Given that insurance companies spend so much money trying to establish themselves as helpful, most people trust that insurance coverage will provide for all of their needs following a major motor vehicle collision. Unfortunately, some people eventually learn that those expectations are, in fact, quite unrealistic.
There are many different rules that govern insurance coverage, from issues related to liability to the coverage carried by the driver who hit you. The policy limits for the at-fault driver will play a major role in your insurance claim. What does every person hurt in a car wreck theoretically need to know about policy limits?
1. Policy limits represent an absolute ceiling on their claims
Maybe you were hurt by someone who is unquestionably the only one to blame for the crash. They were drunk and speeding at the time of the wreck and hit you while you were in a stopped vehicle.
Your injuries could be severe and might include a brain injury or spinal cord damage. You know from the moment you receive your diagnosis that your total costs will be hundreds of thousands of dollars. Unfortunately, the most the other driver’s insurance coverage will ever pay is their policy limit. It is an absolute limit that no amount of need on your part will overcome.
2. There is no guarantee of receiving the full amount of someone’s coverage
If the other driver has $50,000 in property damage liability coverage, that does not automatically mean that their insurance company will write you a check for $50,000 after your crash. Typically, the adjusters that negotiate insurance claims will do their best to reduce how much they pay on someone’s claim, even when they have obvious expenses and adequate coverage is available to pay the costs.
Just negotiating with the insurance company can be a risk, as they might trick you into accepting less than your injuries will actually cost you. Many people coping with an injury following a car crash benefit from the support of an attorney, especially if they have major expenses and worry about how the other driver’s insurance company will respond to their claim.
Learning more about the rules that govern large insurance claims will put you in a position to get the coverage you need following a car crash.
