I received a phone call yesterday from a potential client that I just shook my head after I hung up the phone. I was asked this question:

How do I get my $10,000.00? I was in a car wreck yesterday
and I need my money.

This question disturbed me so I inquired further and asked how the accident happened and what the injuries were. The reply was that there was no injury they just wanted their car wreck money.    I get a similar question from someone just about every week. The motive is usually not as clearly for money. It is usually just a lack of understanding of the Kentucky PIP statute and how it actually applies to a Kentucky car accident.

There are bus ads and television commercials you see everyday telling you that if you have been in a car accident you are entitled to $10,000.00. These ads are not lies but they do not tell you the whole truth. They make you believe that there is this magical pot of money waiting for you if you have been involved in a Kentucky car accident.

There is $10,000.00 of benefits available but it is not just because you have been in a car accident. They are there if you have been hurt! Not just because you were in a wreck. A car accident is not hitting the lottery. It is not a way to pay off your bills and put your kids through college. There is not a client I represent who wouldn’t give the money back if they could only be the way they were before the accident.

There are several names for this $10,000.00. It is called:

• PIP Benefits

• No-Fault Benefits

• Basic Reparation Benefits

• Added Reparation Benefits (If you are lucky and have a good insurance agent that has advised you of the availability of these in Kentucky)

The Kentucky No-Fault Statute was enacted by our legislature to make sure that motor vehicle accident victims would receive the medical care they need without being hassled by the insurance company of the car that hit them. I will not go into all of the different benefits here, as I  have written many blogs and a book that thoroughly covers this subject. Basically you are entitled to have your first $10,000.00 of medical bills and or loss wages paid(at a maximum of $200.00 per week). This is money to ensure you get the treatment and care that you need paid by your own insurance company. It doesn’t matter whether the accident was your fault or not. You can still go to the doctor. It is not a windfall, it is a method to ensure accident victims get the treatment and medical care they need.

The next time you see one of the commercials offering $10,000.00 for your car accident you can say I know what that money is really for. There is no give away or lottery. This is money to make sure the injured accident victim gets the medical treatment they need.

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