Media post: After a Car Accident: The Hidden Impact These Events Can Have

Car accidents can cause serious trauma when they occur. However, the aftermath can also devastate someone’s life. There are always ways that it can cause various headaches and necessary adjustments. 

In this article, we’ll spend some time talking about the hidden impact that car accidents can have after the dust has settled. Let’s start by going over PIP insurance.

What Does PIP Insurance Cover After a Car Wreck?

PIP insurance also sometimes goes by the term “no-fault insurance.” If you get in an accident in a state that has a no-fault policy, then you must carry it. There’s a minimum amount you must legally have to drive a car.

This type of insurance kicks in after the accident, regardless of whether you caused it or the other driver did. PIP insurance covers as much as 80% of your medical expenses, which you will certainly like to hear in the aftermath. However, just because it covers the majority of it, that does not mean it covers everything. If you have $1,000 in medical bills after a car accident in a no-fault state, then you might still have to pay $200 of that.

If you have much larger medical bills, such as if you need surgery after the crash or months of physical therapy, that money can add up in a hurry. You might not think about it when you’re telling the police what happened right after the collision, but you must deal with those costs in the coming weeks and months. 

What Might Happen if You Don’t Have Much Money in Savings?

To continue with that same scenario, if you get in a car accident in a no-fault state, and your PIP insurance does not cover all of your medical expenses, then you might find yourself in dire financial straits if you’re on the hook for bills costing hundreds or thousands of dollars. For some people, that’s not such an onerous burden. But what if you’re struggling financially when you get in an accident? Maybe you’ll have a hard time coming up with the money to pay those bills.

If so, you might need to talk to the hospital or doctor’s office that treated you to ask if you can set up an incremental payment plan. Maybe they will take pity on you if you explain that you’re already having a hard time paying for your rent, utility bills, etc. 

In some cases, the hospital might even let you pay less money on your bill and forgive the rest if you plead poverty. You can’t count on that happening, though, so you might have those bills hanging over you for months after the wreck.   

The Psychological Impact Also Comes into Play

Let’s take that same situation a step further. You get in a car accident and your PIP insurance does not cover all of those costly medical expenses. You must also miss some work while you’re recovering. Maybe you have the sort of job where you must physically leave the house. You can’t work from home like some people can. 

If so, then your PIP insurance should also cover some of your lost wages. That’s a real lifesaver in this scenario. However, like paying for your medical bills, PIP insurance will probably not cover all of the take-home pay you traditionally make. It will only cover the majority of it.

While getting 80% of your take-home pay doubtless helps you, you’re still trying to get by with less money than you normally have. This stresses your household in notable ways. For example, maybe you’re one of two adults in the home who makes money that you collectively count on to pay for food, rent, and bills. Now, while you don’t have as much cash coming in, your spouse or partner must work more. 

That will likely cause them stress. They might feel resentful that you caused the accident. Even if you didn’t cause it, and the other driver did, your spouse or partner may irrationally blame you. They know you didn’t actually cause what happened, but when they’re putting in sixty-hour weeks, that may not make much of a difference to them. 

In this situation, they might start snapping at you or act differently when they come home. You won’t appreciate it much, and you two might argue. If you have kids, they may realize there’s additional tension at home, and they’ll might mope around at school or get into conflicts with other children. 

These Worst-Case Scenarios Sometimes Occur

This seems like a worst-case scenario, and many times, what we’re talking about doesn’t happen. The family might pull together to get through this difficult time, and you might all support each other wonderfully. There’s nothing that says a family will wilt when there’s outside pressure that impacts all of you in this way.

What we’re describing doesn’t seem so farfetched, though. It’s not hyperbole to say that a car accident can have waves of repercussions that continue for months or years after the initial event. 

In this same scenario we’ve described, the negative feelings can become so bad between the adults in the household that they might divorce each other or break up and go their separate ways. If you can’t ever return to the same job you had because of lingering injuries from the car accident, then you might also have lingering self-esteem issues. 

You might feel like you’re not worth as much because you can’t do the same kind of work anymore. Maybe you must get out of your profession entirely. You might have to think of some other kind of work you can do, and that kind of soul searching and recalibration can take time. 

To avoid these kinds of worst-case scenarios, attempt to maintain your composure in the months after a car wreck. Try to do all you can to promote positive energy. Hopefully, your support network will help you eventually get back on your feet.