Las Vegas Car Insurance Laws - Car Med Pay

Las Vegas Car Insurance Laws - Car Med Pay

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One of the things I'm often asked by clients, or people in general, is, "How much insurance should I have? What are the Las Vegas car insurance laws?" That has actually been set by statute. In order to drive legally in Nevada, you have to have at least $15,000 per person in liability coverage. It's funny, that limit was set back in 1958, when the dollar went a lot further than it does now. I encourage all my clients, and everyone I talk to, to get higher limits. It doesn't cost much more; usually just a few dollars more per month can dramatically increase your liability coverage. The other thing that you need to remember, though, is we're having a severe economic crisis in this country, and Nevada has been hit particularly hard. Conservative estimates are that 1 in 6 drivers don't even have car insurance right now. That means that if you're hit by somebody and you're hurt and they don't have coverage, typically they don't have any assets, so you're not going to be able to get any money from that person or that person's insurance company, because it doesn't exist, and you're going to be on the hook for all your medical bills and all your problems, and the cost of your vehicle.

So I encourage all of my clients to get what's called "Uninsured Motorist Protection". Simply stated, that just means that if I get hit by somebody that doesn't have insurance, my insurance company is going to step in and cover it as if they insure that other person. Uninsured motorist carries another benefit: If I'm hit by somebody that has insurance but doesn't have much, and it isn't enough to cover all my harms and my losses, I can turn to my uninsured carrier, and they supplement the insurance the other driver has. It becomes under-insured coverage. I encourage everyone to talk to their insurance agent, and he or she will answer all those questions in more detail, but uninsured motorist is definitely something everybody should have.

I'm often asked, "Do I need a Las Vegas car accident attorney if I'm injured in an accident, especially if it's clear that the person driving the other vehicle was at fault?" The short answer to that question is "yes". Even though liability may be clear, there are many other issues that need to be sorted out throughout the course of the case that requires the experience and work of an attorney. Insurance companies do everything they can to pay as little on claims as possible. That includes paying people less than they're entitled to for their injury claims. They often will try to obtain information about someone that's not represented in order to minimize the claim itself. They will also tell people who aren't represented that they will be fair in the end, only to change course once it comes time to pay. An attorney can help somebody through this process so that they avoid these types of pitfalls. Additionally, attorneys know what rights their clients have and will protect them from the conduct of the insurance company, and the insurance company's attempt to deny a claim, or to "low-ball" someone who's truly entitled to be compensated.

One of the major issues in any injury claim is proof that injuries are actually related to the accident itself, and insurance companies know that the burden of proof rests with the injured person. Attorneys can help the injured person to make sure that injuries are properly documented so that when it comes time for medical bills to be paid, and the person to be compensated for the pain and suffering that has been inflicted upon the as a result of those injuries, that documentation is sufficient, so the insurance company has no choice but to do what is right. In every case, whether liability is clear or not, an injured person certainly can benefit and should have representation by someone who works in the field of personal injury.

If you've never heard of Las Vegas "Medical Payments Coverage", it's an extra coverage that you can get through your insurance company. A lot of people I talk to say, "Oh, I have full coverage, I have everything I need.", but they really don't have full coverage. To me, full coverage is every coverage available: rental car coverage, uninsured coverage, under-insured coverage, and medical benefits coverage (commonly known as "Med Pay"). Las Vegas Med Pay coverage is a no fault health insurance policy that you have if you're in your car when there's an accident, and it covers anybody in your car, and it's usually sold in 1, 2, 5, or 10 thousand dollar increments (I carry $5,000 in Med Pay coverage). What that does is it will pay all of your out-of-pocket expenses, all of your co-pays, and all of your deductibles caused by a car accident, regardless of whether or not your caused it. Even if you have health insurance, there are a lot of costs that don't get covered, and Med Pay can cover those things. The other benefit for that: the at fault driver's insurance company doesn't get the benefit of the Med Pay, so if Med Pay benefits have been expended, the other driver is still responsible for all the bills and all the costs incurred.

One of the other things I tell all my clients about Med Pay coverage is that if you go to the hospital, don't bring in your car insurance. The hospital wants to use your Med Pay because it's like cash to them. But, if you have health insurance, use your health insurance. Hospitals will suck up all of the Med Pay and then they'll still bill your health insurance for the balance. So don't tell them you have Med Pay, just tell them you have health insurance. They're required to take it if you have it. The other thing I tell me clients about Med Pay is if you use it, because there's no fault (it doesn't matter if it's your fault or not) your insurance company can't raise your rates or increase your premiums or drop you if you use it, so there's no reason not to use it if you do have it.

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If you are interested in learning more about: <a href="http://www.hennessandhaight.com/types-of-cases/automobile-accidents";>Las Vegas Car Insurance Laws</a>, then visit the Henness and Haight Injury Attorneys' site and learn more about these <a href="http://www.hennessandhaight.com";>Las Vegas Injury Attorneys</a> now!



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