It is critical that one understands his or her automobile insurance coverage and limits prior to committing to an insurance policy. Often times, an insured’s bodily injury coverage is stated in a three number format. For instance, 50/100/50. In this three number format, the first number represents the amount covered for a single person in the collision. The second number represents the amount covered in the entire collision. The third number represents the amount covered for property damage, which is a separate type of coverage.
Using the prior figures, if you have a 50/100 bodily injury liability policy limit, that means that your insurance policy will cover up to a maximum of $50,000 per person injured in a collision, and a total of $100,000 in aggregate claims for a single collision. For example, let's say you were involved in a collision, and the driver deemed at fault for a collision has 50/100 bodily injury policy limits. In your vehicle, you were injured and had medical expenses totaling $80,000 and the passenger in your vehicle had $20,000 in medical expenses. Since the at fault driver had 50/100 bodily injury policy, you would only be able to recover $50,000 under the at fault driver’s policy (because that is the maximum per person injured in the collision), and the passenger would be able to recover the full $20,000 (because it is under the $50,0000 maximum per person in the collision).
One may ask, how is that fair that I would only recover $50,000 under the at fault driver’s liability policy, when I sustained $80,000 in medical expenses? The answer is that it is not fair, and the law firm of Ball & McCann, P.C. will ensure you get the recovery you deserve, regardless of policy limits. In the previous example, one could file a claim under his or her own underinsured motorist policy, if available, or you could pursue a cause of action against the at-fault driver personally.