Life is a lot about the choices we make. The goal, of course, is to try to make more good choices than bad, but sometimes it is difficult to tell the two apart. Life can be tricky like that. Take, for example, car insurance. You may have had the same policy for the last five years, ten years, or maybe even longer. In the busy world we live in, how often do you review your car insurance policy? If you are like most people, the answer is never. Most of us look at our statement when it arrives, grumble that the cost went up again, sigh, and then send in the payment. Which leads us to the question, are we adequately covered for life’s or accidents?
The saying that “hindsight is 20/20” is often a painful lesson learned when it comes to car insurance. We often think or hope, we have enough coverage, but it is only after an accident that we truly learn if we actually had enough coverage. In other words, it is easy to know how much insurance we should carry after an accident, but difficult to predict how much we would need if ever in an accident. It also does not help, that many of us try to be optimists when it comes to insurance thinking that if we only need minimum coverage since we are excellent drivers with a good driving history. The problem is that even if we are excellent drivers, we share the roads with folks that are far from superior drivers. We also share the road with humans, who are error prone.
Take, for example, “Mike” an all too likely but fictional scenario. Mike had a clean driving history and thought he had good insurance with a reputable company. Mike had just started a new job last week, and there was a 30-day window where he would be not be covered by health insurance. Mike thought this was a reasonable risk to take since he was in excellent health and not taking any medications. Driving home from work Mike was t-boned by a driver who ran a red light. Mike sustained serious injuries including, but not limited to a fractured pelvis, eye socket, and right arm, and a brain bleed. He was transported to the hospital via ambulance, spent time in the intensive care unit, and then spent time inpatient. He missed several months of work and also had to attend intensive rehabilitation for about six months.
The bad news is that since Mike was uninsured his out-of-pocket medical bills that were close to $400,000. Even worse, the at-fault driver only had $100,000 worth of coverage and no assets that could be used to satisfy a judgment. The good news is that Mike was correct, and his insurance coverage was good. His policy allowed for up to $750,000 for underinsured motorist coverage. What this means is that since Mike was injured by someone whose insurance coverage limits were not enough to cover the extent of Mike’s injuries, his insurance policy could make up the difference. Although Mike may have forgone health insurance for 30-days, his “bad” decision in hindsight did not hurt him since he was fortunate to make a good decision concerning his car insurance.
However, not everyone is as lucky as Mike. Review your insurance annually to make sure that you are covered in case of a serious accident with an underinsured motorist.
If you have suffered serious injuries after being involved in an accident, you want an attorney who will make it their priority to make sure you receive the compensation you deserve. Remember, only a seasoned Kansas City Injury Attorney can protect your rights! For more than 60 years, victims in both Kansas and Missouri have turned to the seasoned Personal Injury Attorneys at Hubbard & Kurtz, L.L.P. The trusted team of Kansas City Personal Injury Attorneys are experienced trial attorneys who will fight to make sure your rights are protected. To schedule an appointment with one of our attorneys, contact Hubbard & Kurtz, L.L.P. today at (816) 472-4673.