We all have seen how a car accident can change someone’s life instantly. From their physical stability to their financial ability, everything suffers just because of an accident. Some may get long-term disability or some short-term, yet it’s a pitiful situation. From injuries and medical bills to lost workdays, the aftermath can be very serious and overwhelming.
However, we have some good news for you that you’re in Calgary, Alberta. Here, your car insurance likely includes accident benefits coverage, financial protection. These are specifically designed to support the victim after an accident, whether they were at fault or not.
Let’s understand everything that you should know about accidental insurance coverage in Alberta:
- What does it include?
- How to make an accident benefit claim?
- How to make sure you receive the full support you’re entitled to?
What Is Accident Benefits Coverage?
In Alberta, the accident benefit insurance coverage is a part of every standard auto insurance policy. These benefits provide financial assistance if you are injured in a motor vehicle collision, no matter who caused it.
This coverage is also known as ‘ Section B’ benefits. You can use it to pay for your medical treatment, rehabilitation, income replacement, and other essential expenses after an accident. Most importantly, it serves you as your first line of financial support when other legal claims and longer-term recovery are underway.
You can access your accident benefits even if you were at fault or it hasn’t been determined yet; you can still use them. This ensures that you can focus on your recovery by starting treatment without waiting for insurance disputes or legal outcomes.
Types of Accident Benefits in Alberta
Accident insurance coverage typically provides various types of compensation. The knowledge of these terms can help you make a stronger claim and ensure you don’t miss out on benefits you qualify for.
- Medical and Rehabilitation Benefits: If you’re injured in a collision, accident benefits can help you cover your treatment and medical expenses. You can use them for your complete recovery, including hospital stays, physiotherapy, massage therapy, acupuncture, chiropractic care, prescribed medications, psychological counselling, and other rehabilitation services. If you’re going through minor injuries, your treatment may fall under Alberta’s Diagnostic and Treatment Protocols. It may involve injuries such as whiplash or soft-tissue strains, and your bill will be directly shared with your insurer for pre-approved treatments. This way, you can focus on your recovery only.
- Disability or Income Replacement Benefits: We understand how painful such injuries can be. They keep you away from working for a long time, or it should be a week or a month. However, with the temporary income from coverage, you will be able to manage your medical expenses. Besides, if you can’t work due to accident-related injuries, you can receive a weekly payment. This payment is based on a percentage of your pre-accident earnings, up to a set maximum. So, you don’t need to worry about your finances and household bills; you focus on your recovery instead.
- Death and Funeral Benefits: Some cases are way too tragic when a fatal injury occurs. In such painful situations, accidental benefits can help the victim’s family manage immediate expenses. This can include funeral costs, grief counselling, and additional payments to surviving spouses or dependents. However, no financial assistance can truly replace or fulfil the loss of your loved one. But still, these benefits can help you manage your expenses fairly.
- Other Eligible Expenses: Depending on your specific situation and your policy, you might have additional entitlement for reimbursement for travel to appointments, for housekeeping assistance during your recovery, or even for aid or assistive devices like crutches or braces. Be sure always to check your policy or discuss with your insurer to ensure you have the full knowledge of what other support you can claim under your accident benefit insurance.
- The No-Fault Principle of Accident Benefits: One significant aspect of Alberta’s accident benefits regime is that it is meant to work on a largely no-fault basis. This means that regardless of who caused the accident, you are still likely able to access your accident benefits. Whether you were the driver, passenger, cyclist, or pedestrian struck, you are generally entitled to your coverage under your policy. The no-fault insurance system is designed to ensure that anyone and everyone injured in an accident, regardless of their role or responsibility in the accident, gets the actual coverage they are entitled to under their own insurance.
What are the common injuries caused by Car Crash accidents?
NKS Injury Legal Auto Accident Lawyers team provides a full suite of services to advance claims on behalf of our clients and families. While preparing a strategy, we keep in mind that every injury is unique. We know that you, as the client, are a priority. We listen and gather the full context and impact of injury to develop a customized legal strategy. Our expert legal team is skilled and experienced in handling auto accident cases, from minor fender benders to catastrophic crashes. We work tirelessly and provide personal and result-driven legal services.
- Whiplash
Whiplash is one of the most common injuries sustained in car accidents, especially rear-end collisions. Whiplash occurs in the neck and head are suddenly thrust back and forth ,causing a strain on the ligaments and muscles of the neck. Victims will experience neck pain and stiffness, headaches and limitations to movement.
- Amputations
Severe collisions can result in traumatic amputations of a limb or accidental amputations due to tissue or nerve damage. These types of injuries will typically have lifelong ramifications requiring rehabilitation services.
- Fractures and Broken Bones
The force of any collision can easily result in fractures of the arms, legs, ribs and/or pelvis. Fractures can take weeks and/or months to heal and may require surgical intervention.
- Paralysis and Spinal Cord Injuries
Spinal cord injuries can result in some loss of movement or function, and often they are severe; practically every injury of the spinal cord has permanent consequences for mobility or the ability to perform daily activities.
- Concussions and Traumatic Brain Injuries (TBI)
In a crash, the head may bump against the frame of the car, resulting in a concussion or perhaps a more significant diagnosis of traumatic brain injury. Symptoms of brain injury after a crash can include dizziness, confusion, memory loss, and cognitive function issues that last a lifetime.
- Internal Injuries and Bleeding
During the impact, an injury to internal organs can result in internal bleeding. This type of emergency situation can severely compromise the organ and the person, and often requires immediate medical attention.
- Sprains, Dislocations, and Burns
Injuries such as sprains and dislocations are common after an accident, due to the sudden impact and unnatural position of the body. Burns are also a possibility, whether they are from a combination of fire, the friction of the impact, or from an airbag deploying.
- Loss of Eyesight
While rare, there is the possibility that victims could suffer partial or complete loss of their eyesight as a result of broken glass or blunt force trauma to the eye area.
At NKS Injury Legal Auto Accident Lawyers, our experienced attorneys and legal representatives handle car accident claims for all levels of injury, from mild to catastrophic.
How to Make an Accident Benefit Claim
Making an accident benefit claim in Alberta isn’t as complicated as it might sound. Here’s a step-by-step outline to guide you through the process:
Step 1: Seek Medical Care Right Away
Your health comes first, always. See a doctor, chiropractor or your primary healthcare provider after the collision. They will assess your injuries, document them and recommend treatment.
Step 2: Contact Your Insurance Provider
You should notify your auto insurance provider as soon as you are able to discuss the details of your accident and if you intend to pursue an accident benefit claim. Many insurance companies require that you report your accident within 30 days, so don’t waste any time getting to the point of contact.
Step 3: Complete the Application Paperwork
The insurance provider will provide the required paperwork, which will likely include a Notice of Loss and an Application for Claim (often called an AB-1 form). Depending on your situation, you may also be required to submit documentation from your healthcare provider or your employer as evidence of your injuries and your income loss.
Step 4: File This Supporting Information
You will also want to file and submit any information that the insurance provider will need; this could be any medical records, receipts from treatment providers and even proof of income. The more accurately you complete your information, will make processing your claim much smoother.
Step 5: Follow Through and Stay Organized
Keep records of all oral communication, appointments and expenses. Make copies of the submitted forms and receipts. Staying organized with the information will actually prevent delays in your claim processing and strengthen your case if the insurance provider asks for additional information.
Important Deadlines and Limits
Realizing time limits and limits on benefits is important when you’re making a claim for accident benefits:
- Notification period: Usually 30 days from the accident.
- Submission of forms: Usually within 90 days of the accident.
- Limitation period: Usually within two years of the accident, if a claim is to be made.
The coverage amount may also be capped. For example, rehabilitation or medical benefits for non-minor injuries might be capped and might also have an additional sub-limit for services such as massage therapy or chiropractic coverage.
Understanding the limits can help you make better plans for your recovery and living expenses.
How Accident Benefits Coordinate with Other Insurance
Your accident benefits coverage is separate and distinct from any potential personal injury claim you may make in the future against the at-fault driver. This insurance benefit also serves as secondary coverage when you have multiple insurance policies, such as extended healthcare or a short-term disability benefit.
Regarding other insurance, it will apply first to any expenses incurred, and the accident benefits would then cover any expenses not covered. This allows accident benefits coverage to act as a backstop, so you don’t have to pay out of pocket for legitimate recovery-related expenses.
Maximizing Your Accident Benefits
To best utilize your accident benefits coverage, consider these points:
- Early treatment: Early diagnosis and repeated treatment can only strengthen your recovery as well as your insurance claim.
- Documentation: You should also document each meeting, communication, invoice, prescription, and travel for the injury.
- Follow-up: If you do not follow the prescribed treatment, you may lose or have your benefits denied.
- Know Policy limits: Knowing your policy will assist you in making informed decisions about your recovery options.
- Seek a lawyer if necessary: If you are denied a claim, have delayed payments, or dispute what you are entitled to, you need a lawyer. An experienced lawyer will help you to get a fair settlement and protect your rights.
Why Legal Advice Matters
Dealing with insurance forms, deadlines, medical assessments, and disputes can be daunting. Most of the time, when you are trying to recover from an injury at you same time. A knowledgeable personal injury lawyer can help you by:
- Going through your policy and determining what exactly you are entitled to.
- Helping you gather all the information and submit it in a complete package.
- Dealing with your insurer for you if the claim is disputed.
- Coordinate your accident benefits claim with other personal injury claims, while at the same time, limiting duplication and maintaining opportunities for other potential compensation.
You will be affirmed, and your rights are protected by legal professionals, so that you do not miss potential compensation benefits.
What If You Were Partly at Fault?
Despite having some responsibility for the accident, you are still entitled to coverage for accident benefits. This is one of the best aspects of Alberta’s insurance system. This coverage emphasizes your recovery, not fault. Whether you are a passenger or driver, you have the opportunity to obtain benefits for medical treatment, rehabilitation, and loss of income from your own insurance provider.
Connect With NKS Injury Legal To Claim Fair Accident Coverage
By knowing how accident benefits coverage works, acting in a timely way, and keeping records, you can successfully manage your application for accident benefit coverage. And, if there is any uncertainty or resistance from your insurance provider along the way, remember that you have a right to claim accident benefits. Legal professionals experienced in injury claims can help you secure the benefits you rightfully deserve.
Your health, recovery, and peace of mind are what truly matter, and your accident benefits are there to protect exactly that. If you still have queries or want to consult with us, feel free to reach us!
