Will Insurance Repay You for All of Your Crash Expenses?

Someone in a big pickup truck merges right into the side of your car on the highway, or someone turns left at a four-way stop without actually stopping first. They cause massive damage to your vehicle and possibly serious injuries to you.

You have to go to the hospital or tow your vehicle to a shop or a scrapyard. You know that you have good insurance, so you probably expect that you can file a claim for the losses you have suffered. Will the other driver’s Maryland insurance policy reimburse you for all of your losses?

The Other Driver May Not Have Very Much Coverage

Regardless of how many losses you suffered, you can only make an insurance claim for up to the maximum amount of coverage the other driver has. Many people in Maryland only carry the least amount of insurance they need to legally drive. You could have as little as $15,000 worth of property damage coverage or $30,000 worth of bodily injury coverage to protect you.

If your vehicle is a total loss or if you suffer injuries severe enough to force you to miss work, that amount of insurance likely won’t be enough. There is also the possibility that you will get into a crash caused by someone who doesn’t have an active policy on their vehicle at all. 

What Happens when There Isn’t Enough Insurance?

Ideally, you have extra coverage on your own insurance policy to help protect you. Uninsured and underinsured motorist coverage can pay for the losses that the other driver’s policy does not cover. Collision coverage can also help cover the cost to repair your vehicle if they exceed the property damage liability coverage carried by the other driver.

Unfortunately, if you make a claim against your own policy, that will likely increase what you pay when you need to renew your policy. You may also not have purchased that coverage because you thought you could rely on other people to carry enough insurance. When insurance won’t pay for your losses, then filing a civil lawsuit against the other driver may be necessary.

Knowing your rights after a Maryland car crash can help you get compensation for the losses you suffered.