Insurance is obviously an important resource in many areas of our lives. This is especially the case when it comes to automobile accidents. Depending on the type of accident and its impact on the motorists involved, the costs and losses that come up in the wake of a car crash can be enormous. This is especially the case when an accident involves catastrophic injuries such as paralysis or brain injury.
Each state regulates car insurance a bit differently. One of the important choices motorists here in Pennsylvania have to make is whether to choose limited tort option or full tort option insurance. The difference between the two is that the limited tort option prevents an accident victim from pursuing an action for non-economic damages unless the accident causes death, serious impairment of bodily function, or permanent and serious disfigurement, whereas full tort option does not limit an accident victim from pursuing such damages.
By contrast, the full tort option allows an accident victim to pursue a legal claim for non-economic damages for any injuries they sustain in an accident. Noneconomic damages, for those who aren’t familiar with them, are damages which cannot be readily quantified, such as pain and suffering and loss of enjoyment of life. They are contrasted with economic damages, which include things like medical costs and lost wages.
Non-economic damages can be particularly important in cases where economic damages are, for one reason or another, not representative of the losses an accident victim suffered as a result of the accident. Determining whether to purchase full tort or limited tort insurance is, therefore, an important decision since it determines the availability of non-economic damages in certain cases.
In our next post, we’ll continue speaking on this topic.