What you should do if this happens to you!
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| Ways to save on your auto insurance |
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| Ways to save on your auto insurance |
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Shop around and compare prices. A list of companies can be found in your local yellow pages of your phone book.
Maintain a good driving record.
Take the highest deductible the insurance will allow for collision and comprehensive coverage. A higher deductible will lower your premium.
More ways to save!
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Real Life Accident Scenerios
CASE II:
Accident Details:
This accident involves a 1993 Honda motorcycle and a 2003 Ford F-150. The named insured was driving the Ford F-150 and the claimant was on the motorcycle. The name insured had just come from a restaurant and had a few beers but was not charged with DUI. The Ford F-150 was traveling in the west bound direction and the Honda motorcycle was traveling in the south bound direction in the right lane. There are two straight lanes of travel in the sound bound direction. The speed of the motorcycle is unknown. And the accident occurred in the late afternoon, while it was still light outside.
The Ford F-150 came to a complete stop at the stop sign and saw that it was clear to enter the roadway. As the Ford entered the roadway it collided with the motorcycle. The motorcycle then skidded on the road about 200 feet and ended up on the grass shoulder on the opposite side of the road. The insured driving the Ford did not see the motorcycle and had no time to react.
Damages:
The driver of the motorcycle was rushed to the hospital. After the claimant received numerous x-rays, it was determined that he sustained a fractured ankle, a fractured clavicle, fractured knee, and a fractured shoulder blade. He was told that surgery was necessary for the ankle, but could not be performed because there was too much swelling. The patient was then moved to a Rehabilitation Facility, where he was immobilized.
The owner of the motorcycle did not have any medical coverage also known as personal injury protection (pip) or medical payments (med-pay) so his medical bills were being processed through his healthcare provider. Typically, all meds would go through the drivers automobile insurance first under pip, which would be covered at 100%. Since he did not have pip coverage, he had to pay out of pocket co-pays and deductibles that were required by his healthcare provider.
The insurance company deemed the motorcycle a total loss, and the payout for the total was $2,300. We know that the medical bills will exceed $50,000.
Value of Injury Claim:
The insurance company placed their insured 100% at fault for the accident for failing to remain stopped at the stop sign. The claimant was able to present a property damage claim and a bodily injury claim against the insured. The insurance company paid for the property damages, which included the towing bill for $285.00 and the motorcycle, which was totaled for $2300.00. The insurance policy limits for bodily injury coverage were only $50,000.00, which were not enough to cover the claimant’s injury.
Insurance Company Involvement:
After gathering all documents for investigating purposes, the insurance adjuster valued the bodily injury claim up to $150,000.00. The driver of the motorcycle will not be able to work for at least 6 months and has loss of income. The wife of the injured driver does not work and has to take care of their 4 children. The driver was fairly young and in his 40’s. He will have lifelong permanency injuries that will not allow him to do the things that he is accustomed to on a daily basis.
Conclusion:
The claimant has retained an attorney to assist him. The value of the injury far exceeds the policy limits of $50,000.00. Therefore, the insurance company is willing to exhaust their limits of $50,000.00 to the claimant since there is no other coverage available. The claimant waived the under-insured motorist coverage on his policy that covered the motorcycle. If he had purchased under-insured motorist coverage, he could have made a claim against his policy to receive additional money since the at-fault driver did not have sufficient bodily injury limits to cover the claimants injury. After attorney fees, the claimant is left with $32,000.00.
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More Information:
The Role of The Insurance Company/Adjuster
Real Life Accident Stories Case I
Real Life Accident Stories Case II
In 2005, there were nearly 6,420,000 auto accidents in the United States.
About 115 people die every day in vehicle crashes in the United States, estimating one death every 13 minutes.
Motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of death for U.S. teens, accounting for 36% of all deaths in this age group.
California leads the nation in traffic fatalities. More than 4,000 sustain serious injuries, such as quadriplegia, paraplegia, brain injuries, and spinal cord injuries.
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Insurance Resources
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