I don’t know if it works this way in any other state.

In Texas, if you are in an automobile accident that is not your fault, and you get injured, you get paid by both companies as long as you have PIP.  Ask your agent.  Now!

Your PIP (Personal Injury Protection), will pay for your medical expenses up to a certain amount.  The other company will ALSO pay.

Here’s an example.

I was rear ended in May.  I felt like I was hit by a car the next day and for several weeks after.  I went to my local chiropractor.  He did a ton of xrays, etc. and had me sign my insurance benefits (DON’T DO THIS).  Pay them with a credit card.  Seriously.

So I have PIP with Farmers.  It doesn’t affect what you pay your insurance company.  They pay out I think $2500 max.  They will pay the amount of the claim I think (I have a call out to the person servicing the account).

The other company will ALSO pay the full amount.  In my case, the other company settled for $3200.  Sweet!

This is freaking weird, and I have no idea how it works anywhere else.  I also thought the insurance people were smoking dope when they explained this to me.

Moral:  In Texas, self pay.

On my second accident both Farmers and Nationwide paid me for my days off.  Unfortunately they had to figure out the pay as if I got paid yearly, instead of for 187 days, but since they paid me double, I got money for the days I had to take off work and get a sub and still ended out ahead.

Yeah, not really CS related, but I wish I’d known this at the start.