Miami Personal Injury Attorney Blog
Motorcycle accident lawyers in Miami come across this issue all the time. What kind of insurance should I get for my motorcycle? If you own a motorcycle, the most important insurance coverage you should have is uninsured motorist coverage.
If there is a motorcycle in your life – you, your spouse, your kids, your parents, even your grandparents – then you probably understand there is a risk. Especially in Miami. If you or a loved one is in a motorcycle accident, then two things are likely to happen. The injuries will most likely be significant or even fatal. Second, there is a very good chance the other driver will have little or no insurance. Those are just facts of life. Especially in Miami.
Motorcycle accident injuries can be severe. The simple fact is as a motorcyclist, you don’t have the protections that vehicle drivers have. You are directly exposed to the impact and the elements. In some unfortunate and heartbreaking cases, the motorcyclist is killed and a wrongful death case is brought on behalf of the survivors. In almost every motorcycle accident case, the medical expenses are astronomical in addition to the lost wages, loss of future earning capacity as well as pain and suffering.
Florida ranks second in the country in the number of uninsured motorists. In 2012, it was estimated that more than 23% of Florida drivers were uninsured. That is the reason why our motorcycle accident attorneys in Miami recommend getting uninsured motorist insurance.
Uninsured motorist coverage is insurance you purchase to protect yourself from people who are not insured. Legally “uninsured” can mean:
- No insurance at all
- Only insured to the minimum amount required by law which does not include any type of coverage that would be available to you
- Phantom driver such as a hit and run driver
Underinsured motorist coverage is insurance you can purchase to protect yourself from people who don’t have enough insurance to adequately compensate you for your injuries and damages.
When you purchase insurance for your cars and/or motorcycles, the insurance company is required by law to offer you bodily injury coverage and uninsured/underinsured motorist coverage in equal amounts. If you reject uninsured motorist coverage it is required by Florida law to be in writing. We highly recommend that you and your family purchase as much uninsured motorist coverage as you can afford.
If you have multiple cars and/or motorcycles, you should consider accepting the “stacking” option with uninsured motorist coverage. What this means is that you can “stack” the uninsured motorist coverage for multiple vehicles and motorcycles to provide maximum coverage for you and your family. For example, if you have two cars and a motorcycle in your home and you purchase uninsured motorist coverage in the amount of $100,000 and you choose stacking policies, then you could have $300,000 in available insurance benefits if you are injured by an uninsured or underinsured motorist.
Uninsured motorist coverage also has other benefits. It can protect you if you are:
- In your car
- In someone else’s car
- As a pedestrian if you are involved in a hit and run accident
- As a pedestrian if you are injured by an uninsured or underinsured driver
- As a bicyclist if you are injured by a hit and run driver or uninsured/underinsured motorist
- As a member of a household of someone who has uninsured motorist coverage that may specifically cover you as an insured.
Lastly, if for some reason you obtain insurance from different companies for your cars and motorcycles make sure you disclose the existence of all of your vehicles and motorcycles to all of the insurance companies involved. You want to avoid giving any insurance company the opportunity to deny coverage by claiming that you failed to disclose some fact.
The Miami motorcycle accident lawyers at Wolfson & Leon are always available to answer any questions that you might have when purchasing car and motorcycle insurance free of charge. It is extremely important for you and your family to get the best insurance coverage possible and hope that you never need it. Just call us at (305) 285-1115 for your free consultation.