Tag: Third party insurance

third party insurance

Third Party Insurance: Understanding Bodily Injury Coverage

You may consider yourself an excellent driver and find yourself worrying little as you travel on busy roads each day. Some of us have a short commute, while others are in the car all day for work or perhaps shuttling kids around from school to activities to appointments. If you live in a larger city, there is a lot of ground to cover for all of life’s responsibilities and the car may seem like your home at times; in fact, studies show that not only do US drivers as a whole spend over 84 billion hours behind the wheel each year, they spend 17 hours annually just looking for parking spaces!

And while the government overall—along with city administrators around the country—continually work to improve infrastructure and make the roads safer, traffic accidents and fatalities continue to rise overall, to include greater threat to bicyclists, pedestrians, and motorcyclists too. Negligence may occur due to distracted driving, motorists who are under the influence, drowsy, or those who are reckless in myriad other ways. Car insurance is not just a plus, it could save you from ruin—in terms of your physical and financial health.

For many car owners, insurance is purchased in a hurry as they are buying a new car or moving to a new state. It is easy to go with the required limits and get back to other tasks in your day, but always be aware how your decision on car insurance purchases could affect you later if there were a serious accident. Understanding how you and other parties are protected is key, along with deciding how much bodily injury coverage to purchase.

California is a ‘fault’ state in terms of car accidents, meaning that you must assume responsibility if you have an accident. Liability insurance is required as follows: $15,000 to be paid to one person if they are injured or die, and $30,000 to be paid total if there is injury or death to more than one person. Considering how astronomical healthcare rates can be, if a third party is injured, the bill could be enormous. Speak to your insurance agent about protecting yourself beyond basic limits, as you could be responsible for the medical bill of a third party that far exceeds $15,000.

If you need help reviewing your insurance policy, or if you suspect your insurance company may be denying your claim in bad faith, contact the attorneys at the Bolender Law Firm.  If a dispute over a claim cannot be easily resolved through a call or written communication, our attorneys will advocate on behalf of policyholders through litigation, arbitration, or non-binding mediation. Our attorneys are experienced in representing clients in state and federal courts, at both the trial and appellate level. Call us at 310-320-0725 now or submit an easy consultation request online. We are here to help!