Car Accident Insurance
Written by our personal injury lawyers in Charlottesville
Whether you live in the city of Charlottesville, the suburban areas of Albemarle County, or even the more rural surrounding areas of Greene County, Louisa County, Fluvanna County, Madison County, Orange County, Nelson County, and Augusta County, car accident insurance is one of the most overlooked items by residents of these areas.
Virginia requires a minimum amount of car insurance – $25,000. This amount does not provide adequate protection for most car accident victims. In fact, it is barely sufficient to cover an emergency room visit and basic follow up care.
Before you are faced with the reality of a car accident, check your insurance policy. Do you have adequate coverage that will protect you if you are injured and can’t work for a period of time? For most people in Charlottesville, , Albemarle County, Greene County, Louisa County, Fluvanna County, Madison County, Orange County, Nelson County, and Augusta County, the minimum coverage amount does not begin to compensate a car accident victim if the injuries result in lost time from work or if the injuries require extended care.
Our personal injury lawyers in Charlottesville recommend at least $100,000 in coverage for liability and uninsured motorist overage, and preferably an even higher amount. The reality is that a lot of people have only minimum car accident coverage and so if you are an accident victim, you have to look to your own insurance policy’s coverage for basic compensation for car accident injuries.
It is easy to understand the need for coverage if you consider a case that we just handled. The car accident involved a single car. The driver saw a deer in the road and swerved to avoid it. In doing so, he lost control of the car and went off the road where the car hit a tree. The passenger was severely injured sustaining a broken arm, broken leg, and a concussion.
The medical bills for her care, including a several-day stay at the hospital, were over $230,000. The driver of the car had coverage in the amount of $100,000. The passenger had the minimum coverage amount on her personal vehicle. So the only insurance coverage available was the driver’s $100,000 policy.
Our law firm was able to recover the full coverage amount, but it did not provide full compensation for the car accident victim’s injuries and time lost from work.
In another case that happened on I-64 in Louisa County, our client’s vehicle was struck in the rear by another vehicle when traffic suddenly stopped. The combined insurance coverage totaled $50,000 even though the medical bills exceeded that amount.
In both of these cases, insurance coverage of $300,000 would have enabled a recovery that would have taken care of the medical bills and provided more compensation to the car accident victim for their personal injuries.
We don’t sell insurance, but our personal injury lawyers in Charlottesville do recommend that everyone who drives a car have adequate coverage.
If you are injured in a car accident and have a personal injury, call us to discuss your options at 434-202-8181. Our experienced personal injury lawyers can let you know what your options are and how to maximize a recovery.
Personal injury Lawyers in Charlottesville serving Albemarle County, Greene County, Louisa County, Fluvanna County, Madison County, Orange County, Nelson County, and Augusta County.
