California Car Crash Lawyer
Have you been injured in a car accident caused by someone else's negligence? Contact a California personal injury lawyer at The Reeves Law Group for a free consultation. The Reeves Law Group has successfully represented thousands of accident victims and obtained exceptional results in a wide variety of serious and catastrophic injury cases.
Insurance Coverage for Car Accidents
Auto insurance protects you against monetary loss if you have a car accident. You pay premiums to your insurer. In exchange, your insurer agrees to pay you the car accident injury losses set forth in your policy. Auto insurance offers coverage of:
- Property, if your car is damaged or stolen.
- Liability, if you are liable to others for property damage or car accident injury.
- Medical, if you pay for treatment of car accident injuries and car accident injury rehabilitation.
Under most state laws, you must buy some, but not all, of these three forms of coverage in order to legally register a car.
Uninsured Motorist Insurance
What happens if you are injured by a motorist who carries no insurance or by a hit-and-run driver? When the other driver is uninsured or unknown, your own uninsured motorist insurance kicks in. It will protect you from monetary loss from your car accident injuries.
Several states require insurers to offer uninsured motorist coverage. If you purchase uninsured motorist coverage and you have an auto accident, then your insurer will step into the shoes of the driver who caused the auto accident and compensate you for your car accident injuries.
Underinsured Motorist Insurance
When the driver who causes an auto accident has purchased a policy that provides inadequate coverage for your car accident injuries and property damage, he is an "underinsured motorist." If you purchase uninsured motorist coverage and you have an auto accident, then your insurer will compensate you for the portion of your car accident and car accident injury damages that exceed the underinsured driver's insurance coverage.
Stacking Insurance Coverage
In some states, insurers allow a car accident injury victim to "stack" multiple policies to enhance monetary recovery from one or more insurers. Laws governing stacking insurance policies vary from state to state.
Subrogation
If you have suffered a car accident injury, your ability to bring a lawsuit against the driver who caused your car accident injuries may depend on your insurer's right to "subrogation." Subrogation is a common term in insurance policies that allows the accident victim's insurer to take his place in suing those who caused the accident.
Assume you are injured in an auto accident and your insurer pays you $100,000 under your auto insurance policy. It would not be fair if you could then sue the driver who caused the accident and recover a second $100,000. Instead, subrogation allows your insurer to sue the driver and seek to recover the amount it paid you.
Filing an Insurance Claim
Taking care to properly file a car accident insurance claim can help ensure you receive full and fair compensation for your car accident injuries and losses. It is best to consult an auto accident lawyer before filing your car accident injury insurance claim. To properly file a car accident injury claim:
- Call your agent. Notify your insurance agent as soon as possible after you are in an auto accident. Insurers require prompt notification. Your agent can help you evaluate your policy's coverage of the auto accident.
- Find out what forms your insurer needs. Insurers require a proof of claim along with supporting documentation. Your insurer may ask for original medical bills (keep copies for yourself), copies of repair estimates, car rental bills, and the car accident police report.
- Keep car accident injury records. Take down the name, title, phone number and office location of each insurance agent that you speak with. Also note the date of the conversation. Take notes while you speak with your insurer's agents. Write down what they say they will do.
- Know deadlines. Ask about your deadlines for submitting the car accident injury proof of claim and all required supporting documentation. Find out how long the insurer will take to resolve your car accident injury claim.
- Explore additional insurance. Consider whether you have additional insurance covering the auto accident through another auto insurance policy, a homeowner's or renter's policy, or an umbrella policy.
- Know state insurance laws. Check with your state insurance department, because the laws governing car accident injury insurance claims procedures vary among states.
Before you consult with a car accident injury attorney, avoid accepting the insurer's estimate of loss, making a recorded statement, signing a release, or accepting payment from your insurer.
If you are a car accident injury victim, consult an experienced auto accident injury lawyer to evaluate what car accident injury insurance compensation may be available to you. If possible, consult with an attorney before making an insurance claim. When you meet with the auto accident attorney, bring your insurance documents with you along with information about the auto accident.
For more information on the possibilities for your car accident injury claim and how to manage the car accident injury claims process, contact a personal injury lawyer to arrange a consultation.