Are you covered? Do you have sufficient insurance to protect your family?
I'm borrowing a phrase from my good friend Jason McClenny who writes insurance policies for Nationwide, "Are you covered?" You may ask why is an attorney encouraging people to evaluate their risks and their insurance benefits? The reason is simply that I am frequently contacted by people who have suffered tragic personal injuries, usually in motor vehicle accidents, and only then do they learn that they are not adequately covered. Here a few examples:
- A teenager is a passenger in a car that runs off the road. He is airlifted to a hospital and is intensive care for 6 days. His medical bills exceed $100,000, his automobile coverage is only $25,000 and he has no health insurance. Unfortunately he is left with a very small settlement.
- A tourist suffers catastrophic injuries on Interstate 95 near Fredericksburg. No health insurance and only $100,000 in automobile insurance coverage. His medical bills approach $500,000.
- A cab driver is injured in a Richmond Virginia accident and requires surgery. Medical bills exceed $60,000. No health insurance and only $50,000 in automobile insurance coverage.
Of course after an accident it is too late to increase your insurance coverage. The shocking thing is that it costs very little to increase your coverage. If you have $100,000 in automobile insurance coverage you would be surprised at how little it costs to raise your coverage to $500,000 to protect yourself and your family.
If you haven't done so recently I encourage you to check your insurance coverage by sitting down with an agent and reviewing your risks and your coverage options. If it takes only 15 minutes then it is is not a thorough analysis. If you have any questions about insurance law please contact me for a free consultation. I routinely do this with my clients to protect them in the future, but it would be far better to do it before it is too late.
