Car crashes often cause huge repair bills and sometimes medical bills as well. On top of your injuries and vehicle damage expenses, you may miss out on multiple days or even several weeks of work. A car crash that wasn’t even your fault to begin with could cost you thousands of dollars and significantly inconvenience everyone in your life.
You pay for insurance, but Louisiana has a liability-based insurance program, which means the other driver’s policy is the one that will pay for your crash costs. Can you expect full coverage from the other driver’s policy?
Some people only carry the least amount of coverage
The state mandates liability coverage, and many drivers carry the bare minimum required to comply with state law. A crash will inevitably cause damage to the vehicle, which is why people carry property damage liability coverage. Wrecks can also cause injuries, so drivers should carry bodily injury liability coverage to pay for medical bills and also lost wages.
Some drivers may carry only $25,000 in property damage coverage and $15,000 in bodily injury coverage. If you suffered major injuries in the crash, that may be far less than the costs you have to pay and your lost wages.
Your insurance policy can help cover the shortfall in some cases. Other times, a driver with major crash-related expenses may have no choice but to file a civil lawsuit against someone who caused a wreck but did not have enough current insurance coverage to pay for all of the costs from the wreck.
Learning more about the Louisiana car insurance rules that protect you after a motor vehicle collision will make it easier for you to get the compensation you need.