PIP Benefits Owed Before Any Fault Is Argued

Maryland auto insurers must provide personal injury protection benefits unless the coverage is waived or rejected. These benefits come from the insurer’s own policy, separate from any claim against the other driver. The sections below show who qualifies, what the minimum covers, and where the limits sit.

Maryland Insurers Must Provide Personal Injury Protection

Section 19-505 of the Maryland Insurance Article requires insurers that issue motor vehicle liability policies in the state to provide medical, hospital, and disability benefits. The benefit is known as personal injury protection, or PIP. It applies unless the coverage was waived or rejected in the way the statute describes.

The Statute Covers More Than the Policyholder

The section lists who is covered:

• The first named insured and resident family members, when injured in any motor vehicle accident
• People injured while using the insured vehicle with the named insured’s permission
• Guests and passengers occupying the insured vehicle
• Pedestrians injured in an accident involving the insured vehicle

Family members stay covered even when the other vehicle is uninsured or unidentified.

The Minimum Benefit Has Three Parts

The statute’s minimum includes up to $2,500 for these items:

• Reasonable and necessary accident-related medical expenses, incurred within three years of the crash
• Eighty-five percent of income lost within three years, for injured people who were earning income
• Reimbursement for essential family-maintenance services, for injured people who were not earning income

An insurer may require reasonable medical proof of the injury that caused the lost income.

Exclusions and Waivers Can Change the Picture

Insurers may exclude benefits for a person who intentionally causes the accident, knowingly rides in or drives a stolen vehicle, or is hurt while committing a felony. Coverage can also be waived under a separate section of the statute, so the declarations page shows whether the benefit applies.

Motorcycles, mopeds, and motor scooters get different treatment. An insurer may exclude the economic-loss benefits for them or offer the benefits with deductibles. Riders can ask a Glen Burnie motorcycle accident lawyer how that rule fits their own policy.

A Policy Can Look Complete Until a Claim Tests It

A policy may appear to include everything until a claim exposes a waiver or an exclusion. Coverage depends on the policy. Drivers can ask a Glen Burnie car accident lawyer to read the declarations page alongside the statute before relying on any benefit.

The Three-Year Window Makes Careful Records Important

The statute measures the medical-expense and lost-income benefits within three years of the accident. Keeping bills, pay records, and treatment dates organized from the start makes it easier to show that expenses fell inside that window.

Insurers may ask for proof before paying lost income. Written records of every conversation and letter help when dealing with insurance companies after a crash. A short log with dates is enough.

The Minimum Isn’t the Full Measure of a Loss

Up to $2,500 won’t cover every bill after a serious crash. Injuries that lead to surgery, long recovery, or permanent limits can produce losses well beyond that figure. In those cases, a Glen Burnie catastrophic injury lawyer looks at the full cost of care and lost earning ability, not only the minimum benefit.

Compensation for pain and suffering is a separate question from PIP. Maryland’s rules on pain-and-suffering damages set out how that part of a claim is treated.

How Long a Claim Takes

PIP benefits are one piece of a larger recovery. Drivers planning around the timeline can look at how long settlement takes in Maryland. The timeline depends on the injuries and on the insurers involved.

How We Handle Glen Burnie Crash Claims

At KBD Attorneys, we represent people hurt in car accidents and other serious injury cases throughout Maryland. Attorney Reza Davani has secured jury trial verdicts across Maryland in cases that include motor vehicle collisions, and he was selected as a Super Lawyer from 2023 through 2026. Our team also includes Brian Ketterer, Justin Browne, Michael Appel, and Robert Price, who handle catastrophic injury and personal injury matters.

Injured clients who need broader help can turn to a Glen Burnie personal injury lawyer to look at every source of recovery, from PIP to the other driver’s liability coverage. The review also covers any other policy that may apply.

Where to Start With Your Policy

Policies differ in which coverages were selected and which were waived, and only the declarations page shows the choices. Anyone hurt in a crash who isn’t sure what a policy provides can reach out to us with a copy of that page, and a Glen Burnie car accident lawyer can read it with the statute in hand.