What to Check Before You’re in an Accident
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San Jose has a dense commuter population and some of the highest vehicle repair and healthcare costs in California. It becomes pretty clear that getting into an accident there can hit you harder than in many other parts of the country.
On top of that, California only requires drivers to carry $30,000 per person, $60,000 per accident for injury/death and $15,000 for property damage insurance, which often isn’t nearly enough to cover serious injuries. With uninsured driving still a problem, the odds of being stuck with bills after a crash are higher than they should be.
Every accident victim in this city could benefit a lot from the services of San Jose auto accident lawyers. These lawyers can really help; they know the ins and outs and can guide you through the confusion with ease.
Auto Accident Settlement
A settlement is basically the final number, the amount of money you’re offered (or negotiate) to cover everything that happened as a result of the accident. That includes your medical bills, car repairs, time off work, ongoing pain, stress and anything else the accident caused.
What you’re offered as a settlement depends heavily on the insurance policies involved (yours, the other driver’s, and even what your doctors and car repair shops report).
Assuming the other driver caused the crash, their insurance is supposed to pay for your damages through their liability coverage. However, they can only pay up to whatever amount their policy allows.
If their liability limit is the state minimum ($15,000), for instance, and your medical bills alone are $40,000, then you’re only going to get $15,000 from their insurer. The rest would now be your problem, unless you have backup options in your own policy.
The frustrating part is that most drivers on the road have the bare minimum coverage. They buy just enough to meet legal requirements, not nearly enough to protect you in a real crash. That’s why it’s risky to rely only on what the other driver’s insurance brings to the table.
Fault and How It Affects Your Settlement
Before any payout happens, the insurance company is going to ask one major question: who was at fault?
If it’s obvious that the other driver ran a red light or rear-ended you while texting, then great, they’ll probably accept liability. But if there’s even a hint that you could have been partly responsible, the insurance company might try to reduce your settlement using something called comparative fault.
In California, if you were found to be, say, 30% at fault, your payout will be reduced by 30%. So if your total damages were $100,000, you’d only get $70,000. It’s a system that lets insurance companies push back even when their driver is mostly to blame, which is why having a lawyer, especially one local to San Jose who knows how these insurers operate, can be very beneficial to your case.
Conclusion
Most people don’t think about any of this until it’s already too late. The accident happens, they file a claim, and only then do they realize their coverage isn’t enough or that the other driver’s coverage is way too low.
Take five minutes today to check your policy. Look at your limits and read between the lines everywhere. If the limits are low or missing, it’s worth talking to your insurance agent about adjusting them. A few extra dollars a month could end up saving you tens of thousands later.
The post How Insurance Coverage Affects Your Auto Accident Settlement first appeared on Clean Fleet Report.