Why You Should Review Your Insurance Policy This Year
As New York City accident lawyers, we represent people who have been in a car accident or a pedestrian accident. While we begin working with people after the fact, one thing we routinely warn people about is the importance of having the right insurance policy. If you have not reviewed yours recently, you should
Not All Insurance Policies Are the Same
Did you know that if you are hit by a driver who does not have insurance, you may not be able to recover any damages? It stands to reason that if they cannot afford an insurance policy, they will not have any money to pay your medical bills or the damage to your vehicle. In this scenario, the only way to protect yourself is with an uninsured motorist provision in your policy.
Make Sure That Your Assets Are Protected
What if you were the one who caused the accident? If the other driver sues you, the limit on your coverage needs to be high enough to pay for any potential damages they are entitled to. If for example, your policy only covers you up to $250,000 and they are awarded $350,000, they could come after you for the rest. You can protect yourself and your other assets by ensuring that your coverage has much higher limits.
GAP Coverage
If you have a new car, you definitely need GAP coverage. If you were in an accident and the insurance company totals your car, they will need to give you the fair market value for it. The problem is that cars depreciate fairly quickly. When you buy a new car, it is worth less the second you drive it off the lot, and if you have a loan on it, you could end up owing more than your car is worth. That is a problem when cars are totaled because the bank will get paid based on what the appraised value is. You could essentially end up owing the bank money for a vehicle you no longer have. When you have GAP coverage, the insurance company would have to pay the difference between the appraised value and your total loan amount as well.
Insurance Companies Do Not Always Treat People Fairly
At Greenstein & Milbauer, we can assist you if you are not being treated fairly by your insurance company. Remember that they are in business to make a profit, and one of the ways they do so is by limiting how much they pay out. That means they will sometimes deny necessary procedures, pay less than your car should be worth, or try to give you a low settlement offer. If this is happening to you, there are options and an attorney can help.
Have you ever been caught off guard by your insurance policy and denied a claim when you thought you had full coverage? If so, leave a comment here.
