Unfortunately, most carriers that write truckers or trucking fleets do not wish to, nor do they provide more than state minimum limits for UM/UIM and the owner of the firm signs off as well (and we are talking UIM here since she did have insurance).
Let’s hope he was employed directly by a trucking company so his family at least gets WC (which is subrogable against her if the carrier wants to go that route). If he was an independent, and did not purchase a WC policy (which moststandard carriers are not interested in) at least let’s hope he spent the money for a WC pool policy so his family can replace his earning power, at least for a while. Let’s hope his agent advised him to buy it even though he may not have been required by state law to do so. Had he survived and required medical care and other care, as well as wage replacement, he would have had it.
This proves what many clients have argued with me…why should I buy higher limits if all they can get is my policy limits? Hard to overcome especially when items like this hit the media. When was the last time you saw a claim reach beyond policy limits?
Good point but she probably didn’t have much. You can’t get blood form a stone but you can bet the family would have gone after personal assets if she had any and 100k limit was all she purchased.
I wouldn’t sleep at night knowing that, would you?
Agreed…no reason to buy insurance if there are no assets to protect. If your net worth is high enough it makes sense to purchase additional limits. Based on the fact that she was 19, pregnant, and had alcohol in her system; I’m assuming she did not have assets that to justify paying a higher premium.
I personally carry it for the UM coverage. It’s nice to know that if some wasted idiot without a dime or an insurance policy crashes into me and hurts me or my passengers that there will be a policy to respond. There are just so many here without a policy, and unfortunately they often seem to be the same people who are driving after having 15 beers on a Monday afternoon.
At the risk of sounding heartless, I have to question this guy’s judgment in sacrificing his life to avoid a passenger car. This poor ******* was approaching retirement age after working his whole life. If the girl drifted into his lane he would have been better off holding the wheel of his tractor trailer and letting the passenger car hit him. My guess is the truck would have won that contest. Drowning in the Chesapeake Bay is a nasty way to go.
I thought the same thing….sorry to say. He probably reacted without taking it into consideration. If he had the luxury of hind sight, I bet he would have held the wheel!
If you have any assets, or ever hope to own any assets, you need to carry high liability limits to protect those assets. If a large judgment was filed against this girl, she would never be able to get a loan, or mortgage, or have any assets because they could be attached and given to the injured party who had the judgment against her. And it is absolutely right that each of us needs the highest limits of UM/UIM we can get, and in most states this is up to our liability limit.
Not to defend her, but the IJ article said she was 19 and somewhat impaired at the time of the accident. Post-accident, she is living in Alaska, married and pregnant – not pregnant and drinking at age 19.
We have updated our privacy policy to be more clear and meet the new requirements of the GDPR. By continuing to use our site, you accept our revised Privacy Policy.
Unfortunately, most carriers that write truckers or trucking fleets do not wish to, nor do they provide more than state minimum limits for UM/UIM and the owner of the firm signs off as well (and we are talking UIM here since she did have insurance).
Let’s hope he was employed directly by a trucking company so his family at least gets WC (which is subrogable against her if the carrier wants to go that route). If he was an independent, and did not purchase a WC policy (which moststandard carriers are not interested in) at least let’s hope he spent the money for a WC pool policy so his family can replace his earning power, at least for a while. Let’s hope his agent advised him to buy it even though he may not have been required by state law to do so. Had he survived and required medical care and other care, as well as wage replacement, he would have had it.
This proves what many clients have argued with me…why should I buy higher limits if all they can get is my policy limits? Hard to overcome especially when items like this hit the media. When was the last time you saw a claim reach beyond policy limits?
Good point but she probably didn’t have much. You can’t get blood form a stone but you can bet the family would have gone after personal assets if she had any and 100k limit was all she purchased.
I wouldn’t sleep at night knowing that, would you?
Agreed…no reason to buy insurance if there are no assets to protect. If your net worth is high enough it makes sense to purchase additional limits. Based on the fact that she was 19, pregnant, and had alcohol in her system; I’m assuming she did not have assets that to justify paying a higher premium.
I personally carry it for the UM coverage. It’s nice to know that if some wasted idiot without a dime or an insurance policy crashes into me and hurts me or my passengers that there will be a policy to respond. There are just so many here without a policy, and unfortunately they often seem to be the same people who are driving after having 15 beers on a Monday afternoon.
At the risk of sounding heartless, I have to question this guy’s judgment in sacrificing his life to avoid a passenger car. This poor ******* was approaching retirement age after working his whole life. If the girl drifted into his lane he would have been better off holding the wheel of his tractor trailer and letting the passenger car hit him. My guess is the truck would have won that contest. Drowning in the Chesapeake Bay is a nasty way to go.
I thought the same thing….sorry to say. He probably reacted without taking it into consideration. If he had the luxury of hind sight, I bet he would have held the wheel!
If you have any assets, or ever hope to own any assets, you need to carry high liability limits to protect those assets. If a large judgment was filed against this girl, she would never be able to get a loan, or mortgage, or have any assets because they could be attached and given to the injured party who had the judgment against her. And it is absolutely right that each of us needs the highest limits of UM/UIM we can get, and in most states this is up to our liability limit.
“Based on the fact that she was 19, pregnant, and had alcohol in her system; I’m assuming she did not have assets…”
Or any common sense for that matter
Not to defend her, but the IJ article said she was 19 and somewhat impaired at the time of the accident. Post-accident, she is living in Alaska, married and pregnant – not pregnant and drinking at age 19.