A few years ago, you really didn’t hear about umbrella insurance so much. Now, it seems like everyone is ready to file a lawsuit against someone who has insurance in place. The reason is that umbrella insurance indirectly implies that this person has a lot in assets, liquid or otherwise. Unfortunately, some people try to take advantage of that.
What this insurance actually serves is the purpose of helping extremely injured people or extreme damages get full compensation. And, it helps the person carrying the insurance avoid paying out of their own pocket directly. It can also be an approach to avoiding costly lawsuits.
What Exactly is Umbrella Insurance?
Umbrella insurance is something that people who are susceptible to frivolous or very large lawsuits would consider. Doctors, attorneys, business owners, and similar can all face constant lawsuits for personal injury, lawsuits, and even property damage.
The idea of having this type of insurance is that you don’t have to worry about the excess. At that point, the person with umbrella insurance knows that the victim is getting all the compensation they need to get a head start on recovering from an accident financially.
However, it goes the other way too. As mentioned earlier, many people attempting to file fraudulent claims will target high profile people. We’re not talking about big-name celebrities; we’re talking about local celebrities and popular faces around town. The result is that these people don’t want to feel attacked and end up in court so often. Instead, they use this type of insurance to handle that element of life for them.
What Will a Car Accident Attorney Instruct You To Do About Umbrella Insurance?
If the person that you hit has umbrella insurance, your auto crash attorney in Atlanta should still have you file a claim with the policy. The car insurance policy will always come before the umbrella insurance in that nearly all umbrella policies require the person to exhaust all other insurance options. Basically, that statement is in place to ensure that the clients aren’t using it in place of other insurance policies.
Now, if your damages exceed the coverage that the person has for their auto insurance, then you could pursue their umbrella insurance. Umbrella insurance is often called “excess liability,” in which it stands to help victims recover a full compensation when one insurance policy runs out.
For example, if you were paralyzed in a crash and your medical costs for exceeding the coverage of $50,000, you would create a secondary claim through their umbrella insurance policy. The policy would then evaluate what was left over after the initial claim paid out and then see if they would provide the remaining need or not.
Get Guidance from a Proper Source
You should always talk to a local Atlanta attorney in person for proper guidance. Many attorneys can’t provide full scope advice online or by phone because they need to understand all the facets of your claim. It could be that you’re partially at fault and the reduction in fault for comparative negligence that you may not be able to benefit fully and then not need the umbrella policy at all.
The person with the umbrella insurance policy would likely not talk to you or mention that it’s an available option. What you would do at that point is to work with the attorney to confirm it is available. They’re a valuable resource in handling your options for full compensation. Too often, people feel that all they can do is file through car insurance and then hope for the best. That’s hardly ever the case. While not everyone has umbrella insurance, you should get guidance on the matter from an attorney.
Reach Out to a Car Accident Attorney in Atlanta
Even if the person has umbrella insurance, it’s likely that you won’t have access to that until the maximum on their car insurance is paid out. Additionally, it may not allow you to make a claim at all until you file with their car insurance provider. This insurance is meant for lawsuits that exceed current insurance policies or help prevent frivolous lawsuits from driving someone broke.
At The Weinstein Firm, our team will happily explain the opportunity of seeking compensation through umbrella and car insurance if it’s necessary. Our goal as a personal injury law firm in Atlanta, GA, is to obtain full compensation for any victim. That means that if their car insurance can’t take care of your damages, then you’ll need to take it one step further. Get help now.
