Family member exclusions

There are situations where many of the large auto insurance companies (think of the ones you see advertising on TV) have insurance coverages that have a lot of exclusions or “holes” in the coverage they provide. For example, if you are driving with your spouse and family and you fall asleep at the wheel and run into a bridge abutment and injure everyone in the car, there is no coverage! Why? Because you are all related – members of the same family. There’s no coverage for family members when one of the family members injures the others. The irony of this situation is that if you had picked up a hitchhiker and they were injured while you were driving, the hitchhiker gets full coverage, and your family members get none.

Does that make any sense? Of course not. The insurance companies will tell you the intra-family exclusion is to cut down on fraud, because you are more likely to commit fraud with a family member vs. a friend or other passenger. It’s important to ask your insurance agent or company about intra-family exclusions.

Jobs where you are out among traffic, are you covered?

What if you are in a job that puts you out among traffic such as a construction worker out on the road, a first responder such as police or fire, where you are often out on the road with the potential to be hit by a car, are you covered? Some auto insurance companies will argue since you are on the job, you have workers compensation so there is no coverage under your auto insurance policy. However, if you are out walking your dog and you are hit by a car, you are covered under your uninsured and underinsured coverage. The uninsured and underinsured coverage covers you, not your car. So, if you are hurt by a car, you should be covered regardless of whether you are on the job or not. Uninsured and underinsured coverage can provide coverage beyond what worker’s compensation coverage provides.

It’s important to ask your insurance agent or company about these types of situations if you are often on the road with the potential to be hit by a vehicle. Are you covered under your auto insurance policy? Some companies will cover you while others will not. Why would you pick a company that is not going to cover you while you are doing your job?

If you drive another vehicle for work, are you covered?

Another common situation is if you drive another vehicle for work as part of your job and you are injured in a collision, are you covered under your auto insurance policy? Some insurance policies will state no, you are only covered in your car. If you are spending most of your days and driving miles in someone else’s car, what’s the coverage? Your employer is most likely NOT spending a lot of money on good uninsured and underinsured coverage that is going to protect you. Again, it is important to discuss these types of situations with your insurance agent or company and choose a company that is going to give you the best coverage for your unique situation.

Don’t go it alone, contact Willis, Willis and Rizzi today!

If you have been injured in an accident, don’t try and handle all of the nonsense that goes on with insurance companies on your own. You need to focus on your recovery and doing the things that will help you get back to being yourself. Let Willis, Willis & Rizzi navigate the legal issues related to your case while you focus on getting better. Call us today at 330-535-2000 and speak to a personal injury attorney.