September 1, 2025 | Personal Injury
If you were hurt in an accident in Pennsylvania, you will see the phrases “bodily injury” and “personal injury” on insurance forms and legal paperwork. They sound similar, but they do not mean the same thing.
Knowing the difference helps you protect your rights and make the strongest possible claim, so it is worth a short, clear explanation.
What Does “Bodily Injury” Usually Mean?
“Bodily injury” is an insurance term that points to physical harm to a person’s body. It includes cuts, broken bones, sprains, illness caused by the accident, and death. In car insurance, bodily injury liability coverage pays for the other person’s injuries when you are at fault.
It does not pay your own medical bills. In short, bodily injury is about physical harm and the insurance that covers it, and keeping that in mind will help you read your policy correctly.
What Does “Personal Injury” Usually Mean?
“Personal injury” is a broader legal term. A personal injury claim is a civil case that asks for money damages when someone’s careless or wrongful conduct causes harm. It can include bodily injury, but it also covers non-physical losses like pain and suffering, emotional distress, and loss of enjoyment of life.
In some settings, “personal injury” in insurance can even refer to things like defamation or invasion of privacy, which shows how wide the term can be. When you hear “personal injury,” think about the entire legal claim and all the losses that come with the injury.
Pennsylvania’s Insurance Choices Affect Your Rights
Pennsylvania is a choice-tort state. When you buy auto insurance, you choose “limited tort” or “full tort.” Limited tort can restrict your right to recover certain non-economic damages like pain and suffering unless your injuries meet specific seriousness thresholds, while full tort preserves your right to seek those non-economic damages regardless of those thresholds.
This choice does not change what bodily injury is, but it does affect the kinds of damages available in a personal injury claim, so your selection matters long before any accident happens.
Damages: What You Can Recover
In a personal injury case, Pennsylvania law allows two main categories of damages. Economic damages cover measurable costs like medical bills, future treatment, lost wages, and loss of earning capacity. Non-economic damages cover human losses such as pain, suffering, inconvenience, embarrassment, disfigurement, and loss of life’s pleasures.
Bodily injury insurance may pay some of these losses for the injured person, but a personal injury claim is the path to recover all legally allowed damages. Knowing these categories helps you keep complete records and support your case.
Who Pays and When
Bodily injury liability coverage is paid by the insurer for the at-fault party, up to the policy limits. If those limits are too low, underinsured motorist coverage on your own policy can help if you purchased it. First-party medical benefits on your policy can pay for your treatment regardless of fault.
A personal injury lawsuit is the tool to hold the at-fault party fully responsible when insurance is not enough. Understanding the order of these payments can speed up your recovery and reduce stress during a difficult time.
Deadlines and Proof
In Pennsylvania, most personal injury claims must be filed within a strict deadline that is generally two years from the date of the accident, with limited exceptions. To win, you must prove the other party’s fault and show how the accident caused your injuries and losses.
Medical records, photos, witness statements, and expert opinions can make a big difference. Acting quickly helps preserve evidence and keeps you within the filing deadline, which protects your right to recover.
Protecting Pennsylvania Residents
Bodily injury describes physical harm and the liability coverage that pays for it, while personal injury describes your full legal claim for all economic and non-economic losses. Both ideas shape how money flows after a crash and what you can recover, and both are key parts of protecting your health and your future.
To learn more and schedule a free consultation, contact Fellerman & Ciarimboli, Law PC today.
Fellerman & Ciarimboli, Law PC Scranton
436 Spruce St Suite 100, Scranton, PA 18503
(570) 714-4878
Fellerman & Ciarimboli, Law PC Kingston
183 Market St #200, Kingston, PA 18704
(570) 714-4878
Fellerman & Ciarimboli, Law PC Berwick
120 W Front St, Berwick, PA 18603
(570) 714-4878
