Bodily injury claim
The part of an auto claim that covers physical harm from the crash: medical bills, lost wages, and compensation for the injury itself.
Collision Bureau is not a law firm and this is not legal or medical advice. It is general information about what happens after a crash. For advice on your situation, talk to an attorney licensed in your state or a treating clinician.
What it means
A bodily injury claim is the injury side of an auto claim. It covers medical treatment caused by the crash, wage loss while the person could not work, and compensation for the injury itself, which includes pain and the way the injury has affected daily life. The claim runs on documents: medical records, itemized bills, employer statements, and the person's own account of what the injury has changed.
In fault states, a bodily injury claim is usually made against the other driver's liability coverage. In no-fault states, the first bills are paid by the person's own personal injury protection, and a bodily injury claim against the other driver's insurer only becomes available once certain state thresholds are met.
How it works
The claim opens with notice to the insurer. Treatment continues on whatever schedule the clinician sets, and records accumulate. When the condition is stable enough to put a number on, the claimant or an attorney prepares a demand package and sends it to the insurer. The adjuster evaluates the file against the policy limits and the reserve, and the parties either settle, continue to negotiate, or move toward a lawsuit. A settlement ends with a signed release of liability.
Why it comes up
Any crash in which someone was physically hurt opens the possibility of a bodily injury claim. The property damage side of the same file usually moves faster, because the vehicle produces evidence immediately. The injury side waits on the records, and the records only build at the pace of treatment. That gap in timing is one reason the two sides often settle separately, with the injury side closing last.
What it is not
A bodily injury claim is not a property damage claim, and the two draw from separate limits even on the same policy. It is also not a workers' compensation claim, which is a different system with its own rules even when the crash happened in a work vehicle. How the two interact in that situation is a question for an attorney.
Questions people actually ask
01How is a bodily injury claim valued?
The file carries two kinds of numbers. Specials are the documented out-of-pocket costs: medical bills, lost wages, and related expenses. General damages cover the injury itself, including pain and the effects on daily life. Insurers evaluate both against the records, the policy limits, and the state the file sits in. How any specific file lands is not something a page can predict, which is why valuation is a question for the attorney who sees the records on it.
02Can I file a bodily injury claim and a property damage claim?
Yes. The two tracks run next to each other on the same crash file. Property damage usually resolves first because its numbers are concrete and the vehicle is the physical evidence. The injury side takes longer because records build over the course of treatment. The two tracks draw from separate policy limits and can settle at different times, and whether they do depends on how the file is handled.
03What is the deadline to file a bodily injury claim?
Every state has a statute of limitations on personal injury claims, and once it runs, the right to sue is gone. The specific number of years varies by state. The deadline runs from the date of the crash in most states, with narrow exceptions. General background on the concept is at the Legal Information Institute: https://www.law.cornell.edu/wex/statute_of_limitations. The deadline that applies to your file is a question for an attorney licensed in your state.