
You will need to have enough proof that the accident was caused by that driver. The standard of proof of monetary and non monetary requirements is typically much higher in a personal injury claim than the average no-fault claim. Fill out the Free Case Evaluation to be connected to a lawyer that takes cases in your area today!
