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In these difficult times, it is important to be sure you have the right insurance coverages to protect yourselves in case of an accident. As you know, Louisiana law requires all persons operating a motor vehicle on the highways of the state to carry liability insurance. However, 1/3 of drivers have no insurance at all, and the vast majority of those who do carry a minimum limits policy. Louisiana’s minimum mandatory liability coverage is 15/30/25. This means there is $15,000.00 available per person up to a maximum of $30,000.00 for bodily injury and $25,000.00 for property damage. As you can imagine, $15,000.00 is a drop in the bucket if you are seriously injured. Often the ambulance and emergency room bill can exceed $15,000.00 for the day of the accident alone leaving you responsible for payment of all costs. This is why it is extremely important to protect yourself, and not rely on others to have the proper insurance coverage.

The following coverages offered by your insurer will make certain that if you are injured, all your medical bills will be paid, and you will be compensated for your losses caused by the negligent behavior of another party up to the limits of your coverage:

These coverages will pay for damages when you are in an accident with a person who either does not have insurance, or has insurance insufficient to cover for the damages they have caused. UM/UIM is an inexpensive option to give you peace of mind knowing that your insurance company will pick up where others fall short.

Some insurers will try to sell you "ECONOMIC ONLY" UM/UIM. You do not want this coverage. This is a trick the insurance companies play to make you think you are protected against an uninsured/underinsured driver. However, economic only means they will only pay lost wages. Some policies may pay medical bills, but none pay pain and suffering on this type of policy. Make sure that you have bodily injury, not economic only um/uim. Lost wages rarely come into play, and are far less significant than the medical bills and pain and suffering associated with a motor vehicle accident.

We recommend obtaining as much coverage as you can afford, but at a bare minimum add UM/UIM to your policy in the amount of 15/30. Saving a few dollars by rejecting this coverage is not worth it in the long run. The cost of this coverage is surprisingly small, and the likelihood of getting in an accident with an uninsured or underinsured driver is very high given the current economic situation of most people in the state.

This coverage will pay for medical bills in the event you are hurt in an accident. The advantage to this policy is that medical bills will be paid as they are accrued instead of a lump sum at the end. In many instances doctors and health care providers will not delay payment until your case settles. If you do not carry medpay, when bills become due, providers will send your accounts to collection agencies, credit agencies and sometimes even file suit against you. Having medpay protects you from all of these burdens. Medpay policies range from $1000.00 up to much higher amounts. We recommend getting at least $5,000.00 in medpay coverage. Of course, if you can afford more, it would be in your best interest to do so.

Wimberly Law Firm would be happy to have one of our attorneys answer any questions you may have about insurance coverage, and would also be happy to review your current policy to ensure that you are adequately protected. As always, consultations are free of charge so don’t hesitate to call us to make sure you and your family are protected when riding in your automobile.

 IT SHOULD BE NOTED THAT ALL INSURANCE POLICIES ARE DIFFERENT, AND THE PREVIOUS STATEMENTS ARE MERELY BASED UPON THE MAJORITY OF INSURANCE POLICIES.  THERE IS NO SUBSTITUTE FOR SPECIFICALLY INTERPRETING YOUR PARTICULAR POLICY.