Auto Accidents Involving Multiple Injured Parties – Why You Should Be Concerned
You and your family are driving along Interstate 285 in Atlanta or I-65 South in Montgomery. A car abruptly stops in front of you. You slam on the brakes and are able to stop but a chain reaction unfolds whereby 3 cars end up rearending your vehicle. Everyone appears hurt. 3 of the passengers in your vehicle alone are hurt. Ambulances and police arrive on scene. What should be your concerns from the standpoint of recovering the most for your injuries?
Multiple claims can lead to less money for you.
Liability insurance is mandatory in Georgia and Alabama. Liability insurance covers a person when their carelessness and negligence causes an accident. Both states set minimum limits of $25,000/$50,000. This means that coverage is limited to a maximum of $25,000.00 to be paid to any injured party, HOWEVER, if multiple parties are involved then $50,000 is the maximum policy limits available to ALL injured parties.
So consider our hypothetical. If there are 10 people injured, those ten injury victims may have to “split up” $50,000.00 from the at-fault party. Depending on the severity of the individual injuries, this could lead to 10 people splitting $50,000.00 evenly or someone may be left with nothing if they are less severely injured than other parties.
Certainly this scenario changes if the coverage limits are higher but it would be imprudent to think that this is the case. In fact, in the experience of our skilled Georgia and Alabama auto accident attorneys, these cases involve minimum limits most of the time.
How many liability policies apply?
The more liability policies that apply the better. In our hypothetical, multiple people rearended your car. It is important for an experience Georgia car wreck lawyer to immediately determine who was at fault and how much coverage is available under each liability policy. The reason is that these policies may “stack” on top of each other to provide additional layers of coverage. For example, if 4 drivers are at fault for the accident and they all have minimum limits of $25,000/$50,000 they may “stack” to create $100,000/$300,000 in total coverage. This depends on the types of policies involved. The only way to determine what coverages are available is to hire a skilled auto accident attorney in Atlanta. Do NOT rely on the insurance adjusters to tell you the truth or guide you on this. They represent the insurance company, not you.
How much uninsured motorist coverage do you have?
“In my humble opinion, a person who does not have high amounts of uninsured motorist coverage is sticking a gun to the head of everyone in the vehicle when they drive down the road” – Jason Ferguson
Uninsured motorist coverage can save you in these cases. If it is determined that there is not sufficient liability coverage for an accident due to multiple injured parties making claims, your uninsured motorist coverage may be your only hope. Uninsured motorist coverage covers individuals if they are struck by a person that has NO liability insurance but it may also cover you if the person does not have ENOUGH insurance. It is extremely important that your auto accident lawyer immediately determine how much uninsured motorist coverage you have available for the loss. If liability coverage runs out or is limited due to multiple claims, your uninsured motorist coverage can be the only thing that saves you. Uninsured motorist coverage comes in various limits depending on your policy, may cover passengers in the vehicle and you may have coverage through resident relatives of your household even if you are not listed on their policy.
“These cases turn on the facts. Literally the only way to determine if you have any relief through uninsured motorist coverage is to call us. My office will not charge you a dime to talk to you about this. Let us help you.” – Jason Ferguson
Get in touch with one of our skilled Georgia and Alabama auto accident attorneys FAST!
You can be left out in these cases. If other injured parties hire lawyers, seek treatment and press the insurance companies to pay, the policy limits can literally run out before you’re ever given an chance to pursue your claim. Our experienced car wreck lawyers make it a point to act quickly on these cases. The complexity, notice requirements and policy provisions make this area of the law very time-sensitive. If you have been involved in an accident with multiple injured parties, the ONLY way to truly protect your rights to call us immediately. We will never rush you, we will never provide you with unsound advice, but we will tell you when the matter is urgent and you need to move on things. If you or your family have been involved in an accident involving multiple injured policies, you need to call our Georgia and Alabama auto crash lawyers NOW.