Are You Covered if You are Injured by an UNDERinsured Motorist?
Do you have adequate auto insurance? What happens if you are injured in an accident in which the at-fault driver has very little coverage? Will your coverage be enough to take care of your (or your family’s) medical needs?
If you are not buying car insurance to protect your family and loved ones, then who are you buying insurance for?
Too often at the Herndon injury law firm Abrams Landau, Ltd., we see families devastated by a car crash and the person at fault is underinsured.
In one case, the defendant had only $100,000 in coverage for accidents he caused. However, the injured passenger needed over $700,000 in future medical care. Unfortunately, the injured passengers’ husband/driver only had a $100,000/$300,000 car insurance policy. This meant that the defendant was not “underinsured” when compared to the driver’s policy. Because of this, the injured passenger could only collect $100,000 towards her past and future medical bills from the defendant alone. There was no other money to pay the bills and provide for the future.
If the husband/driver had had a $500,000 underinsured motorist policy, then the injured passenger – his wife – could have collected an additional $400,000 from her own insurance company. Her car insurance company then, in turn, would go after the unsafe driver who caused the crash, to get back the $400,000 it provided her for her medical care, lost wages, etc. Herndon car crash lawyer Doug Landau sees instances of underinsured accidents and minimal limits policies all the time.
“It is heartbreaking to see disabled family members who cannot get the money they need for the medical care their doctors advise because their loved ones only paid for minimal coverage,” notes Landau. “Other clients tell me they have “full coverage”, when in fact all they have is the “minimum required limits” under Virginia law – $25,000 per person. We have had several cases where this amount doesn’t even cover the initial hospital bill !”
If you are unsure as to the extent of your coverage, and there are several vehicles in the household with differing policies, or you have a new driver joining the ranks of the family licensed operators, please call us at Abrams Landau, Ltd. so we can give suggestions as to how to best protect yourself and your loved ones.
If you or someone you know has been involved in a car accident and there are questions as to what laws apply, email or call Abrams Landau, Ltd. at once (703-796-9555).