4 Recent Cases & Why They Matter to You

From time to time here on Tort Talk, I like to discuss recent cases I handled and why they might be relevant to you.

Here’s just a small sample of the many cases I handled recently. You’ll soon see why they’re important.

A client was visiting relatives in another city, and a driver failed to yield to him as he was crossing the street. The driver crashed into my client, who suffered serious injuries. The driver then fled, making this a hit-and-run.

Another client was returning from the supermarket, when a driver who was texting while driving crashed into her in a rear-end collision.

Another client had the right-of-way on a local Los Angeles street, and was T-boned by a driver with minimum insurance limits. This client ended up needing surgery for her neck injuries.

Finally, an uninsured driver lost control of his car, jumped the curb, and slammed into my client as he was pulling into his Sherman Oaks driveway.

These cases sound horrible, and they were.

But what is the common denominator among all of these cases?

Uninsured Motorist coverage.

In each of these 4 cases, the offending driver either did not have insurance, or had the minimum liability insurance of $15,000.00.

These minimum limits have been the same since the 1970s. $15,000 back then was not the same as it is today. A typical collision often exceeds $15,000 just like that. But this is a topic for another day.

Whenever a client is injured in a collision caused by an uninsured driver, the client’s own insurance coverage can kick in to offer protection. This is known as uninsured motorist coverage. Insurance companies in California must offer you this coverage by law—however, many California drivers are unfamiliar with this coverage. As a result, many drivers here in California are carrying too little uninsured motorist coverage.

In each of the above-mentioned cases, my clients had a healthy amount of uninsured motorist coverage. When it came time to present their injury claims, we dealt with their own insurance company, which took the place of the driver who caused the collision.

Sometimes people ask if an insured driver’s rates will increase by making an uninsured motorist claim on their own policy. The answer is no!!!

If you carry uninsured motorist coverage, you are already paying the insurance company for the coverage. Think of it like a contract. You pay insurance company, they contract to protect you in the event you are hurt in a collision caused by an uninsured driver. They cannot “penalize” you for making a claim under coverage you already pay for.

I am passionate about this topic, because I have seen both extremes in my practice. I have seen clients injured by uninsured drivers who did not have sufficient uninsured motorist protection. And I have seen injured clients who carried very healthy amounts of uninsured motorist protection.

Which one do you want to be?

There are hundreds of thousands of uninsured drivers in California. There are also huge amounts of drivers who do not carry enough liability insurance.

You can protect yourself and your family by making sure you carry sufficient uninsured motorist coverage under your auto policy.

How much is enough? The answer varies according to your financial needs. As a rule of thumb, I recommend at least $100,000 of uninsured motorist protection. If you can afford more, go for it.

If you have questions about your insurance coverage or uninsured motorist protection, send me an email. I will review your policy for you free of charge. I want to make sure you, your family, and your friends are protected in the event a serious collision happens here in California.

And remember—my office is ready to assist, 24/6.