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  4.  | Five Auto Insurance Policies Denying Coverage; who is going to pay for the car crash?

Five Auto Insurance Policies Denying Coverage; who is going to pay for the car crash?

Recently, we were hired by a man who was involved in a motor vehicle accident. The car crash turned into a very tricky insurance situation.

Car Crash

Our client worked for an employer that gave him a company truck to use both at work and at home. On his way home from work one night, he was stopped for traffic on I-75 and was rear-ended by another driver. Our client suffered back pain as a result of the car accident.

At-Fault Driver and Vehicle Auto Insurance

It turns out that the driver who rear-ended our client was driving a vehicle that had been rented by his friend. The at-fault driver had no insurance. The person who rented the vehicle also had no insurance. Because the driver was not listed on the rental agreement, the rental company denied coverage.

Employer and Personal Auto Insurance

Since the at-fault driver had no insurance, we turned to our client’s employer who owned the truck to find uninsured coverage. Unfortunately, our client’s employer failed to buy uninsured coverage for the vehicle. my client was driving. Our client had personal insurance but they too questioned whether it applied to a company vehicle.

At this point, five potential sources of insurance to cover this accident denied coverage.

Limited Coverage – Medical Bills

What should have been a very routine insurance matter became a complicated mess. Fortunately, we were ultimately able help our client get his medical bills paid despite the lack of insurance coverage.

Lessons Learned:

  1. In Ohio, against the law, many drivers do NOT have automobile liability insurance. To guard against these people, make sure you have uninsured motorists coverage in your own policy. It is not expensive and will cover you in case you are significantly hurt by an uninsured driver.
  2. If you are renting a vehicle, put all potential drivers on the agreement, so you are covered in case of an accident.
  3. If you are driving a vehicle owned by someone else, e.g. your employer, make sure it has full, comprehensive coverage in case of an accident.

Insurance companies have many tricks to avoid paying claims. Their lobbyists have helped pass laws which support their denials of coverage. We strongly recommend that you hire an attorney to help you wade through the maze of denials you may confront. At Rittgers Rittgers & Nakajima, we will fight insurance companies who unfairly deny claims. We routinely force insurance companies to pay the maximum amount under the policy and have successfully litigated and settled a variety of insurance bad faith cases.