Nevada requires that every motorist who registers a vehicle have adequate car insurance on their car in case of an accident. There are many policies on offer, and each motorist should choose wisely the policy to take. This is because if you are involved in an accident, the car insurance is responsible for compensating you and other victims of the accident for their injuries and damages.
After a car accident, you cannot escape your interactions with the insurance company. The moments following a car accident can be challenging, and dealing with the auto insurance companies should not add to your stress. Therefore, you will need the guidance of a skilled car accident attorney to guide you through filing a civil claim.
At Las Vegas Car Accident Attorney Law Firm, we work hard to ensure that you have all the knowledge and resources to protect your rights and recover the rightful compensation from the car insurance company. We serve clients requiring competent legal guidance to deal with Las Vegas, NV, car insurance companies.
Overview of Car Insurance Coverage in California
Driving around in the state of Nevada can be very interesting. From arid desert highways to mountain passes, the scenery is diverse and stunning. One of the essential things that you must have is car insurance coverage. In addition to giving you peace of mind as you drive through the beautiful state, it is illegal to register or operate a vehicle without a valid insurance cover. Since car insurance could vary from one policy to another, it is crucial to understand the different types of insurance to determine that one which suits your need.
Under Nevada auto insurance requirements, all vehicle owners must have the following essential covers:
- Bodily Injury Liability Coverage of up to $25,000 per person
- Property Damage Liability Coverage of $20,000
- Bodily Injury Liability Cover of $50,000 per accident
The above values are the minimum requirement, and you can make a cover for any amount depending on the value of your vehicle and the risk. If you have many assets that the court could seize if you are found; liable for the accident, it would be wise to have a higher cover. A liability cover protects pedestrians, passengers, or passengers of your vehicle in the event of an accident. However, it is crucial to understand that the liability coverage will not cover your injuries.
Alternative car Insurance
If you are involved in a car accident in Nevada, you need to ensure complete coverage for all the costs and losses to yourself and other people. Since your liability coverage will only compensate third parties, you will need extra insurance to cover your injuries and losses. Some of the insurance covers you could consider are medical insurance and collision coverage.
Liability VS Full Auto Insurance Coverage in Nevada
The issue of full insurance coverage and liability is a question in the minds of many motorists. You understand that Nevada law requires all drivers to have specific insurance coverage. Unfortunately, some drivers fail to realize that so insurance covers will only cover the damages they cause to other people or vehicles.
Full-coverage insurance means that the policy compensates for any damage or loss from the vehicle. When a driver has full coverage and is found to be at fault for an accident, the insurance company will compensate the accident victims. Regardless of the type of accident, full coverage will ensure that you and other victims are compensated. Full coverage auto insurance consists of:
- Liability. When a driver is at fault for an accident, liability coverage will pay for damages to other drivers and road users. This ensures that the driver does not incur out-of-pocket costs to pay for the damages they are responsible for.
- Collision. When you are involved in an accident with substantial vehicle damages, the full car insurance coverage will pay you for the vehicle damages. In this case, you will not have to pay for vehicle repairs.
- Comprehensive. Sometimes, your vehicle could be damaged without an accident. This may result from unfavorable weather conditions, flooding, or vandalism. In this case, comprehensive car insurance coverage ensures that your vehicle is repaired or you have the necessary funding to purchase a new one.
- Medical payments. Medical coverage ensures that all the medical bills for you and your vehicle occupants are in pain if you are involved in an accident.
If your vehicle is less than ten years old, it would be worth it to have full coverage. Failure to fully insure your car means that an accident could cause you to lose the total value of your vehicle. Liability coverage alone has a lot of loopholes that could leave you without compensation.
Is Nevada a PIP State?
Nevada is a fault state where all motorists must carry liability insurance. Liability insurance kicks in when a driver is at fault for an accident. If the accident victims file a claim, the car insurance will be responsible for compensating them. PIP is a no-fault benefit offered by some states like Florida. However, a motorist in Nevada could purchase this type of insurance. If you need to treat serious bodily injury after a car accident, you could tap into the medical payments coverage.
The medical payments insurance covers the medical bills and funeral expenses for someone who suffers injuries or loses their life in a car accident. The most significant advantage of the medical over is a no-fault policy. Therefore, the cause of the accident will not affect your ability to have your medical bills paid.
If you use health coverage to pay for your treatment, your insurer will have a right of subrogation. After your claim is settled, they will recover compensation of up to their used amount.
Dealing with Insurance Adjusters after a Car Accident in Nevada
Car insurance coverage plays a crucial role in compensation and your ability to recover for your damages. While another driver or road user could be left liable for your accident, their vehicle insurance company will be responsible for paying your damages. Even though the vehicle insurance is meant for compensating victims of a car accident, the insurance companies will be looking out for their best interests. Therefore, they could try their best to ensure that the compensation they offer you is minimal.
If you are involved in a car accident, both your insurance company and one of the fault parties will contact you to find out more details of the accident. In most cases, the insurance company will send a claim adjuster who acts as an intermediary between you and the company. When you deal with insurance adjusters, it is essential to understand d that the information you provide may be used to improve your chances in the claim or dim your ability to recover the rightful compensation.
During your interaction with the insurance company, you need to avoid the following:
Do not give your Opinion or Speculations.
When you speak to police officers or insurance adjusters following a car accident, you should only provide information that is backed up by evidence. If you give a statement and you do not have solid evidence to support it, the adjusters could use the statement against you to deny the claim and lower your compensation.
Do not discuss your Injuries.
Mainly, an insurance adjuster will contact you even before you have the chance to seek medical care. The claim adjuster may pretend to be concerned about your wellbeing by seeking details of your injuries. It is important to remember that compensation for medical bills takes up a significant part of your claim in most car accidents. Therefore, sending out an idea that you were not injured or your injuries were not serious could hurt your claim.
Sometimes, injuries may not be easily detected, and you will need a medical checkup. If the insurance company seeks information regarding your injuries, you could ask them to wait for the results of your medical treatment.
Additionally, it would be best never to mention your existing injuries unless you are asked to present your medical records in court. Stating that you had an injury before the accident may give the insurance company a reason to believe that your injuries did not stem from the accident.
Do Not Admit Fault for the Accident
You can only recover compensation from the other party’s car insurance company if they are found to be at fault for the accident. When you speak to the insurance adjusters, they could question your version of the story. You must never state or speculate that you are partially liable for the accident. While partial liability will not prevent you from filing a claim and seeking compensation, it could lower the amount you stand to recover from the lawsuit.
Always Document your losses.
The car insurance company will not compensate you for car accident injuries and losses unless you can prove the cause of the accident and the injuries you suffered. Every time you approach the insurance company for the compensation, you must have the following pieces of evidence:
- Photos and videos. Evidence of an accident scene can be lost very quickly. Therefore, you need to start collecting it as soon as the accident occurs. Tasking photos of the accident scene could help in proving that another person was responsible for the accident. Additionally, you can try to recover surveillance videos from the area. If you have suffered an injury, you can take a photo of the damages.
- Medical records. Your medical records are evidence that the insurance company will want to review before compensating you after a car accident. When you seek medical care after a car accident, ensure that all your injuries and the treatment you receive are recorded. This will help in proving the cost of your medical bills.
- Police report. Calling the police to an accident scene is one of the crucial steps you must take. The police officers assess the scene ad write a report which acts as a vital piece of evidence to establish how the accident happened. With the police report, you can prove o the insurance company that your accident resulted from another person’s negligence.
Always Deal with Car Insurance Companies with Legal Guidance
Insurance companies want to speak and deal with you even before you have a chance to contact your attorney. If it is your first time being involved in a car accident where you had to file a civil claim, you may not be able to handle the insurance adjusters. If the insurance adjuster contacts you, you should never admit that you do not have legal representation. Your attorney could help protect your rights and guide you on the interaction to ensure that you don’t compromise your chances of recovering compensation.
Car Accidents without Insurance in Nevada
There are times when an accident occurs, and one of the drivers or both drivers involved does not have car insurance. What happens after such an accident will depend on whether or not you are the person liable for the accident. If you have insurance and the fault driver is not insured, you can still file a civil claim against them. If the driver had car insurance, you would recover compensation from their insurance company. However, you can look into their assets and recover compensation from the fault party’s assets.
Alternatively, you can look through your car insurance to determine whether you can recover compensation from them. Some drivers have uninsured or underinsured motorist coverage. This type of insurance pays you directly if you are involved in an accident caused by another person’s fault. When your insurance policy reimburses you for the claim, the insurer will do a subrogation. Subrogation is when your car insurance provider recovers compensation from the person liable for the accident.
If you are the person liable for the car accident, the other driver’s failure to have an insurance cover will not have a bearing on the car accident claim. While the injured parties may file a lawsuit against you, your insurance cover will be liable for compensating the damages. Acquiring an insurance cover for your car helps eliminate your liability and protects you from criminal charges that arise when you drive without vehicle insurance in Nevada.
If you do not have insurance or your cover has elapsed, you cannot register a motor vehicle in Nevada. If you are involved in an accident, and your car is uninsured, the Department of Motor Vehicle could take steps to suspend or revoke your license. If you are involved in an accident, and you or the other driver lack a car insurance cover, you will require the guidance of a skilled car accident attorney.
DUI Related Accidents and Car Insurance in Nevada
According to the Nevada Department of Transportation, thousands of people lose their lives, and others suffer severe injuries from car accidents caused by drunk drivers. When a drunk driver hits you or your loved one, you may be worried about the issue of compensation for your injuries. When an individual acquires car insurance for their vehicle, the insurance company will be responsible for all the losses and injuries resulting from the driver’s conduct.
Therefore, after an accident caused by a drunk driver, you are eligible for compensation from the fault party’s insurer. Depending on your case circumstances, you could file a personal injury claim. Some of the compensation benefits you could recover from the drunk driver’s insurance include payment for medical bills, lost wages, and lost earning capacity. Additionally, the drunk driver may be ordered to pay the punitive damages. Punitive damages are designed to punish the defendant of a personal injury claim if their conduct was dangerous to the safety of other road users.
The first step that most victims of a car accident caused by a drunk driver take are to seek compensation through the drunk driver’s car insurance company. Compensation, in this case, comes from the insured’s bodily injury and property damage liability. However, it is essential to understand that there is a limit to liability coverage.
When the drunk driver does not have insurance, it would be wise to seek compensation from your insurer. While you can still sue the drunk driver, filing a civil suit against a driver who does not have much money or died during the crash will not yield enough compensation to cover your damage. Seeking compensation from car insurance after a drunk driving car accident can be challenging. Therefore, the guidance of a personal injury attorney will go a long way for you.
What Happens When Someone Else Drives my Car and is involved in an Accident?
It is not uncommon for people to occasionally let their family or friends use their vehicles. Regardless of a person’s skills and experience, the possibility of a crash is always there. When another person is driving your car and is involved in an accident, the situation may be scary and confusing. However, many of the laws and claim procedures are the same in such an event.
The complicated factor that comes into play when another person was driving your car at the time of the crash is the issue of what insurance policy will cover the damages. In Nevada, the insurance coverage follows a vehicle and not the driver. Therefore, if someone uses your vehicle, they fall under your auto insurance cover, meaning that:
- You are responsible. When you allow someone to drive your vehicle and the person is found to be at fault for an accident, your insurance cover must kick in and handle their claim.
- Regardless of the person driving, the effects of the car accident in the insurance policy will fall on you.
While your car insurance is the primary source of liability for the car accident, the victims could also file a claim against the person driving the vehicle. This could often be the case if the car insurance coverage reaches its limit. If the person driving your vehicle is injured in an accident resulting from another person’s negligence, they will recover compensation for their injuries.
With borrowed vehicles, it is important to have the distinction between non-permitted use and permitted use:
- Permissive use. Most insurance covers apply to the vehicle owner, other people listed in the policy, and any other person to whom the owner could permit to use the vehicle.
- Non-permissive use. When a person drivers your vehicle without your consent and is involved in an accident, their insurance coverage may be the primary policy to cover the damages.
A car accident claim involving a borrowed vehicle may be very complicated. Since insurance companies are focused on their benefit and wellbeing, you need to know how you can protect your rights. It would be best to never rely on an insurance company to help you with the claim process or recover maximum benefit. Therefore, you should not hesitate to contact a personal injury attorney as soon as such a situation arises.
Find a Skilled Car Accident Attorney Near Me
Car insurance is something that every driver in Nevada is legally required to have. When a car accident occurs, the liable driver’s insurance company will be responsible for compensating you and other victims of the accident. Different insurance coverage exists to protect different aspects of a car accident. Therefore, it may be difficult to be involved in an accident with an uninsured driver.
Even when car insurance coverage is in place, recovering compensation from the company may be challenging. You may need to deal with the insurance adjuster’s attempts to downplay your claim and offer a low compensation. When you want to understand more about the dynamics of vehicle insurance or are seeking compensation for injuries resulting from a car accident, you will require competent legal guidance.
At Las Vegas Car Accident Attorney Law Firm, if you or a loved one needs legal consultation following a car accident or regarding car insurance issues in Las Vegas, NV, you will need us by your side. Contact us today at 702-576-0010.
