The minimum limits for liability insurance in Tennesseee are $25,000 (the amount most people have when they think they have “full coverage”).  That was a goodly amount – in 1940.  Now that will barely pay for  a visit to the ER and some testing.  In Canada the minimum limits are $1 million, enough to cover all but the most catastrophic losses. In Tennessee, you are likely to be left holding the bag unless you have purchased enough insurance to protect yourself.

Recommended Policy Limits

The policy limit of your coverage is the amount the insurance company can owe for a loss. The amount paid by the insurance company cannot exceed than the limits of your policy. Given the risk of serious injury, and the costs of medical care we recommend that everyone carry the following minimal limits (more if you can afford it):

Property Damage $20,000

Bodily Injury $100,000 per person, $300,000 per accident

Medical Payments $10,000

Uninsured and $100,000 per person

Underinsured Coverage $300,000 per accident

If you can get more insurance, get it!

If you have uninsured motorist coverage, then your insurance company will cover it as if it was the guilty driver’s insurance company. The insurance company only has to pay amounts up to the policy limits you purchased.

My car isn’t driveable after being in a collision in Brentwood, Will my policy pay for a rental car?

Typically, car rental fees are paid for the period between the accident and repair, or until such time as the vehicle is appraised as a total loss. Once the insurance company makes an offer on a vehicle that has been totaled, they will cutoff reimbursement for any rental. Insurance adjusters will usually offer to pay only the least expensive rates available for rental.

I was involved in a 3 car crash on I-40 if my car is totaled, will my insurance coverage pay off my car note?

Not necessarily, the coverage will be for the actual cash value of the car, not the amount you owe. The actual cash value refers to the cost of replacing your damaged vehicle with one similar in condition and mileage.  Certain conditions of the car like previous damage, tired wear, and mileage are all considered when determining the cash value. If your car has been financed, the actual value may be much less than the money owed.

If you or anyone you know has been killed or suffered a personal injury in Tennessee, please contact Nashville personal injury attorney Phillip Miller and the Tennessee personal injury attorneys at Phillip Miller and Associates at (615) 356-2000, or contact our office online here.

One last thing: If you are hurt and have any questions at all, contact our office at (615) 356-2000. Don’t delay. Cases involving personal injury or death in Tennessee must be acted on quickly. Time is running. Call for an appointment, if it’s bad enough that you need to read this far into a website blog, it’s bad enough to get an attorney involved.

When your insurance company pays you for a loss caused by another driver may recover the full amount of their payments made from that other party. If the insurance company pays you, you will be required to cooperate with them as they sue the other party. You will have to repay your insurance company any amounts they have paid you if your claim is successful.

Will use of my car in a car pool be covered?

As long as the car pool is not intended as a business operated for profit, insurance protection is not affected.  If you use your car in a typical share-the-ride pool where everyone takes turns driving, or if one person drives all the time and only collects for expenses from the passengers, his or her policy provides regular coverage.  However, car-pooling results in an increased number of passengers in the car, so you should consider increasing your liability limits.

What happens if I’m in an automobile accident and don’t have any insurance?

Tennessee does not require that drivers have insurance, but does require that they be financially responsible for any accidents in which they are at fault.   If a driver without insurance is at fault, that driver must post a bond to protect the injured party or have his driver’s license revoked.   The process of revoking a driver’s license is involved, but anyone can call the Tennessee Department of Safety, Financial Responsibility Section for more information (615/741-5668).

If you or anyone you know has been killed or suffered a personal injury in Tennessee,  contact Nashville personal injury attorney Phillip Miller and the Tennessee personal injury attorneys at Phillip Miller and Associates at (615) 356-2000, or contact our office online here.

One last thing: If you have a question about your coverage, don’t rely on a blog like this, or any other internet site for an answer to a legal question. Every situation is different and this information may not accurately reflect your best choices.

If the car and owner are uninsured, your policy would apply as long as you had permission to be driving the car. If the owner of the car has coverage, then your responsibility for injuries and damages to other automobiles and their drivers will generally be covered by the insurance company that insures that car and owner.

Can my son or daughter, covered under my policy drive someone else’s car and still be covered by my policy?

Yes, but the policy associated with that car or vehicle is primary and your coverage may not be involved.  As long as he or she has permission to drive the vehicle then they will be covered by that car’s policy. If there is a discrepancy or issue about permission to drive the car then your coverage would apply.

What should I do if I have an automobile or motorcycle accident?

You should immediately report it to the police and your insurance company, no matter how slight or minor the incident is. Both parties involved should receive from each other the name, addresses, license number, plate number, insurer, date and time of accident and the names and addresses of any witnesses. Make sure to notify your insurance company before you authorize repairs to your car.

If you or anyone you know has been killed or suffered a personal injury in Tennessee, please contact Nashville personal injury attorney Phillip Miller and the Tennessee personal injury attorneys at Phillip Miller and Associates at (615) 356-2000, or contact our office online here.

If you have a question about your coverage, don’t rely on a blog like this, or any other internet site for an answer to a legal question. Every situation is different and this information may not accurately reflect your best choices.

One last thing: If you are hurt and have any questions at all, contact our office at (615) 356-2000. Don’t delay. Cases involving personal injury or death in Tennessee must be acted on quickly. Time is running. Call for an appointment, if it’s bad enough that you need to read this far into a website blog, it’s bad enough to get an attorney involved.

All insurance policies are contracts between you and the insurance company. The language of your own policy is generally what controls or represents your rights when you file a claim. There are different types of coverage that your individual policy may provide. They include:

Property Damage- This coverage pays for damage to the property of others. It may include someone else’s car or other property damaged in an accident that is your responsibility.

Collision- Collision coverage pays for damage to your car caused by collision (less any deductible). If you have a new car, or an expensive car, collision coverage may be a major part of your insurance cost.

Comprehensive- Comprehensive coverage pays for losses due to theft, fire, vandalism and glass breakage.

Uninsured/Underinsured- This coverage will reimburse you for your losses if someone at fault has no insurance or has less insurance than needed to make you whole.

Bodily Injury Liability- This pays others for losses from an accident that is your fault. This is the most expensive and necessary coverage on most policies.

Medical Payments- This coverage pays for medical expenses you or your family incur as a result of an auto accident. It also covers passengers in any automobile you may be driving, regardless of fault.

It took two weeks for the man to turn himself in, and was charged with vehicular homicide by recklessness and leaving the scene of a deadly accident. He also had charges of intoxication, and DUI on his previous record. The families not only have to grieve the loss of a loved one, but also now, after sentencing, have to live with the fact that the driver will only face 2 years in jail. Officials say that the young lady was walking in the street, when her family knows that wasn’t the case.

The sentences for drivers that face charges of vehicular homicide should be the same as any other homicide. The carelessness of one man cost the life of a young lady, and caused countless grief for families. Our condolences go out to her broken family. To learn more about hit and run accidents, please visit this site.

1-800-377-HURT (4878)

www.seriousinjury.com

On I-40 near White Bridge Rd, last Wednesday the 12^th of January, a Nashville Tennessee man seemed to have suffered from a medical condition, and died while driving. No one else was injured in the single vehicle car accident, and there is no word on what caused the man to die driving.

Our sympathies go out to the family of this man. I am sure they wish they could have been with him in his final moments.

It’s an unfortunate fact that Tennessee drivers suffer from heat attacks, and strokes all the time while behind the wheel. Sometimes (like this) it’s an unavoidable tragedy and no one else is involved. Other times, others are needlessly injured because a driver has ignored doctor’s directions or not followed the directions that come with their prescription medication. Anytime someone gets behind the wheel on a Tennessee road, their responsibilities include not doing harm to others. Selfishly ignoring a medical condition and putting others at risk for your own convenience is inexcusable.

Ask your friends, family and friends for help when you are at risk and/or your meds are making driving difficult. They want to help.

Please go here to learn more about safety tips. And please visit this site to read more about car accidents in Tennessee.

1-800-377-HURT (4878)

www.seriousinjury.com

1-800-377-HURT (4878)

www.seriousinjury.com

Does it make any difference? Most drunk drivers have serious, untreated problems that push them to drink, and in our society using a car is critical to living a normal life. Drunk drivers are a seemingly inevitable consequence of living in a (relatively) free society.

What should we do?  One thing we do is sue the drunk driver to take away their means of transportation.  It’s a good way to intervene.  Every see full grown men riding bikes in street clothes and looking slightly uncomfortable about it?  At least some of those are people who have had 1 or more DUI convictions.

Fortunately, MADD through the Tennessee State legislature passed a law requiring an ignition interlock device whenever someone has a blood alcohol level about .15%, has a minor in the car, or was involved in a collision.  A copy of the kind of order a drunk driver might get can be seen here.

If you or anyone you know has been injured or killed in a Tennessee car accident, please contact Nashville injury attorney Phillip Miller and the Nashville  personal injury attorneys at Phillip Miller and Associates at (615) 356-2000, or contact our office online here.

One last thing: If you are hurt and have any questions at all, contact our office at (615) 356-2000. Don’t delay. Cases involving personal injury or death in Tennessee must be acted on quickly. Time is running. Call for an appointment, if it’s bad enough that you need to read this far into a website blog, it’s bad enough to get an attorney involved.

To make the process of documentation easier, it’s common to use abbreviations. In the non-medical world we use abbreviations as well. For example (the abbreviation for “for example” is e.g.) in the online world abbreviations like OMG, and LOL are known to millions.  The difference is that there is only one accepted  definition for LOL, while in the medical world, there are lots of people “making things up”.

The misuse of abbreviations has gotten to be such a problem that the Joint Commission on Accreditation has issued a “do not use” list of abbreviations that are likely to be misinterpreted and can put patients at risk. (see here)

One aspect of being a Nashville personal injury attorney is that I have to read medical records, lots of medical records, and it’s the abbreviations that drive me crazy – when one abbreviation is used differently in two different files, its’ up to me to figure out what really happened.

If you or anyone you know has been killed or suffered a personal injury in Tennessee, please contact Nashville injury attorney Phillip Miller and the Nashville personal injury attorneys at Phillip Miller and Associates at (615) 356-2000, or contact our office online here. No matter what you do, before you settle your case with an insurance adjuster, read our materials on dealing with insurance adjusters first!