Maximizing Your Financial Settlement
At Bundza & Rodriguez, we think constantly about how we can obtain full and fair compensation for our clients after an accident. The truth is that many insurance companies are not eager to pay out a claim, and they do not want to pay compensation for your pain and suffering.
However, based on our years of experience, we have found that we can often maximize the amount of money our clients get by uncovering additional insurance policies that might cover an accident.
Stacking Underinsured Motorist Insurance
After a devastating crash, you might have tens of thousands of dollars in medical bills and even more in lost wages. Florida’s personal injury protection benefits (called “PIP”) rarely cover serious injuries, and some drivers either have no insurance or do not carry enough.
This is where Underinsured Motorist coverage comes in (called “UM”). If you purchased this insurance, you can tap the benefits after a crash. Even better, UM coverage in Florida is stackable, meaning that you can often increase the amount of compensation available. You can stack policies in a couple of ways:
You can stack two different policies if you are covered by both. For example, you might be covered to the tune of $20,000 under one policy and $50,000 under another, giving you a total of $70,000 in coverage.
You can also stack if you have multiple vehicles covered under a policy. For example, there might be five cars under a policy that provides $20,000 in coverage. This gives you a total of $100,00 in coverage ($20,000 x 5). Insurers can sell policies that are not stackable, so your Daytona Beach personal injury attorney will need to investigate.
Checking a Homeowners’ Insurance Policy
An injury might be covered by a person’s homeowners’ insurance policy. For example, you might have been bitten by someone’s dog or you could have slipped and fallen on their property. A homeowners’ policy often covers these accidents and can provide substantial compensation for injured victims.
Finding Applicable Business Policies
If you were injured on a business, then the defendant should have a general business liability insurance policy. However, some businesses carry multiple policies, including umbrella coverage. These other policies can substantially increase the amount of compensation available when a business or one of its employees injures you.
Other Insurance Policies
Do you own a credit card? If you do, it might provide insurance coverage for certain accidents. For example, the American Express Blue Card provides up to $250,000 in coverage for death or dismemberment when travelling by common carrier, like an airplane or bus. You should tell your personal injury attorney what credit cards you have so that they can check whether an insurance policy will cover your injury.
Fighting for Compensation for Our Clients
Injured victims need compensation to cover a variety of expenses and losses, such as medical bills or lost wages, along with the pain and suffering or emotional distress that accompanies bodily injuries.
If you have suffered an injury that was not your fault, please contact us. We can investigate and help you understand whether you have a valid legal claim. To schedule your free consultation with one of our Daytona Beach personal injury attorneys, call 386-252-5170.
Resources:
americanexpress.com/content/dam/amex/us/credit-cards/features-benefits/policies/pdf/TAI%20Benefit%20Guide_Tier%202%20Rev%2003-18.pdf
forbes.com/sites/thesba/2012/01/19/13-types-of-insurance-a-small-business-owner-should-have/#4f80ac3b20d3