Why This Lawyer Says You Should Buy Car Insurance
From An Independent Broker
I don't sell car insurance, but as a
lawyer practicing in the field of personal injury I frequently
see people suffer because they have the wrong insurance
coverage. Often, this happens because they purchased directly
from an insurance company instead of an independent broker.
Many of my clients who have been seriously
hurt in a car accident were struck by someone who had no
insurance or only the minimum liability insurance coverage,
which is $25,000 in New York and much less in many other
states. Unfortunately, many of my clients were sold insurance
policies with liability limits of $100,000 or $300,000,
but were not sold matching uninsured and underinsured coverage.
Just this week, yet another new client
had this problem. My client was a pedestrian crossing the
street when she was struck by a car which fled the scene.
The driver was caught shortly after leaving the accident,
but the owner of the car only has the New York State minimum
liability insurance of $25,000 and my client has serious
injuries consisting of many broken bones including a fractured
arm, leg and skull.
My client owns a car with liability insurance
limits of $300,000, but she purchased the insurance from
GEICO whose salesperson didn't sell her underinsured coverage.
GEICO does not use independent insurance brokers, but sells
insurance directly to consumers through in-house sales agents.
For a small fee, my client could have
purchased underinsured coverage of $300,000 which would
have allowed her to recover $300,000 for her injuries instead
of $25,000. Ironically, she did not need the $300,000 liability
coverage to protect her assets. However, since you cannot
buy underinsured coverage higher than your liability coverage,
I would have advised her to purchase $300,000 liability
coverage for the sole purpose of being able to purchase
$300,000 underinsured coverage.
I have had many clients in this situation
who lost their jobs because of serious injuries and incurred
substantial debt. If they had matching underinsured coverage,
the additional money available to pay their claim would
would be a big help to pay their bills and get their life
back together.
Underinsured motorist coverage will pay
you money from your own automobile insurance policy if you
have been hurt in a car accident by someone who was negligent
for causing your injury and who had less liability insurance
coverage than you did. Uninsured motorist coverage will
pay you when the other car did not have any insurance coverage
or the identity of the other car is unknown.
Underinsured and uninsured coverage is
inexpensive and usually available in limits that match your
liability insurance coverage. It is not available in amounts
greater than your liability insurance coverage.
Underinsured and uninsured coverage is
so important that a couple of states now require coverage
limits matching your liability insurance limits, unless
you decline the coverage in writing. Several years ago,
I suggested to several New York State senators that they
enact a similar law in New York.
I have also seen many clients who were
not sold the maximum medical payments insurance, which costs
me only $2.01 per month on my car insurance policy. This
is particularly important for people who do not have a good
health insurance policy. It is also beneficial for passengers
who do not have health insurance.
Why should you buy car insurance through
an independent insurance broker? The courts have defined
the reason. There have been several "malpractice"
lawsuits against insurance companies for failure to offer
underinsured and uninsured motorists coverage limits matching
the liability limits. However, when the insurance company
sells directly to consumers, these cases have gone in favor
of the insurance companies. The courts found that when a
consumer buys insurance directly from an insurance company,
rather than an insurance broker, the consumer is only buying
insurance and is not paying for advice.
When you buy auto insurance from an independent
insurance broker who represents several different insurance
companies, you get the advantage of an insurance professional
who can evaluate your needs and advise you accordingly.
Additionally, only an independent insurance broker can provide
you with a choice of insurance companies and premiums, so
you get the best coverage at the lowest price.
Whether you buy your car insurance directly
from an insurance company or through an independent insurance
broker, always make sure that you purchase matching uninsured
and underinsured motorist coverage and the maximum medical
payment benefits.
About the
Author: Philip L. Franckel, Esq., is the founder
of http://www.HURT911.org
an accident and injury research web site for people hurt
in an accident and personal injury lawyers. Mr. Franckel
also publishes articles on Lawyer Advertising at http://www.Lawyer-Advertising-Blog.com
and provides advertising for accident lawyers at http://www.HURT911.org/getclient.php
Article Source: http://www.ArticleBlast.com
