Umbrella Insurance and Your Dog Bite Case
Most of us buy insurance policies either because the law requires it or because a family member or lawyer advises us to buy it, and we do not give much thought to what the insurance policy does or does not cover until we need to file a claim. You might watch your car insurance premiums get gradually lower as you go more and more years with a clean driving record, but the insurance policies that you only pay for once tend to be out of sight, out of mind. Likewise, hardly anyone except insurance agents ever thinks about what other people’s insurance policies cover. If someone else’s dog bites you, though, this question will be at the forefront of your mind. It is possible to resolve most dog bite injury claims by negotiating for an adequate insurance settlement instead of going to court. Even if you cannot get a settlement directly from the dog owner’s insurance company, the dog owner’s insurance coverage may affect your decision to sue. For help understanding the ins and outs of insurance coverage related to dog bites, contact an Atlanta dog bite lawyer.
How Does Umbrella Insurance Work?
Umbrella insurance is personal liability insurance that covers financial losses caused by the policyholder which are not covered by any of the policyholder’s other insurance policies. It also covers the amounts of covered incidents that exceed the amount covered by another policy. For example, a policyholder’s car insurance policy might cover up to $60,000 per accident in medical bills. If the policyholder causes an accident where multiple people get injured, the total medical bills might be $70,000. The policyholder’s original car insurance policy would cover the first $60,000, and the policyholder could then file a claim for $10,000 with the umbrella policy. Likewise, some car and homeowners’ insurance policies cover medical bills and property damage but not legal fees, but many insurance policies cover legal expenses. Georgia law does not require anyone to carry umbrella insurance, but most major insurance companies offer optional umbrella insurance.
How Can Umbrella Insurance Help You in a Dog Bite Claim?
Umbrella insurance can make it easier to get the money you need through a dog bite claim, but your own umbrella insurance, if you have it, probably will not help. Although umbrella insurance covers many different types of mishaps, it does not usually cover the policyholder’s own medical bills. For example, if a homeowner’s dog bites you, the homeowners’ insurance policy may not cover dog bites, but the umbrella policy will. Likewise, if the dog owner was a tenant and did not have renter’s insurance, the landlord’s umbrella insurance may cover your injury-related expenses.
Contact Zagoria Law About Dog Bite Cases
An Atlanta personal injury lawyer can help you figure out which insurance policies, including but not limited to umbrella policies, have the best chance of paying all of your expenses arising from a dog bite. Contact Zagoria Law in Atlanta, Georgia to discuss your case.
Source:
nerdwallet.com/article/insurance/umbrella-insurance
