You just needed to go to the grocery store or were on your way home after work. Unfortunately, you crossed paths with someone who had their phone in their hand while driving or who didn’t pay attention at an intersection.
The next thing you know, you’ve been T-boned and your vehicle is completely totaled. You may have also suffered an injury, like a broken bone or something more serious, like a spinal cord injury or head injury.
Suddenly, rather than running errands or seeing your family, your big concern is finding someone to tow your vehicle and getting medical treatment. You probably expect that you can rely on car insurance to protect you after a crash. Unfortunately, many Texas drivers learn the hard way that insurance doesn’t always protect them.
Drivers without robust coverage may leave you with unpaid bills
Everyone who registers a car in Texas or drives on public roads in the state has to have insurance on their vehicle. The state mandates a minimum level of coverage to help protect people from financial devastation when they cause a crash or after they get hurt in a collision caused by someone else.
Basic insurance coverage in Texas depends on liability. The driver who is at fault for the crash is the one whose policy reimburses the people hurt in the wreck. Your own policy will only cover you if you have additional coverage, like collision coverage or uninsured driver coverage. Otherwise, your compensation after a crash depends on the insurance that someone else carries.
Texas only requires $30,000 worth of bodily injury coverage. That minimum increases to $60,000 of coverage when two or more people get hurt in a crash. Drivers also have to carry $25,000 worth of property damage liability coverage. When someone totally destroys your vehicle in a crash, $25,000 may not be enough to replace your vehicle. $30,000 could also be far lower than the medical costs you have.
What are your options when insurance isn’t enough?
As previously mentioned, drivers who have uninsured and underinsured driver coverage can make a claim against their own policy after a crash with uncovered financial losses. Those hurt in a crash caused by an irresponsible driver may also have the option of filing a civil lawsuit against that driver for any lost income, medical bills and property damage expenses that insurance won’t cover.
Learning about the Texas insurance program can help you better protect yourself with good coverage and push for compensation after someone hurts you in a crash.