What Is the Most Common Bodily Insurance Coverage

When you have been injured in a car accident, you need to fight hard to get a settlement check that reflects your actual damages. The car accident lawyers at Schauermann Thayer will be with you throughout the legal process, fighting on your behalf.

Although Washington law mandates that drivers purchase car insurance, many of them opt for lower cost policies in an attempt to economize. They are taking a risk that you would be able to go after their personal assets, but it does not matter to them. You may then need to file a claim against yow car insurance policy, assuming that you have underinsured motorist coverage.

Call the dedicated lawyers at Schauermann Thayer when you have been hurt in a car accident to discuss your case and learn whether you may be entitled to a settlement check. We take the time to listen to you before we help you determine the path forward.

How Much Insurance Coverage the Other Driver Has Is Crucial

Your car accident compensation will not just be determined by the extent of your injuries. There must also be money available to pay for your damages. Much depends on the decisions that the other driver made and how much coverage they have purchased. Unfortunately, many drivers will try to economize on car insurance coverage, and they do so at their own risk.

Washington law requires that drivers have car insurance policies before they are allowed to get behind the wheel. Motorists can be fined $550 or more if they drive without car insurance. If they cause an accident, and they do not have car insurance, drivers can even have their license suspended.

Under Washington law, drivers must have the following minimum insurance coverage:

• $25,000 of bodily injury or death of one person in any one accident.
• $50,000 of bodily injury or death of any two people in any one accident.
• $10,000 of injury to or destruction of property of others in any one accident

Given the steep medical costs of treating any car accident injuries, these minimums are actually very low. Even though costs have increased overall, this remains the law in Washington, and there is no current attempt to raise the insurance minimums.

Motorists May Try to Economize on Car Insurance Coverage

Many people will only purchase the minimum amount of coverage. In fact, this is often the most common amount of insurance that drivers will have. Car insurance rates across the country have skyrocketed by as much as 50% in the past several years, and motorists are feeling the pinch of these increased costs. Some people think that car insurance is just something that they need to have to drive, as opposed to a valuable protection that they will need if they cause an accident. Motorists often think that their insurance company will take care of everything without realizing that their personal assets are at risk if there are more damages than their policy will cover.

Some motorists may be far more prudent, realizing that the risk of not having enough coverage is too much for them to bear. Then, they may have what is known as 100/300 insurance. Here, there is coverage of up to $100,000 per person and $300,000 per accident. Even this amount of coverage is not always enough when one or more people have suffered serious injuries in a car accident.

You May Need to File an Underinsured Motorist Claim

You have no control over who you are in an accident with on the roadways. Your hope is that they did far more than the minimum to protect themselves from personal liability for your car accident damages. Unfortunately, whether it is a motorist being shortsighted, or they simply cannot afford a larger insurance policy, there is often not enough coverage to pay for your injuries. Then, you would need to file a claim against your own car insurance policy. Hopefully, you took advantage of the opportunity to purchase an adequate amount of underinsured motorist coverage because you never know when you will need it.

When you hire a car accident attorney for your case, they will help you learn what coverage there is available to pay for your injuries. It can be challenging when you are dealing with more than one insurance company. You may expect customer loyalty from your own insurance company if you need to file a claim against your own policy, but it simply does not exist. No insurance company willingly writes you a large check, even if you are their customer and have been for years. You would still need to prove that the other driver was to blame for the accident, and you must still fight for every dollar that you would get in a settlement check. This is not a fight that you could or should have on your own without the help of a car accident lawyer.

Call a Washington Car Accident Lawyer Today

Get help from a Washington car accident law firm by calling the attorneys at Schauermann Thayer. You can schedule a free initial consultation with one of our attorneys by contacting us at 360-695-4244. You pay us nothing upfront, and not even a dollar for our time if you do not win.