MouthPiece
04-27-2012, 02:54 PM
I wasn't sure how to title this thread, nor was I certain that it should fall in this sub forum. However, I did feel that the following information is very important to those who have their spyder (any motorvehicle for that matter), have insurance and have had an accident.
As many of you know I had an accident (spyder totalled) almost three months ago. I also had injuries. I did NOT have what is called uninsured motorist coverage in my insurance policy. However, I was not aware of this fact, and this is the important point that I will be trying to make in this thread. There was no issue of fault. It was clearly the fault of the "other person", AND her insurance company admitted up front to this point. In fact it was very soon after the accident occurred that the insurance company admitted to the "limits of their policy" in order to resolve or settle the case. This is where the glaring inequities came into play.
Her insurance policy was only for $35,000.00 in personal injury damages. Because I did not have uninsured motorist coverage and because my medical bills were going to be exorbitant, I found myself potentially being in a position of having to pay a substantial portion of my doctors' bills. I truly felt this was an "unfair", if you will, position to be placed in especially since I did nothing to cause this accident. The key is that unbeknownst to me I did not have what is called "uninsured motorist coverage" which would have paid all my medical bills. Consequently, I would have been compensated fully ($35,000.00) for the pain, suffering and ordeal that I've had to go through for the past three months and in the future, without having anything deducted for medical bills. I hope I'm making sense.
My lawyer asked me if I had uninsured motorist coverage, and my response was that I wasn't sure. I'll stop here and simply say that I really urge all riders to carry uninsured or sometimes called underinsured motor insurance. My lawyer asked me if I recalled ever signing a waiver form or rejection form stating that I did NOT want uninsured motorcycle insurance. I couldn't answer the question, but I told him that I did not think that I had. Now the "kicker".
In Florida, an individual who purchases insurance must specifically waive either in writing or through a recorded oral response that they specifically waive uninsured/underinsured motorcycle coverage. This is set up specifically by statute. My lawyer then made demand of my insurance company to provide documentation that I had waived. They could NOT.
The bottom line is that all of my medical bills will be covered by my insurance company under the uninsured/underinsured coverage which to this day I can't say that I waived coverage, especially because I have it with my automobiles.
I've written this lengthy summation to provide information to others out there that MAY (and God I hope not) get into an accident, find out that they don't have uninsured/underinsured motorcycle coverage AND that the faulting parties' insurance is so small that it would probably not cover for all the medical bills, much less any pain and suffering. Khudos to my lawyer who handled my case.
Chris
As many of you know I had an accident (spyder totalled) almost three months ago. I also had injuries. I did NOT have what is called uninsured motorist coverage in my insurance policy. However, I was not aware of this fact, and this is the important point that I will be trying to make in this thread. There was no issue of fault. It was clearly the fault of the "other person", AND her insurance company admitted up front to this point. In fact it was very soon after the accident occurred that the insurance company admitted to the "limits of their policy" in order to resolve or settle the case. This is where the glaring inequities came into play.
Her insurance policy was only for $35,000.00 in personal injury damages. Because I did not have uninsured motorist coverage and because my medical bills were going to be exorbitant, I found myself potentially being in a position of having to pay a substantial portion of my doctors' bills. I truly felt this was an "unfair", if you will, position to be placed in especially since I did nothing to cause this accident. The key is that unbeknownst to me I did not have what is called "uninsured motorist coverage" which would have paid all my medical bills. Consequently, I would have been compensated fully ($35,000.00) for the pain, suffering and ordeal that I've had to go through for the past three months and in the future, without having anything deducted for medical bills. I hope I'm making sense.
My lawyer asked me if I had uninsured motorist coverage, and my response was that I wasn't sure. I'll stop here and simply say that I really urge all riders to carry uninsured or sometimes called underinsured motor insurance. My lawyer asked me if I recalled ever signing a waiver form or rejection form stating that I did NOT want uninsured motorcycle insurance. I couldn't answer the question, but I told him that I did not think that I had. Now the "kicker".
In Florida, an individual who purchases insurance must specifically waive either in writing or through a recorded oral response that they specifically waive uninsured/underinsured motorcycle coverage. This is set up specifically by statute. My lawyer then made demand of my insurance company to provide documentation that I had waived. They could NOT.
The bottom line is that all of my medical bills will be covered by my insurance company under the uninsured/underinsured coverage which to this day I can't say that I waived coverage, especially because I have it with my automobiles.
I've written this lengthy summation to provide information to others out there that MAY (and God I hope not) get into an accident, find out that they don't have uninsured/underinsured motorcycle coverage AND that the faulting parties' insurance is so small that it would probably not cover for all the medical bills, much less any pain and suffering. Khudos to my lawyer who handled my case.
Chris