Driving requires motorists to apply extra care on the road to avoid causing accidents. Nevertheless, some unforeseen circumstances may occur, resulting in an accident where victims are injured. If you are the liable party in the accidents, you will need to have an insurance policy that covers other potential victims, to help them access the necessary medical attention. Therefore, you need to understand your options to help you explore the necessary payments and insurance coverage options. Working with a personal injury attorney is an excellent option for you, as their input will be useful in helping you determine how to obtain bodily injury liability insurance. At Las Vegas Personal Injury Attorney Law Firm, you will have access to some of the best attorneys available to help in ensuring your insurance covers the essential claims from potential victims.
Defining Bodily Injury Liability Insurance
When you are involved in a road accident as the main liable party, you are responsible for compensating affected victims, especially if they sustained serious damage from the collision. Therefore, Nevada laws require motorists to purchase bodily injury liability insurance to cover any victims who suffer harm after an accident.
You should note that the insurance is meant for others and not yourself, meaning it only protects third parties. This limit applies even where the victim may have some blame for the incident, provided they were involved in the collision.
Categories of Parties Included in Bodily Injury Liability Insurance Coverage
Having learned of the nature of the insurance, it is also essential to understand the category of persons included in its coverage. The relevant knowledge will help you take up payments for valid parties only to avoid being exploited.
Furthermore, you can use the information to contest a claimant’s request for inclusion if they do not fall within the stipulated group. The following are the protected victims under a bodily injury liability insurance cover:
Passengers Present in Your Car During the Accident
Any passengers present in your vehicle are part of your responsibility, primarily because they have limited control over the vehicle. Thus, their reliance on you to exercise safe driving maneuvers means that any accident requires you to compensate them.
The need to compensate them often arises if the passengers are not close family members, meaning they would require insurance coverage to meet their medical needs after injury. On the other hand, if the victims are close loved ones, you may seek alternative options like using your medical insurance cover to handle their needs. For example, if your spouse or children suffered harm, you can handle the expenses within the family context.
Conversely, drivers found liable for endangering unrelated third parties will invoke the need for bodily injury liability insurance. For example, motorists working as commercial bus drivers, taxi operators, or private chauffeurs will rely on insurance to cover damages for passengers inside the vehicle when they sustained their injuries.
Passengers in Different Vehicles When Collision Occurred
Similarly, the accident you were involved in may have affected passengers in other vehicles, resulting in injuries and other damages. As a result, bodily injury liability insurance is helpful to help cater for the expenses necessary in helping the victims seek medical attention.
Upon receiving requests from the affected third parties, you can engage your injury attorney to help you verify whether all claimants are to be rightfully included in the insurance coverage. You are assured of catering to genuine cases only, meaning that your chances of facing exploitation are less.
The Drivers Involved in the Accident
Furthermore, the other drivers you collided with also have a fair claim to raise in requesting compensation under your bodily injury liability insurance. This is because they are likely to be the primary victims in an accident, depending on the collision type.
For example, head-on collisions often harm drivers severely, as they face the accident impact directly from the front. Consequently, their injuries are more likely to be extreme than other passengers in the backseat.
The affected driver may also present a valid claim to benefit under your insurance coverage if they demonstrate that you had more liability in the incident. For example, if the driver operated their vehicle within the required traffic regulations while you failed to observe the rules, you are more answerable when compensation is required.
Pedestrians Who Suffered Harm from the Accident
Noteworthy, pedestrians are also included in the bodily injury liability insurance after involvement in an accident because they also need medical attention. Therefore, excluding them from coverage would limit their access to immediate assistance, resulting in potential fatalities or permanent disfigurement.
The rationale behind including pedestrians in the beneficiary category is that a driver involved in an accident may be partially or wholly responsible for the pedestrian’s circumstances. Thus, although they are not involved in driving and traffic compliance, their entitlement is considered based on their road use in the pedestrian capacity.
Specifications on the Bodily Injury Liability Insurance Limits for Motorists
Legal provisions also specify the minimum amount dispensable to accident victims, depending on the type of harm. Therefore, drivers should have information on these figures to help them budget accordingly. Further, the details can help you estimate the amount you are liable to pay the accident victim should the liability insurance fail to cover it.
The liability insurance limits are stipulated based on the outcome of the collision. The amounts include:
$20,000 After a Victim’s Property Faces Damage After the Accident
Most accidents will result in property damage, especially on vehicle parts. An additional impact may also damage houses, structures, or items stored outside, especially if a collision happens on a narrow street. As a result, your liability insurance should be sufficient to convert any damages arising from the collision you were involved in to ensure the aggrieved parties have a reliable avenue to file their claims.
$25,000 When the Accident Kills One Victim
In extreme cases, a car accident may cause a fatality. This is especially common in pedestrian accidents where the driver is moving at high speed because the pedestrian’s body sustains all the impact directly. Additionally, head-on collisions and T-bone accidents are also likely to cause serious fatalities.
Bodily injury liability insurance covers should factor in the consequences of the victim’s death and ensure that the family has sufficient to file compensatory claims. You do not have to worry about paying out of pocket, especially if your insurance package can cover most of the amount claimed.
$50,000 If the Accident Kills Two or More Victims
Serious road accidents often cause multiple fatalities at once, meaning that you may be liable for covering several wrongful death claims from the victims’ families. As a result, a minimum of $50,000 should be sufficient to cater to the claimant’s basic needs before any additional requests are introduced.
You should note that victims’ families can only present their claims if the deceased’s case is directly involved with the collision. Therefore, your attorney will help you conduct thorough investigations to establish the integrity of the claimants’ positions.
On top of the three primary insurance coverage categories, Nevada law also requires all motorists to have liability insurance of at least 25/50. With the amount, you can comfortably meet an accident victim’s expenses without paying out of pocket. This way, you reduce the chances of conflicts arising, particularly regarding non-payments.
Liability Insurance Coverage Distribution for Multiple Accident Victims
As mentioned, the accident you are liable for involves more than one victim, you will still need to ensure that your insurance coverage caters to them. Usually, the insurance company will distribute benefits to the claimants according to the demands they present. Hence, a proportional approach is advisable to ensure each party’s needs are equitably met.
What Happens if the Victim’s Claims Surpass the Insurance Coverage
Sometimes, the victim involved in a car accident will suffer insurmountable damage in various forms. For example, they may have sustained severe injuries requiring extensive treatment and monitoring. Further, the incident may have involved multiple victims who all sustained serious injuries and property damage.
Subsequently, you will need to factor in all their claims and ensure that your insurance coverage is sufficient. However, practical applications will render most demands impossible to meet using bodily injury liability insurance. If so, you may have to pay the remaining amount out of pocket to sustain the required compensatory requests made.
On one hand, the insurance may have covered a significant payment amount, meaning that your out-of-pocket payment will not be too straining on you. On the other hand, you may have to make serious financial sacrifices, especially if you did not anticipate spending the extra money to cater to the aggrieved persons’ needs.
Claims Included for Coverage in a Bodily Injury Liability Insurance
Understanding the expenses covered under the liability insurance is important, especially if you were an accident victim. Understanding the provisions available to you and your loved ones will be useful in helping you plan for subsequent actions and budgets. This way, you can determine the priority services to receive, while rescheduling secondary needs to help you seek assistance as soon as possible.
Common expenses covered by a bodily injury liability insurance include:
Medical Expenses
The most important action to take after an accident is seeking medical attention, regardless of whether you feel fine or not. Once examined, the doctor may prescribe medication, order your in-patient admission or request additional scans. All these procedures will add to the total medical expense bill, so bodily injury liability insurance should cover these important medical procedures.
Wrongful Death
If an accident results in a fatality, the victim’s family can file a claim requiring you to compensate them for the wrongful death. Common claims include funeral expenses coupled with pain and psychological trauma provisions after losing a loved one. Subsequently, your attorney will guide you on the best approach to ensure your insurance covers all claims.
Loss of Wages and Earning Capacity
Furthermore, loss of earning capacity and daily wages is common after an accident, especially when the victim requires extensive recovery. Thus, their inability to earn a living puts them in a disadvantaged position, meaning they will require compensation to help them maintain their current standard.
For others, the incapacitation may prolong for years, making them capable of losing their earning capacity. For example, if the accident victim was a young student looking to graduate and enter the job market, they would lose out on building experience and advancing their careers. Hence, a suitable compensatory amount should be made available to them.
Charges for Care Services
Lastly, some accident victims do not have a chance to fully recover after a road accident, meaning that they become dependent on secondary care services from nurses and other caregivers. For example, if a victim is paralyzed, they become less capable of independence and mobility, so they will need to hire a semi-permanent caregiver.
This is common, notably where the victim lacks immediate family members to provide support or where the loved ones maintain hectic schedules. Thus, compensation should factor in the additional costs after the accident, as all caregivers and nurses will require a consistent salary.
Find a Las Vegas Personal Injury Attorney Near Me
When you are involved in a car accident, you may be held responsible for the accident victims’ injuries and subsequent losses. Therefore, you want to have bodily injury liability insurance to help you make compensatory payments without having to jeopardize your financial plans. Your best options include partnering with a personal injury attorney to ensure you receive all the necessary information on how the bodily injury liability insurance works. Your attorney will also help you avoid being exploited by the victims seeking compensation from the insurance provider. This way, you are empowered to use the insurance accordingly in case of an accident. At Las Vegas Personal Injury Attorney Law Firm. you will work with some of the best attorneys available. Our expertise has enabled us to help multiple clients use their bodily injury liability insurance sufficiently to avoid personal liability after an accident in Nevada Las Vegas. For more information, contact us today at 702-996-1224
