Car insurance often isn’t enough after major California crashes
Motor vehicles are as dangerous as they are convenient. It’s easy to take your safety and good driving history for granted until someone else causes a crash.
All of a sudden, you may find yourself coping with two broken legs or a brain injury. You may need weeks off of work and expensive medical care. Your vehicle could also be in desperate need of repair or even unsafe to drive and therefore totaled.
When you know that the other driver was at fault for the crash, you probably expect to make a straightforward claim against their insurance coverage. Unfortunately, many injured drivers in California learn that there isn’t enough insurance for all of their losses.
Drivers often don’t think about liability but rather cost
Insurance seems like a frustrating and pointless expense to many people. They have to have insurance on their vehicles to drive, but they have never needed the coverage so they don’t understand its true value.
It is common for people to purchase the least amount of insurance the state will allow them to carry. You could get into a crash caused by a driver with just $5,000 worth of property damage liability coverage. The bodily injury liability coverage that should pay for your medical bills and reimburse you for your lost wages might be as low as $15,000 or $30,000 if two or more people get hurt.
What protects you when another driver’s insurance isn’t enough to cover your collision costs?
Your insurance policy could help
You may have more robust insurance than the state requires, especially if you understand what you could lose if you cause a crash. You may also carry uninsured and underinsured motorist coverage. Your supplemental coverage, like collision coverage, could pay for some of the damage to your vehicle. Underinsured motorist protection can also reimburse you for crash-related losses.
Some drivers may still find that they have uncovered expenses. Others won’t have paid for that supplemental coverage on their own policy. You may find that you need to go to civil court to recoup what you have lost in the crash. Learning more about car insurance can help you better handle the consequences of a California car wreck.
