Although Texas law requires drivers to maintain only a minimum amount of liability insurance (designed to pay for damages you cause to other drivers), many Texans choose to get “full coverage”, which will also pay for your own damages you cause. Full coverage policies also typically cover damages from theft, weather conditions, or fire. Many automobile owners mistakenly believe that if they have full coverage automobile insurance they will not have to pay any amount if they are involved in a car accident. This is not always true.

If you choose to purchase full coverage automobile insurance, you should closely examine the policy to find out what the limit is that will be paid out for each accident, and what happens if an accident you cause exceeds that limit. You may find out that you have to pay any excess costs. You also will be responsible for your deductible. In most full coverage policies, when a vehicle is a total loss, the insurance company will only pay out the current market value of the car. If you or another driver happens to owe more on the car than its current market value, you will be responsible for making up the difference, which in some cases can be significant.

There are also other expenses vehicle owners incur that will not be covered by full coverage, such as normal wear and tear and expenses related to failing to properly maintain a vehicle. Full coverage insurance may also not pay for the theft of some items from your vehicle, such as stereo systems, GPS units, radar detectors, DVD players, and more. You should ask your insurance company or examine your policy to determine which items are insured.

 Have you been involved in an accident in the Dallas area? If so, contact the Barber Law Firm at 817-329-5095. You may be able to recover from the other driver for your medical expenses, damage to your vehicle, and more. Call us today for a free consultation.

GARLAND, TX—Alcohol was a suspected factor in two recent MVA collisions in Van Alstyne, which is about 18 miles north of McKinney, and borders Collin and Grayson County.

Both auto crashes occurred Monday night, February 1, between 7:00 and 10:00 pm. The first accident happened on US Highway 75 when a Ford Explorer traveling south in a northbound lane slammed into a Toyota Camry.  Although both drivers were sent to Wilson N. Jones Medical Center in Sherman, according to police, their bodily injuries did not appear to be life-threatening.

In a separate motor vehicle accident, Bobbi Lalonde, 44, of Denison, was driving south in the northbound lane of US Highway 75 near Farmington when the second wreck occurred just after 9 p.m.  The victim, a Garland resident, was killed.  A Van Alstyne police spokeswoman said Lalonde was booked into the Grayson County Jail on suspicion of intoxication manslaughter.

Our Garland personal injury law firm offers free initial legal consultations. If you have been injured in a DWI accident, you should contact a Garland personal injury lawyer immediately to help you determine what insurance coverage is in place to cover your medical expenses and lost wages.  We want to help you protect your legal rights.  Call Texas Personal Injury Lawyer Kristopher Barber at (972) 231-5800 or click here to contact us by email.

All drivers in Texas are required to carry minimum liability coverage of $25,000 per injured person, and up to a total of $50,000 for everyone injured in a motor vehicle accident.  Alarmingly, it’s estimated that up to 20% of drivers in Texas are uninsured at any given time.

Even when the other driver has auto insurance, many times the minimum amounts are not enough to cover all damages.  In addition to the minimum coverage amounts, Texas drivers can purchase additional collision coverage, personal injury protection (PIP), medical payments coverage (MedPay), and uninsured/underinsured motorist coverage (UM/UIM).

If you’ve been in a car accident that was not your fault and the driver of the other vehicle has no liability insurance, the only recourse may be to pursue a claim against uninsured motorist coverage (UM) on your own auto insurance policy.  Uninsured motorist coverage is insurance you buy to protect yourself in case you’re in an accident with an uninsured driver.  Texas law requires that every auto insurance policy automatically include UM coverage, unless the buyer (you) rejects that coverage in writing.

If the negligent driver is underinsured, the driver’s automobile insurance policy may not provide enough coverage for your monetary damages.  Similar to uninsured motorist coverage, you may have to pursue an additional legal claim against your own underinsured motorist coverage to pay for injury and property damages that exceed the at-fault driver’s insurance coverage amounts.

If you’ve been in a car accident and find yourself in this situation, but are unsure about whether the other party’s liability coverage is adequate, it’s wise to consult a Dallas personal injury lawyer who can help you sort through the insurance issues and the complex insurance claim filings that follow most wrecks.

Our DFW car accident lawyers offer free initial legal consultations on personal injury cases. If you have been injured, you should contact a Dallas TX personal injury attorney immediately to help you determine what insurance coverage is in place to cover your medical expenses and lost wages, and so that you can take steps to protect your legal rights. Call our law firm at (972) 231-5800 for more information or click here to contact us by email.