About
Automobile Accident Cases
What is the statute of limitations
with respect to injuries sustained in a motor vehicle accident?
What is uninsured motorist coverage and how does it protect me?
What is underinsured motorist coverage and how does it protect me?
What is uninsured/underinsured motorist conversion option coverage?
What do the terms per person and per accident in my automobile insurance policy mean?
What is the least amount of automobile insurance coverage one can have under Connecticut law?
Why is it important to have high policy limits on my policy?
Is medical payments coverage included in all automobile insurance policies?
Will the at fault person's insurance company pay my medical bills prior to settlement?
What is the statute of limitations with respect to injuries sustained in a motor vehicle accident?
Under Connecticut law, you must bring suit for injuries sustained in a motor vehicle accident occurring within the State of Connecticut within two years of the date of accident, otherwise your case is forever barred. The time limitations on such suits vary from state to state.
What is uninsured motorist coverage and how does it protect me?
Uninsured motorist coverage is coverage provided under your automobile insurance policy. In the event that you are injured in a motor vehicle accident, caused by the negligence of another driver who is uninsured, the uninsured motorist provisions of your policy will cover your bodily injury. It is important that you always carry a sufficient amount of uninsured motorist coverage on your policy to protect you should you be seriously injured in a motor vehicle accident.
What is underinsured motorist coverage and how does it protect me?
Underinsured motorist coverage is provided under your automobile
insurance policy. In the event that you are injured in a motor
vehicle accident, caused by the negligence of another driver
who does not have sufficient insurance coverage to cover your
injuries and losses, you may be able to access your underinsured
motorist coverage under your own policy. In order to access this
coverage, however, you must have coverage in excess of the coverage
afforded under the at fault person's insurance policy.
For example, if you were injured in a car accident caused by
the negligence of Driver X, and your case was worth $150,000.00,
yet Driver X only had bodily injury coverage under his automobile
insurance in the amount of $50,000.00 per person, you could access
the underinsured motorist provisions of your policy if your underinsured
motorist coverage was in excess of $50,000.00. If your underinsured
motorist coverage were $100,000.00, you would be able to collect
the $50,000.00 under Driver X's policy and $50,000.00 under your
own policy. (Your $100,000.00 coverage less the $50,000.00 already
received under Driver X's policy.) If your underinsured motorist
coverage was $150,000.00, you would be able to collect the $50,000.00
under Driver X's policy and $100,000.00 under your own policy.
What is uninsured/underinsured motorist conversion option coverage?
Under Connecticut law, you are, for an additional premium, able to double the amount of uninsured/underinsured motorist coverage afforded under your policy to twice what your bodily injury limits are. For example, if you have bodily injury limits of $100,000.00 per occurrence, you can opt to have $200,000.00 in uninsured/underinsured motorist coverage under your policy for an additional premium.
What do the terms per person and per accident in my automobile insurance policy mean?
If you have a single limit policy of insurance, for example in the amount of $100,000.00, the policy will pay no more than $100,000.00 for injuries caused by you in an accident, no matter how many people were injured or how serious the injuries were. If you have a policy providing bodily injury coverage in the amount of $50,000.00 per person/$100,000.00 per accident, your policy will pay no more than $50,000.00 to any one person injured in the accident caused by you and no more than $100,000.00 total to all persons involved in the motor vehicle accident, regardless of the number of people involved.
What is the least amount of automobile insurance coverage one can have under Connecticut law?
Connecticut law provides that every vehicle being operated within this State must carry bodily injury limits of $20,000.00 per person and $40,000.00 per accident.
How can a person be operating a vehicle without insurance since you are required to provide evidence of insurance coverage upon registering your vehicle?
Unfortunately, it is not uncommon for persons to obtain an insurance binder when registering a vehicle and then to fail to pay the premiums as they become due. This practice allows people to produce evidence of insurance at the time of registration of the vehicle, only to have it canceled within a few months for nonpayment of premiums.
Why is it important to have high policy limits on my policy?
If you are at fault for an accident, your exposure can vary from case to case. For example, if you cause an accident to a person causing minor injury, your exposure for liability purposes is very small. If, however, you cause an automobile accident and hit a surgeon, causing him to lose the use of his hand, your liability exposure would be vast. It is important to have high coverage limits on your automobile policy so that your insurance is sufficient to cover any loss. In that way, you can protect your personal assets from loss.
Is medical payments coverage included in all automobile insurance policies?
No. It is not uncommon for people to choose not to have medical payments coverage under their insurance policy. This is especially significant to persons who do not carry health insurance because if they are injured through the fault of another, they cannot get their bills paid through their own automobile insurance company.
Will the at fault person's insurance company pay my medical bills prior to settlement?
Except in vary rare instances, the at fault person's insurance carrier will not agree to pay your medical expenses until the case is finally resolved.
Once I have settled my case, will the at fault person's insurance carrier pay my medical expenses if I have a problem in the future?
No. Once a case is settled, you can never go back and seek further compensation from the at fault person's insurance carrier. This is one of the major reasons why you should not be too hasty in settling any claim that you might have.