Many people have asked me over the years why they should even have more than the state minimum for auto insurance coverage. After all what usually happens is if you are totally at fault and someone is massively injured, they often just take your Insurance limits and move on.
Why is that? Well the answer is in the state of Pennsylvania it is next to impossible to attach someone’s wages or property. If the property, usually the house, is in both the husband and wife’s name, then even if you get a $10 million verdict against the wrong doer you cannot touch the house. The reason is quite simply because the house is in 2 names and you can only attach property that is entirely in the wrongdoers name.
So the question becomes why not just get the state minimum Insurance coverage for bodily injuries?
In Pennsylvania, the state mandatory minimum is only $15000.00. And if you buy the minimum your insurance bill is greatly reduced. The reason for that of course is that more coverage means more costs to you.
Pittsburgh auto insurance minimum coverage attorney Bernie Tully wants to be honest with you and everyone else. In Pittsburgh auto insurance minimum coverage attorney Bernie Tully’s opinion that may not be a bad strategy.
Holy being honest what have I said? What I’ve said is nothing more or less than the obvious. Why pay more premium if the likelihoods that you will only be responsible for the amount ofcoverage you buy in the vast majority of cases.
However like just about everything in the law, there is a risk involved in that strategy. The risk is the person who is severely injured may be very bitter with you for taking out the lowest Insurance coverage possible. They may feel that they are going to go forward with the case just to prove a point and make your life miserable. And if they do get a huge verdict against you, that judgment is going to follow you forever. So forget about ever having anything just in your name.
Very few things in the law are black-and-white. Most of the time Pittsburgh insurance minimum coverage attorney Bernie Tully advises his clients on options that fall between black and white. Then it is up to the client to decide what’s in their best interest.
So should you or should you not get the state minimum insurance for your auto policy?
It’s your call.
Thanks for reading.
Bernie the attorney.