Bodily Injury Liability Insurance

There are two types of liability insurance: property and bodily injury liability insurance. Property damage liability pays for damage to property (usually other vehicles), and bodily injury liability insurance coverage pays for the treatment of injuries. Importantly, liability insurance covers damage caused by the at-fault driver, so if you cause the accident your liability insurance will pay for damages to the other drivers. Bodily injury claims cover not only the costs of medical treatment but also cover associated costs like transportation to the hospital and lost wages due to injury. Your bodily injury auto insurance coverage has two different numbers: a limit for payments to take care of each injured person, and a bodily injury liability per accident coverage. This means that your policy may offer $10,000 per person, but if the "per accident" amount is only $50,000 it would only cover the first $50,000 of injuries caused by the accident and the first $10,000 per person. Imagine being the cause of a multi-car pile up and you can see how these limits might be reached. Whatever your auto bodily injury liability insurance coverage does not pay for the injured people can sue you to recover the remainder.

UPDATED: Apr 10, 2023Fact Checked

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Chris Tepedino

Insurance Feature Writer

Chris Tepedino is a feature writer that has written extensively about auto insurance for numerous websites. He has a college degree in communication from the University of Tennessee and has experience reporting, researching investigative pieces, and crafting detailed, data-driven features. His works have been featured on CB Blog Nation, Flow Words, Healing Law, WIBW Kansas, and Cinncinati.com. ...

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Jeffrey Johnson

Insurance Lawyer

Jeffrey Johnson is a legal writer with a focus on personal injury. He has worked on personal injury and sovereign immunity litigation in addition to experience in family, estate, and criminal law. He earned a J.D. from the University of Baltimore and has worked in legal offices and non-profits in Maryland, Texas, and North Carolina. He has also earned an MFA in screenwriting from Chapman Univer...

Insurance Lawyer

UPDATED: Apr 10, 2023

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UPDATED: Apr 10, 2023

Advertiser Disclosure

It’s all about you. We want to help you make the right coverage choices.

Advertiser Disclosure: We strive to help you make confident insurance decisions. Comparison shopping should be easy. We partner with top insurance providers. This doesn’t influence our content. Our opinions are our own.

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