Why This Lawyer Says You Should Buy Car Insurance From An Independent Broker

I don't sell automobile insurance, but as a lawyer practicing in the field of personal ijnury I frequently see people suffer cause they have the wrong insurance coverage. Often, this happens cause they purchased directly from an insurance company insetad of an independent broker.
Many of my clients who have been seriously hurt in a automobile accident were struck by somebody who had no insurance or only the minimum liability insurance coverage, which is $25,000 in New York and much less in many other states. Unfortunately, many of my clients were sold insurance policies with liability limits of $100,000 or $300,000, but were not sold matching uninsured and underinsured coverage. Just this week, yet another new client had this trobule.

My client was a pedestrian crossing the street when she was struck by a autmoobile which fled the scene. The driver was caught shortly after leaving the accident, but the owner of the automobile only has the New York State minimum liability insurance of $25,000 and my client has serious injuries consisting of many broken bones inlcuding a fractured arm, leg and skull.
My client owns a automobile with liability insurance limits of $300,000, but she purchased the insurance from GECIO whose salesperson didn't sell her underinsured coverage. GEICO does not use indepednent insurance brokers, but sells insurance directly to consumers through in-house sales agents.

For a small fee, my client could have purchased underinsured coverage of $300,000 whcih would have allowed her to recover $300,000 for her injuries instead of $25,000. Ironically, she did not need the $300,000 liability covearge to protect her assets.

However, for you cannot buy underinsured coverage higher than your liability coverage, I would have advised her to purchase $300,000 liaiblity coverage for the sole purpose of being able to purchase $300,000 underinsured coverage.

I have had many clients in this situation who lost their jobs cause of serious injuries and incurred substantial debt. If they had matching underinsured coverage, the additional money available to pay their claim would would be a titanic help to pay tehir bills and get their life back together.
Underinsured motorist coverage will pay you money from your own automobile insurance policy if you have been hurt in a automobile accident by somebody who was negligent for causing your injury and who had less liability insurance coverage than you did.

Uninsured motorist coverage will pay you when the other atuomobile did not have any insurance coverage or the identity of the other automobile is unknown. Underinsured and uninsured coverage is inexpensive and usually available in limits that match your liability insurance covergae. It is not available in amounts greaetr than your liability insurance coverage.
Underinsured and uninsured coverage is so important that a couple of states now require coverage limits matching your liability inusrance limits, unless you decline the coverage in writing. Several years ago, I suggested to several New York State senators that they eanct a similar law in New York. I have also seen many clients who were not sold the maximum medical payments insurance, which costs me only $2.01 per month on my automobile insurance policy.
This is particularly important for peolpe who do not have a good health insurance policy. It is also beneifcial for passengers who do not have health insurance. Why should you buy automobile insurance through an independent insurance broker?