Lawyer Monthly - July 2023 Edition

have enough insurance to cover your injuries. While it would be using your own insurance, it protects the injury victim from people who do not have enough coverage. How is liability demonstrated in such cases? Liability is dependent on each case. Some cases are more clear than others, such as a rear-end crash. The person who rear-ends will almost always be at fault for the crash, and likely have a greater percentage even if the person in front of them stops short. To determine liability, we often go back to the basic rules of the road taught in the driver’s manual. There may be other circumstances that dictate liability like scouring an area for cameras, or an admission of texting and driving. Police officers also make a determination in their reports based on the facts they gather at the scene. the minimum limits are all we are able to obtain. While I do not sell insurance, I often recommend to people that they check their policies and see if they have medical payments coverage – which will pay medical bills regardless of fault – and underinsured motor vehicle coverage, which covers you if the at-fault person does not minimum policy; it starts at $25,000 and goes up from there. Some policies, especially for commercial trucks, are over $1,000,000. There are other types of insurance that may play a role, such as medical payments coverage or underinsured motor vehicle coverage. Sometimes THOUGHT LEADER 89 Statistically, people who hire a personal injury attorney get higher average settlement offers than without an attorney, even taking into account the attorneys’ fees.

RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy Mjk3Mzkz