You Have Good Car Insurance, But What About the Other Guy?

You’re on your way to the grocery store, a short drive from home. A car traveling in the other direction starts swerving into your lane. You know right away what’s up. The driver is on his phone.

Turns out he’s texting his girlfriend and doesn’t realize he’s heading straight for you. Then the worst happens. He hits you head on. You’re seriously hurt.

You’re a contractor, a job that demands hard physical labor. Because of your injuries, you can’t work for at least another year. Maybe never again as a contractor.

Your medical bills are paid by your Personal Injury Protection (No-Fault) insurance. But to get compensated over and above that you must sue the other guy. The kicker is, he doesn’t have any insurance.

You have a newer car with Physical Damage insurance. You thought you were “fully covered.” To an extent, that’s true. Your Collision Coverage will pay for damage to your vehicle no matter who is at fault in an accident.

But what about the other guy? You sue him. But he doesn’t own anything. Has no assets. Not even a job. Is there anything you could have done to cover yourself?

Yes there is. You can get coverage that pays if you win a lawsuit against another person without insurance. And in the scenario described above, your pain and suffering plus financial losses definitely warrant a lawsuit.

What is this insurance against the carelessness of the other guy? It’s called Uninsured Motorist coverage (UM). We include it in all of our car insurance policies. But you can get higher limits. And without breaking the bank.

First off, we recommend the highest limits of liability you can afford. We’ll quote you so you can decide what fits for you. Then, raise the limit on Uninsured Motorist coverage to equal those limits.

You also get Underinsured Motorist coverage with your Uninsured Motorist (UM/UIM). So if you sue another person who has lower limits of liability than yours and you win, you can still collect on your own policy for the difference.

Also, we have available excess uninsured/underinsured motorist endorsements on certain Personal Umbrella Insurance policies. This means you can get even more of this valuable coverage over and above your underlying car insurance.

Thing is, approximately 1 in 8 drivers on the road today are uninsured or underinsured. This according the Insurance Research Council.

Frankly, as far as we’re concerned, anyone driving with the minimum limits required in New York State is underinsured. (Minimum limits of bodily injury liability in NYS are $25,000 bodily injury and $50,000 death for a person involved in an accident. And $50,000 for bodily injury and $100,000 for death for two or more people in an accident.)

Call for No Obligation Quotes on UM/UIM Insurance

The best thing about Uninsured/Underinsured Motorist coverage is that it costs less than you think. We encourage you to call us for quotes on your auto insurance policy. Then you can decide if this valuable coverage is for you.

We highly recommend it for your peace of mind. And so that it’s there for you if disaster strikes you or your family.

Until next time,
Your SZW Team

SZW Insurance is your Utica area Trusted Choice™ independent insurance agent. Call us for a quote on insurance for your home, car, business, or life at 315.792.0000. Or request a quote here. In Westchester County call Zak Scalzo at 914.246.0315 or email at zaks@szwinsurance.com.