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Jason Waechter is
The Motorcycle LawyerSM
The First Call If You Fall Is
Motorcycle Insurance Information
The Motorcycle Lawyer sm does not sell motorcycle insurance. We provide some information below to help you get a better understanding of insurance policy terminology. Consult with a professional motorcycle insurance provider before deciding which insurance is right for you.
Jason Waechter, The Motorcycle Lawyer sm, focuses on handling cases involving motorcycle injury accidents. He is affiliated with motorcyle accident injury attorneys across the country, including your state. Call for a free consultation with no obligation to you. There is no fee unless compensation is collected: that is no-win, no-fee.
The Number to Call If You Fall:
1-877-BIKER-LAW
(1-877-245-3752)
No-win, no-fee.
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Deductible |
This is the portion you, the insured, have to pay to contribute to the payment of a loss. A higher deductible should lower your premium. Ask your agent to quote you for a low and a high deductible. |
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Named Insured |
This is the person named in the insurance contract that will be driving the motorcycle or vehicle. Normally the spouse of the named insured who also lives at the same address will also be covered. This is one reason to keep your address current on your drivers license. |
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Theft Coverage |
This is coverage that protects you in the case of the theft of your vehicle. Leaving keys in the ignition or easily available may be a reason for your insurance company to deny a claim. Alarms, often will lower your insurance premiums. |
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Med Pay |
Medical bills can be paid by many different sources depending on the law of the State and the order of priority. Ask your agent how your medical bills are paid whether or not you have health insurance and whether or not the at fault driver is known or unknown. |
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Uninsured Motorists Coverage |
Coverage on your vehicle that will pay you for your pain and suffering if the at fault driver does not have insurance (is uninsured) to pay. In some states this coverage may cover your motorcycle/auto as well. |
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Under Insured Motorists Coverage |
Coverage you purchase that pays you if the at-fault driver did not have enough insurance to cover the damage that he did. This is typically for your pain and suffering and injuries. |
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Broad |
Property damage coverage that waives your deductible. |
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"20/40" |
This notation means there is $20,000 worth of insurance for a single claimant and no more than $40,000 total for all injuries to all people in a single injury accident. |
Having insurance on your vehicle, whether it's a motorcycle, car, or truck, is legally required to operate your vehicle on public streets. If you need another reason to insure your vehicle, here's one: your insurance company has a duty to defend you. They must provide you with an attorney to defend any cases brought against you under their policy.
Insurance also provides medical pay (med pay). Payment for medical bills incurred for injuries varies from state to state. Some states will pay unlimited medical as long as it is reasonable and related to a motor vehicle or motorcycle accident. Other states make the insured purchase certain increments of med pay insurance. Check with your agent as to how medical pay is handled in your state.
When there is a loss, as an insured you have certain duties to the insurance company. For example, you must notify them promptly, you may be required to cooperate with the company in its investigation and adjustment of the claim, you must promptly submit many medical bills, they may have a right to examine you under oath, but this should be done with your attorney present. They may also have a right to ask you to sign authorizations for medical records.
No-Fault Insurance
Many states have adopted No-Fault Law that cover motor vehicle accidents. No-Fault Laws mandate that certain bills and damages must be paid by your own insurance company, no matter who is at fault in the accident.
Prior to No-Fault Laws, the courts were clogged with all types of cases where individuals were suing the other driver for damage done to the vehicle, medical bills, wage loss, and other things. Many states with No-Fault Laws require the driver's own insurance company pay for things like medical bills not covered by health insurance, damage to the vehicle, and wage loss. These states normally still preserve the right to sue the at-fault driver for your pain and suffering.
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This information is not meant to be a complete discussion of all the technical points relating to auto or motorcycle insurance. It is written in the sincere hope of giving you a better understanding of the law in order to change your insurance, if necessary, and to provide the knowledge to protect you and your family. Contact your local insurance agent to review your coverage and learn how your state's laws affects your insurance. |
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Attorney Jason Waechter, The Motorcycle Lawyer sm, focuses on handling cases involving motorcycle accident injuries and deaths. He is affiliated with the best injury attorneys across the country, including your state. Call for a free consultation. There is no fee unless compensation is collected: that is no-win, no-fee.
The Number to Call If You Fall: No-win, no-fee. |
You should have an attorney review the facts of your motorcycle accident case and all insurance policies involved: Certain facts or the failure to follow-up on certain insurance coverages could cheat you out of thousands of dollars.
The Number to Call If You Fall:
1-877-BIKER-LAW
(1-877-245-3752)
No-win, no-fee.
Many motorcycle accident and motor vehicle accident victims across the country lose thousands of dollars because they did not understand motorcycle insurance policies.
Many individuals believe they will have full coverage when they do not, and others do not realize the major differences in various insurance coverage available to them. Contact your insurance agent today to make sure you're covered.
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STATISTICALLY, YOU WILL HAVE AN AUTOMOBILE ACCIDENT EVERY FIVE YEARS. |
Most bikes are not insured adequately. Many individuals believe they have full coverage when they do not! Review your insurance policy now; it's easy and it only takes a call to your insurance agent.
Uninsured Motorists
There are hundreds of thousands of vehicles on the road that do not carry any vehicle insurance. If you are injured in an accident with an uninsured motorist, or involved in a hit and run, your injuries would be covered under the Uninsured Motorist coverage in your policy. This pays for most damages and comes for your protection in amounts of at least $20,000 for one person in your car and $40,000 in total coverage for all occupants in your vehicle.
Some states require that your bike actually come into contact with another vehicle for you to be able to recover from an Uninsured Policy. The following examples illustrate the ability to collect compensation under different fact scenarios with this contact requirement.
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Example #1 |
A car cuts you off, you swerve to avoid it, hit a pole and the car takes off. Result: no money for your injury, even if you have an Uninsured Policy, because there was no contact. |
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Example #2 |
A car cuts you off just brushing your front tire, you swerve, hit a pole and the car takes off. Result: you can recover against your own Uninsured Policy assuming you have one. |
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Lesson |
If you are injured in an accident, when you call your insurance company they are trained to document that there was no contact between you and the other vehicle... no contact to the insurance companies means saving them tens of thousands of dollars.
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If you do not have this coverage, then you and your family could lose up thousands of dollars which might be desperately needed. You should carry at least $100,000 to $250,000 in uninsured motorist coerage. The more the better, and it's cheap!
Under-Insurance Coverage
Unfortunately, most wrongdoers who have insurance carry only a $20,000 policy limit. This means that if you or a member of your family are seriously injured and the value of the claim would actually be $50,000 or $100,000, the wrongdoer insurance company would only have to pay you the $20,000 policy limit carried by the wrongdoer.
Some insurance companies are now beginning to offer the Underinsurance Motorist Coverage. Some insurance companies do not offer this coverage. Ask, and if yours does not, switch to a company that has it. This policy means that your own insurance company will pay you the true value of your injuries, if there is not enough insurance carried by the wrongdoer. Therefore, you should carry between $100,000 to $250,000 in underinsured motorist coverage.
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This information is not meant to be a complete discussion of all the technical points relating to auto/cycle insurance. It is written in the sincere hope of giving you a better understanding of the law in order to change your insurance, if necessary, and to provide the knowledge to protect you and your family. Contact your local insurance agent to review your coverage and learn how your state's law affects your insurance. |
