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I’m Sorry That You Lost Your Leg, But You Don’t Have Coverage

You are involved in a head-on automobile crash with a college student on U.S. 27 near Ross, Ohio. You sustain significant, life-altering injuries.  The doctors do everything they can, but your right leg is ultimately amputated.

What can you do? How are you going to be able to make an income to support your spouse and two children? How will you pay the mortgage on your home? What ongoing medical treatment will you need, how will you afford that treatment? How will you even get there?

These are just a few of the numerous questions you face.

When you first purchased your automobile insurance policy, you and your insurance agent had a conversation about the various types of coverage available to you.  Because you made sure to educate yourself, you purchased medical payments coverage to help pay the medical bills you incurred treating your injuries, uninsured/underinsured motorist coverage to help compensate you when the other driver has limited or no liability insurance coverage, and umbrella coverage to increase the limits of your liability and UM-UIM coverages.  While no amount of compensation is likely to ever make up for the loss of your leg, you did your best to protect yourself in the event of a tragic situation.

Unfortunately, that’s not always the case.  Too many Ohioans either decline to carry medical payments and/or UM-UIM coverages, or they carry an inadequate amount.  And even more do not pay the proportionally cheap premium for an umbrella policy to further protect themselves when they cause a collision and/or to increase the coverage available to them when they sustain injuries in a collision caused by someone else with limited or no liability insurance coverage.

If the college student driving the other vehicle in the head-on crash does not have insurance, your uninsured motorist coverage would allow you to make a claim against your own policy to try to obtain compensation. If you carry an umbrella policy for additional liability and UM-UIM coverage, that would increase the amount of potential compensation you would be entitled to. In the event that you do not have those coverages, you would only be able to pursue the at-fault driver personally.  In cases where the at-fault party is uninsured, that person is often uncollectible if you pursue a judgment.

Covering Your Costs

The Richards Firm does not sell insurance, but we do represent injured people making claims against negligent parties, employers, and insurance companies in a variety of personal injury and nursing home negligence matters.  The Richards Firm also encourages current and prospective clients to consider the insurance coverage they carry if only to avoid hearing an insurance adjuster tell them: “I’m sorry that you lost your leg, but you don’t have coverage.”

We have addressed those types of coverages in more depth in previous blogs: But I Have Full Coverage.”

The Richards Firm opened April 6, 2020 and is proud to be part of the ongoing renaissance in downtown Hamilton, Ohio. We provide justice with a family approach. We are available to discuss your injury claims and even your insurance policies.  We want to make sure that you are protecting yourself and your loved ones as we all strive to do on a regular basis.

For a trustworthy attorney in Hamilton, Ohio, contact us at 513-868-2731 or rhys@richardsinjuryfirm.com.

To stay up to date with future posts and local legal news, follow The Richards Firm on Facebook (@TheRichardsFirm) or on Twitter (@FirmRichards).

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