Opinion ID: 2411574
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Benefits and liabilities.

Text: Regardless of fault, every person suffering economic loss from a personal injury [7] arising out of the maintenance or use of an automobile is entitled to BRB [8] unless he has exercised the option to reject limitation of his tort rights. [9] On the other side of the ledger, every person who registers, operates, maintains or uses an automobile on the public roadways of Kentucky is deemed, as a condition thereof, to have accepted certain limitations upon his tort rights unless he has filed with the Department of Insurance a written rejection. [10] This is the heart of the no-fault plan. A rejection of the tort limitations retains undiminished both liability and the right of recovery under tort principles, without affecting the right of one who has not submitted a rejection to recover BRB. That is to say, there is no restriction on the right of an injured claimant who collects BRB to recover the balance of his damages from a culpable defendant who has submitted an unrevoked rejection (the claimant's insurer being subrogated to the extent of BRB paid). On the other hand, one who has rejected the tort limitations has the right to purchase from his insurer, for his own benefit, the same first-party benefits available to those who have not rejected the tort limitations. [11] Though he must in any event carry BRB coverage for the protection of third parties, his rejection does not prevent the purchase of no-fault benefits payable to himself. As may be seen, the act limits rather than abolishes tort liability, and is a modified no-fault law.