Personal Injury and Car Accident Lawyer in Utah

How To Fill Out a Personal Injury Protection Application

How To Fill Out a Personal Injury Protection Application

By on Jan 15, 2025 in Uncategorized |

Why the Personal Injury Protection Application?

In the state of Utah, you are required to have Personal Injury Protection (PIP) coverage on your auto insurance. Although it is best if you never have to use this coverage, if you are ever in a car accident this coverage is helpful in getting and paying for the necessary medical treatment you need to fully recover from your car accident. This benefit also covers lost wages if you are unable to work during your recovery, along with other benefits.

What most people don’t know is that most insurance companies won’t automatically start paying PIP benefits. Many insurance companies will send you a Personal Injury Protection Application (PIP Application). Depending on the insurance company, the title of the document could be a little different. For example, Geico Insurance sometimes calls theirs “Application for Benefits – Personal Injury Protection”. This form is usually one to two pages long. It can feel very daunting when you receive this application. The best thing to do is to keep everything as simple as possible. So the question is, how to fill out a personal injury protection application?

How to fill out a personal injury protection application name section?

Often you will notice there are two spots for names. One is for the policy holder and the other is for your name. The policy holder is the person that purchased or paid for the car insurance. If you are the policy holder and the injured party, you will put the same name in both spots. If you are not the policy holder, you will list the name of the person that is the policy holder in one spot and your name in the other. Make sure to fill out your full name, address, and phone number. Double check that everything is correct. This is how the insurance company will reach out to you and this information will help them in paying your medical bills.

How to fill out a personal injury protection application accident details section?

The PIP application will also ask for information about your accident. Most of this information will be listed on the Driver Exchange form that you received from the responding police officer, such as accident location, date and time. If the police department did not come to the accident, you will need to fill in the details with the best of your knowledge.

The description of the accident does not need to be overly complex. You can put something as simple as, “I was stopped at a light when the car behind me failed to stop”, etc. It is best to keep it simple.

How to fill out a personal injury protection application accident injury section?

This idea of simplicity also relates to the section asking you for information on your injury. Most people are unaware of the full extent of their injuries right after an accident. There is usually a question asking if you were injured as a result of the accident. It is best to err on the side of caution and mark “yes” if you feel you are at all injured. This is especially true if you have not been to see a medical provider yet. If you have seen a doctor, keep the description of your injuries to basic terms such as “back injury” or “neck and shoulder injury”. A very basic description of your injury is sufficient when filling out your PIP application.

How to fill out a personal injury protection application accident medical treatment section?

The next section will ask about what medical treatment you have received. Fill out the names of the hospital and doctors that have treated you as best you can. It does not need to be all inclusive. It is possible you will be treated by additional doctors, so it is okay if you don’t have a complete list. Because of the possibility of additional treatment and the fact that you may not have received bills for everything, you do not have to put an amount in the box asking for medical bills to date. You can simply put “TBD” or to be determined.

How to fill out a personal injury protection application accident lost wages section?

The section asking about wages is very similar. It is okay to list “TBD” or to be determined for the amounts you are unsure of, especially since lost wages will continue to accrue if you have not returned to work from your injuries from the car accident. When you are filling out your PIP application, it is unlikely you will know how long you will be out of work or exactly how much you have lost already. It is enough just to check the box stating you will have lost wages.

You can fill out a personal injury protection application accident!

Although filling out a PIP application can feel intimidating, it doesn’t need to be. This application is just the start of communication between you and your insurance company as far as providing details of the accident and injuries. If you are unsure of how to answer a section or just don’t have the information, feel free to leave it blank. If the insurance adjuster needs the missing information, they will reach out to you directly.

By following the above listed tips to filling out your PIP application, you will be well on your way to receiving your PIP benefits! Remember to keep it simple. Also, as always, if you have serious injuries or it was a serious car accident, it is best to reach out to an attorney to have them assist you with your case, including filling out your personal injury protection application. Symco Injury Law Group- 801-738-9999.