The Minimum Insurance Necessary
Riding without insurance is risky, and it can result in various penalties. If you are uninsured and have a motorcycle accident, you may have to pay out-of-pocket for your vehicle repair and medical costs. Also, you can be subject to penalties, fines, and having your license suspended.
There are options when it comes to insuring your ride. But the bare minimum you must carry is called liability, the same coverage required for cars. Liability insurance will protect you when you cause a motorcycle accident, and will it:
- Pays for injuries caused to others in the accident
- Covers the damage to the property of the others involved in the motorcycle accident
- Does not pay for your medical costs or the damage to your motorcycle
- Will pay for legal expenses if you are sued
Nevada motorcycle laws require minimum liability coverage of 25/50/20. Your insurance would pay up to $25,000 per person for bodily injury but no more than $50,000 per accident. It would also cover up to $20,000 in property damage per accident.
Notice that liability insurance pays “other” people for their injuries and property loss. What kind of insurance would cover your losses if you suffered injuries in a crash that was your fault?
Uninsured/Underinsured Motorist Insurance
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) reports that 80% of motorcycle collisions result in injury or death to the rider. A motorcyclist involved in an accident is 35 times more likely to suffer severe physical damage or death than occupants in a passenger car.
If the cyclist is not at fault for a crash and the other driver(s) had sufficient insurance, our cyclist’s medical bills, property damage, and more would be paid for up to the maximum coverage available.
But if our cyclist is injured in a crash caused by an uninsured driver (one-in-ten Nevada drivers are uninsured), who will pay the medical bills, lost wages, and property damage for our fault-free cyclist?
Uninsured and underinsured motorist coverage (UM/UIM) pays you in an accident where the other driver does not have any or enough insurance or the crash was a hit-and-run.
Without proper coverage, you are financially responsible for an accident that was not your fault. The personal injury lawyer in Las Vegas, NV, at The Schnitzer Law Firm, wants you to be fully covered if you are ever involved in a motorcycle crash.
Uninsured Motorist Bodily Injury Coverage
Avoid potential catastrophe from a collision with an uninsured or underinsured driver by purchasing UM/UIM coverage. All insurance carriers in Nevada must provide you with the opportunity to purchase UM/UIM coverage.
When the other driver is at fault and doesn’t have car insurance, UM/UIM protects you from out-of-pocket expenses, including:
- Reasonable and necessary medical expenses
- Lost wages
- Future lost earning capacity
- Pain and suffering
Even though you have — and are paying for — UM/UIM, your insurer may challenge what reasonable and necessary medical expenses are covered. It would help if you had a skilled Las Vegas personal injury lawyer knowledgeable in negotiating with insurance companies when this happens. Reasonable and necessary medical expenses may include:
- Hospital care and surgery
- Dental services
- Psychological and psychiatric care
- Osteopathic services
- Chiropractic care
- And more
To prove your medical costs are reasonable and necessary in a personal injury claim, you must establish that the services received were medically necessary. The treatment was the direct result of injuries caused by the at-fault party. Therefore, the compensation you request is within reason.
Your Las Vegas personal injury lawyer at The Schnitzer Law Firm is devoted to achieving maximum compensation for clients injured in a motorcycle crash.
Other Insurance Available for Your Protection
In addition to the mandatory liability insurance and the UM/UIM option, other options for coverage include:
- Comprehensive/Collision: to pay for repairs to or replacement of your motorcycle if it’s stolen or damaged
- Medical Payments: pays medical bills for you and your passengers regardless of fault
- Total Loss Coverage: pays you the cost to buy a brand-new bike if you suffer from a total loss
- And more
The additional coverage will add to the total cost of a policy. But there are discounts insurance carriers offer, such as:
- Multi-Policy
- Safety Course
- Experienced Riders
- And others
Everyone will have priorities for insuring their motorcycle. Speak with your insurer about the many available options.
Call or Click Today
The Schnitzer Law Firm hopes you never need their services after a motorcycle wreck. But if you or a loved one are involved in a collision or motorcycle accident, visit online at https://theschnitzerlawfirm.com/ or call (702) 960-4050 to schedule a FREE consultation.
