Minnesota Motorcycle Insurance Lawyer
Have Questions or Issues With Your Insurance After a Crash? Our Attorneys Will Help.
Dealing with medical bills after any accident is already challenging. If you have been injured in a motorcycle accident in Minnesota, getting medical bills paid is even more complicated. This is because MN treats motorcycles differently than cars. Our motorcycle accident injury lawyers help people with medical bills every day.
How Medical Bills Are Paid After a Crash
If you are injured while riding your motorcycle, the first place to look is your own motorcycle insurance policy. You need to find out if you purchased motorcycle accident medical coverage. In MN, medical coverage is required for every auto policy, but it is only optional for a motorcycle insurance policy. Therefore, you have to specifically request and pay for medical coverage on your motorcycle before you are in an accident. For riders who have medical coverage, it will often pay the first $20,000 in medical bills from your motorcycle accident.
But what if you don’t have medical coverage for your motorcycles? (Unfortunately, many motorcycle drivers don’t.) If you don’t have medical coverage on your motorcycle insurance, your health insurance will still pay your medical bills. However, that doesn’t mean the driver who hit you is not responsible.
If the accident was caused because a car hit your motorcycle or turned in front of you, the insurance for the car is ultimately responsible for your medical bills as well. In that situation, your health insurance will pay the medical bills first. However, the auto insurance for the car that hit you will reimburse your health insurance when you settle your case. You will also be reimbursed for any co-pays or deductibles for your medical bills.
What Minnesota’s State Law Says About Motorcycle Insurance
Minn.Stat. Sec. 65B.48 Subd. 5 regarding motorcycle coverage states:
“(a) Every owner of a motorcycle shall provide and maintain security for the payment of tort liabilities arising out of the maintenance or use of the motorcycle in this state.
At the time an application for motorcycle insurance without personal injury protection coverage is completed, there must be attached to the application a separate form containing a written notice that states:
“Under Minnesota law, a policy of motorcycle coverage issued in the State of Minnesota must provide liability coverage only. There is no requirement that the policy provide personal injury protection (PIP) coverage in the case of injury sustained by the insured. Therefore, no PIP coverage provided by an automobile insurance policy you may have in force will extend to provide coverage in the event of a motorcycle accident.””
That is not a very clear warning. Also, it is not very informative about coverage of medical bills after a Minnesota motorcycle crash. The truth is, you are far more likely to be injured in an accident if you are riding a motorcycle than if you are sitting in a car.
What Is Optional No-Fault Motorcycle Coverage?
A motorcycle has less insurance protection than a “motor vehicle” in MN’s no-fault laws. Therefore, the motorcyclist often has limited medical and wage loss benefits after an accident. Bikers can buy MN no-fault insurance for motorcycle injury accidents, but they need to ask for it. It does not automatically come with the motorcycle insurance policy the way it does with automobile policies. Bikers especially should understand the importance of having no-fault insurance to pay medical bills.
The optional PIP/No Fault Benefits that you can purchase provide $500 per week in lost wages and $20,000 in medical expenses. It may not seem like a big deal, but the premium cost is pretty modest to buy this coverage. Of course, the benefits can be very helpful if you are in a bad accident. At a minimum, you should discuss the cost with your insurance agent before declining the motorcycle insurance medical coverage.
The insurance company must offer you medical insurance for a motorcycle accident. However, that doesn’t mean they have to encourage you to get it, or even explain its importance to you. Our top motorcycle accident lawyers in MN have represented many people who later wished they had purchased insurance to cover their medical bills.
Compensation Without No-Fault Coverage
Even if you don’t have No-Fault coverage for your motorcycle accident injury, our top personal injury attorneys for a motorcycle passenger can help. We will get you compensation from the insurance for the car that hit your motorcycle or the driver of the bike you were on.
Compensation starts with making sure your medical bills are paid and your bike is fixed or replaced. However, that is just the start. You may have lost income after the motorcycle accident, and your earnings may be permanently reduced. In addition, there is compensation for scars, pain and suffering, and future needs. Our motorcycle lawyers will make sure you are as fully compensated as possible.
Our motorcycle accident lawyers will contact law enforcement, witnesses, and your doctors to make sure your case is solid. Our attorneys focus on making sure your medical bills are paid, and you receive all other possible compensation. Compensation when you are injured in a motorcycle accident includes lost wages, future medical expenses, and pain and suffering.
Other Insurance Claim Scenarios
Protection for Injured Passengers
If you are a passenger on a motorcycle, you have rights as well. You are more likely to have access to No-Fault insurance to pay for your medical bills. A motorcycle passenger injured in an accident can bring a claim against the insurance of the driver of their bike as well as the car that hit them. Again, this may require significant investigation. Therefore, please contact our motorcycle accident injury lawyer in MN as soon as possible.
Motorcycle vs. Motorcycle Crashes
If you are on a motorcycle and hit by another motorcycle, our lawyers can help. We understand the insurance issues. Of course, you don’t want to sue the other motorcycle rider. However, they have insurance that will help with medical bills and more. In our experience, a motorcycle rider who hits another motorcycle wants to help. A motorcycle accident lawyer in MN will protect your rights and make sure you receive the compensation you are entitled to.
Work With Our Expert Motorcycle Accident Lawyers
If you have been injured in a motorcycle crash and have questions about how to get your medical bills paid, call us. You can talk to a top motorcycle accident lawyer for a free consultation. Our lawyers have over 25 years’ experience helping accident victims throughout MN. The starting point in every case is getting the medical bills paid. We will help with that and more.
It is always a good idea to talk to your agent and read your motorcycle insurance policy every year. You should make sure it has the coverage you expect and need. You want to be covered if you ever are in a motorcycle accident. If you are injured in an accident on a motorcycle, please call us. A MN motorcycle accident injury lawyer can discuss your particular situation and advise you of your rights. Click here for more information from the Minnesota Department of Transportation website.