Insurance Coverage Accident Advice

What to do About Insurance Coverage if You are Involved in a Car Accident, Motorcycle Accident, Slip & Fall Accident, Dog Bite or Other Premises Liability Accident in Los Angeles, The San Fernando Valley, Ventura or Anywhere in California

Tips About Insurance

Car accident injuries, motorcycle accident injuries, slip & fall accident injuries and dog bites occur daily in Los Angeles, the San Fernando Valley and throughout California, and the question of adequate insurance coverage arises in most, if not all, of them. If you are involved in any injury or property damage accident in Los Angeles or California, here are some general helpful insurance coverage tips and advice (see disclaimer at bottom):

1. Be prepared: Obtain proper insurance before any accident occurs to protect yourself and your family members.
2. Car Insurance: If you drive or own a car, motorcycle, truck or other motor vehicle, be sure you have appropriate insurance coverage for not only yourself but all family members, including liability insurance coverage (to protect you against claims and lawsuits by others); collision coverage (to insure your vehicle for damages, regardless of fault, usually with a deductible of $100.00 to $1,000.00); underinsured motorist (UM) and underinsured motorist (UIM) coverages to cover your medical bills and also your pain, suffering, inconvenience, loss of enjoyment of life activities, loss of earnings and earning capacity, and related damages if the other party is responsible but is without any liability insurance (UM claim) or is without sufficient liability insurance coverage (UIM claim) to pay your entire claim; medical payments (med pay) coverage (often with reimbursement provisions) to pay your medical bills and the medical bills of everyone in your car or motor vehicle up to a limited amount, regardless of fault; uninsured waiver of deductible (UM waiver of deductible) to pay your collision deductible if the other party was not insured and at fault; etc. Some believe if you have an older car, truck or motorcycle not worth much money with limited income of your own, you should not spend any money on collision coverage. But remember, collision coverage protects you if your car, truck or motorcycle is damaged because you were at fault or the responsible parties did not maintain insurance coverage or did not maintain sufficient insurance coverage. One thing to keep in mind - perhaps the most important part of insurance - is to protect against losses you cannot afford. So even if your car, truck or motorcycle is worth less than $3,000.00, thoughtfully consider what would you do if it sustained major damage or was totaled? If you need this vehicle and you could not afford to fix or replace it, strongly consider buying insurance to protect you against such a loss, despite the vehicle's age, value and condition. Also, when adding or changing vehicles, remember to notify your insurance agent as soon as possible. While there may be a 30 day grace period, there is NO advantage to waiting so we recommend doing this right away. You should discuss all appropriate insurance coverages, including deductibles and reimbursement issues, now and before you have a loss with your insurance agent or a California Personal Injury Attorney. We suggest that you confer with your insurance agent on renewal and at least once every year, more often when there are any changes that may affect insurance coverages. And should you want a second, independent opinion we also offer an absolutely FREE consultation to review your insurance coverages. Just send us an email to info@WalchLaw.com or call us at 1-818-222-3400 to set a convenient time to do this and we shall be happy to help.
3. If you have an underinsured motorist (UM) and/or underinsured motorist (UIM) claim, it is very important to take the actions required by the insurance policy [which is essentially a contract between you (the insured) and the insurance company (the insurer)]. Such actions usually include timely making a police report (the report itself is often called a “Traffic Collision Report”), identifying all registered owners of the involved vehicles, and timely filing certain forms with the California Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV), including the SR1 and SR19 forms. There are often time limits to do each of these or your claim may be barred. You should consult a California Uninsured Motorist (UM) Attorney for advice.
4. If you purchase auto insurance with collision coverage you should carefully evaluate the deductible in light of the premium. Often with a little higher deductible, you may be able to save considerable premium (money). You should discuss this with your insurance agent.
5. Slip & Fall, Trip & Fall, Dog Bites and other Premises Liability Claims: If you are injured on the property of another, the other party may have liability insurance to pay all of your medical bills and also your pain, suffering, inconvenience, loss of enjoyment of life activities, loss of earnings and earning capacity, and related damages. It is important to ascertain the existence and then the amount of such coverage as soon as possible. In addition, the other party may maintain medical payments (med pay) coverage to pay your medical bills and the medical bills of anyone else injured on the premises (and sometimes even off the premises) up to a limited amount, regardless of fault. Again, it is very important to ascertain the existence of any med pay coverage and then the amount and limits of such coverage as soon as possible. You should consult a California Premises Liability Attorney for advice.
6. Health Insurance: Be sure that you (and your family members) have adequate health insurance coverage. This coverage protects you and helps pay your medical bills and related bills in the event of an injury, regardless of fault. There are many issues, including deductibles, co-pays, amounts of coverage and reimbursement issues when you recover funds from a third party (i.e., the responsible party in an accident claim). You should review all of this with your insurance agent or contact a California Personal Injury Attorney for assistance.
7. Injury Claims: If anyone involved in an accident and in need of insurance coverage suffered any injury requiring medical care, immediately contact an experienced California Personal Injury Attorney for help, including with obtaining medical treatment, including from doctors, physical therapists, specialists (such as orthopedic and plastic surgeons, neurologists, dentists and psychologists – usually without any payment until your claim is resolved), needed medications, scans (e.g., MRI and CT Scans) and X-Rays, surgery and hospital care (usually on a lien basis which means you do not need pay any deductible or even any co-payments until your claim is resolved); financial recovery for all pain, suffering, inconvenience, loss of enjoyment of life activities, loss of earnings and earning capacity (under California law you may be entitled to such compensation even if you were not working or even if you were paid for missed time!); and, when appropriate, cash advances.
8. Contact us now for a FREE consultation about insurance coverages -- Call 818-222-3400 or toll free 1-866 Injury 2 (1-866-465-8792) (after hours, please press 1) or simply complete our convenient contact form. We truly enjoy helping people and look forward to hearing from you.

The initial consultation is FREE and on injury cases there is NO fee with our firm UNTIL you win!

Disclaimer

The information contained in this Website is provided for general informational purposes only, and should not be construed as legal advice on any subject matter or any particular claim or case. No recipients of content from this site, clients or otherwise, should act or refrain from acting on the basis of any content included in the site without first seeking the appropriate legal or other professional advice on the particular facts and circumstances at issue from a California Personal Injury Attorney or an attorney licensed in the recipient's state. The content of this Website contains general information and may not reflect current legal developments, strategy, laws, verdicts or settlements. These Attorneys and Firm expressly disclaim all liability with respect to actions taken or not taken based on any or all of the contents of this general page and entire Website.

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