Philadelphia Car Accident Attorney Warns: Do Not Let Your Automobile Insurance Lapse to Cut Costs in Recessionary Times
As we are living in a recessionary period and people are scared and looking at how to save money, it is important to recognize the necessity of having automobile insurance in Pennsylvania. If you are driving a car, it is necessary to have insurance or you are breaking the law. It is illegal to drive a vehicle without insurance. If you are stopped by the police or involved in an automobile accident and you do not have mandatory automobile insurance in Pennsylvania, you can be ticketed, fined or put in jail. Further, your car may be seized or impounded. The impound fees often cost more than the cost of an average auto insurance payment. The minimum amount required under Pennsylvania law for liability automobile insurance (which is mandatory) is $15,000 per individual and $30,000 per accident, typically known as 15/30.
As a Philadelphia car accident attorney who has been dealing with car accident cases since 1979, I recommend that you take higher limits which are available at a minimal cost. This will protect your assets in the event that you are involved in a car accident and a claim is made against you. Personal Injury Protection coverage is mandatory and is also known as first party benefits which is the basic medical insurance that pays for your medical bills. Minimal coverage in Pennsylvania by law is $5,000. Basically, your medical bills will be paid through your own PIP coverage regardless of who is at fault for the accident up to a minimum amount of $5,000. If you exceed the $5,000 PIP coverage limits, then excess medical bills can be submitted to your secondary health insurance carrier.
As a Philadelphia car accident lawyer who has dealt with thousands of car accident cases since 1979, I strongly recommend that if you live in Philadelphia you purchase uninsured and underinsured motorist coverage. In this day and age in Philadelphia, this coverage is probably the most important insurance coverage that you can purchase due to the fact that we see many claimants come into our office who were involved in car accidents with vehicles owned and operated by individuals who could not afford insurance and hence had let their policies lapse. Uninsured motorist coverage protects you if you are injured by a driver and/or vehicle that is uninsured. Underinsured motorist coverage may be purchased in amounts equal to or smaller than your liability coverage. However, the Philadelphia personal injury lawyers at Reiff and Bily recommend purchasing at least $100,000/$300,000 limits. If you were involved in a car accident with an uninsured driver, this may be your only source of recovery. Additionally, for the reasons stated in this article, underinsured motorist coverage (also known as UIM) is optional and highly recommended. This coverage would come into play if the responsible party or defendant had a minimal policy of $15,000/$30,000 and your injuries were significantly serious and the value of your claim were to exceed that amount.
It is also important to consider Full Tort insurance which is generally available for a minimally higher premium, generally 12 to 18%. If you purchase Full Tort insurance coverage, you can bring an action for any injuries suffered as the result of an automobile accident.
If you have Limited Tort option, you can only recover limited sums of monies for serious impairment of a bodily function or permanent loss of a bodily function which are defined by the courts and generally not in favor of the insureds. A serious injury is defined as a personal injury resulting in death, serious impairment of a bodily function or permanent or serious disfigurement.
As an experienced Philadelphia personal injury attorney who has specialized in car accidents since 1979, I can tell you that most soft tissue injuries caused by car accidents are insufficient to qualify or meet the serious impairment requirement set forth to overcome a limited tort threshold. In many cases, even broken bones are not considered to meet the laws definition of serious impairment.
At the experienced Philadelphia personal injury law firm of Reiff and Bily, we offer a free insurance checkup. We will be available to answer any and all questions concerning your automobile insurance policy. Remember, as tempting as it may be in difficult financial times, do not reduce your automobile insurance coverage or let it lapse.
If you or a loved has been injured in an car accident, please contact us at 1-800-421-9595 or online at www.reiffandbily.com.
