It is very important that you be protected with excellent insurance if you own a car, truck, or motorcycle. You can call Flora Templeton Stuart Accident Injury Lawyers if you have questions concerning car or other vehicle insurance coverage that is recommended to protect you or a loved one from an accident in Kentucky.

Car Insurance Is Required In Kentucky

Kentucky drivers are required to carry car insurance that will pay another person in you are negligent in the operation of your vehicle and cause injury to another person or property damage to their vehicle. You are required to carry 25/50 which is $25,000 per person and $50,000 coverage per accident. These limits are very minimal and it is recommended that you carry limits for greater protection of others and yourself.

In addition insurance companies are required to provide Personal Injury Protection (PIP) coverage or no-fault coverage unless you opt out of these benefits. The minimum limits for PIP is $10,000 but this can be increased on your policy which is recommended. This is no-fault coverage since, regardless of the fault in a collision, your own company or the vehicle in which you are in at the time of the accident will pay your medical bills, lost wages and costs of care regardless of whose fault it is for the collision.

How Much Property Damage Coverage Is Required In Kentucky?

In Kentucky you are required to carry $10,000 property damage coverage in the event that you damage another person’s vehicle and you are at fault. This is in addition to the $25,000 individual bodily injury coverage and/or $50,000 for the total bodily injury coverage for all victims in an accident. You may choose to have a single policy limit that covers liability up to $60,000. Liability is insurance that covers you in the event that you are negligent in causing the accident. While these are minimal limits that you are required to carry it is recommended that you raise these limits since they are not adequate in the event of a serious collision. Even though bodily injury and property damage insurance coverage is required by law there are many types of insurance coverage that you can include in your insurance policy to protect you and your family in the event of an accident. These types of coverages are as follows:

Uninsured Motorist Coverage: Car insurance company is required to provide minimum uninsured coverage in the event that the person who hits you and causes your injury where they are at fault does not have car insurance. This can be waived by you and the coverage is $25,000 per person and $50,000 per collision. Uninsured protects you where the other driver does not have car insurance.
Underinsured Motorist Coverage: This is additional coverage that you can elect to take when you obtain your insurance policy that will protect you if the other person that injures you does not have enough car insurance to cover all of your damages. This is particularly common since in Kentucky you are only required to have $25,000 per person and this is often very inadequate to cover damages where you have been seriously injured in an automobile or other vehicle accident.

Vehicle Rental Coverage: This is very important coverage to have to cover the costs of a rental vehicle if your vehicle has been damaged to the extent that it cannot be driven after the accident
Collision Coverage: This is property damage coverage for your own vehicle if it is damaged in an accident regardless of fault. This can also cover your vehicle in the event of a natural disaster such as a tree falling on your vehicle or where it is stolen
Umbrella Motorist Coverage: This is coverage above the limits of your policy which can protect your assets in the event that you are at fault. If you have assets or property that is valued over the amount of insurance coverage it is wise to have umbrella coverage in the event that your negligence causes serious or irreputable harm to another person.
Gap Insurance: If you have a lien or owe money on your vehicle and it gets totaled or damaged in a crash and the debt on the vehicle is more than the value of the vehicle this will protect you from financial loss.

What does deductible mean?

Deductible means that a portion of the damages will not be paid by your insurance company. In most cases there is a small deductible meaning you will be responsible for a portion of the amount in the event of an accident. Usually the maximum deductible is $1,000 for property damage or PIP coverage. Be careful not to have a high deductible that you cannot afford to pay in the event of an accident.

Purchasing Car Insurance

It is very important to purchase car insurance from a reputable company. You need to research the best companies for car insurance. Even though you may save a few dollars from a cheap company this may not serve you well if there is an accident. When obtaining insurance coverage you should do the following:

Research car insurance companies available and read their reviews and websites to make sure they will provide you the coverage needed in the event of an accident
Ask the agent selling the insurance if they will raise the PIP or other limits for your protection
Do not save money by opting out of PIP benefits or obtaining lower limits. Usually increasing these limits does not greatly increase the cost of the insurance

Is Motorcycle Coverage in Kentucky Different Than Car Insurance Coverage?

In Kentucky the insurance company is not required to provide uninsured, underinsured or PIP benefits for motorcycle insurance. Therefore, when obtaining motorcycle coverage it is very important to request the PIP benefits along with uninsured and underinsured which will protect you and your family in the event of an accident.

Why You Shouldn’t Always Trust an Insurance Adjuster

For the past 46 years, we have worked closely with countless adjustors to get our clients a fair settlement. While most are honest and caring, some adjustors are only concerned with paying the lowest amount possible to the injured party. Adjustors vary on a case-by-case basis, and there are several reasons to be skeptical of an insurance representative, including

They Represent The Insurance Company

Insurance companies usually want to avoid personal injury lawsuits. Hence, they employ adjusters to ensure their claims settle outside of court. When dealing with claimants, adjusters must:

Abide by the terms and conditions of the relevant insurance cover
Abide by whatever promises they make to you
Adhere to applicable federal and state laws
Exercise their duty of good faith

They May Not Be Honest About the Value of Your Claim

After an accident, some insurance adjustors may offer you far less than what your case is actually worth. It may seem like a big number, but chances are you can get a much larger settlement by hiring a skilled personal injury lawyer.

They May Want You to Settle for Less

Insurance companies usually want you to settle for less, especially in soft tissue claims and minor accidents. So, when dealing with adjusters, do not get surprised when they try exaggerating your claim’s urgency. Often, adjusters make claimants feel like they must act fast to receive their compensation.

If the settlement is claimed to be a limited-time offer and the adjuster seems to be in a hurry, they want you to settle for less. Since the value of your claim is based primarily on the extent of your injuries, completion of your medical treatment is crucial in obtaining a good settlement. At our law firm, we refer our clients to physicians and therapists to make sure they get the treatment they need, documenting their injuries.

Call Flora Templeton Stuart Accident Injury Lawyers if you have insurance questions.

At our law firm we will be very glad to answer any questions that you may have concerning insurance coverage especially when purchasing insurance. We cannot predict that we will have an accident. Obtaining excellent insurance coverage in Kentucky especially in the event of a car collision is very important for the protection of you and your family.