How much will be paid?

by Teresa
(Sacramento, California)

My 16 year old was driving my 26 year olds son's car home from the bank when he was in the left turning lane attempting to turn onto the side street from a 4 lane major street.

He began to make the turn when he noticed that a chevy truck was closer than he expected.

He was hit in the passenger door by a 1967 chevy truck. The driver of the truck made no attempt to swerve into the unoccupied lane or any attempt to brake. This resulted in totaling my son's 1996 convertible mustang.

My son's passenger had minor injuries to his shoulder where he had a small laceration which required stitches.

My son just had small cuts due to air bags. The driver of the Chevy had a small cut on his right knee. Driver of the chevy left the accident with his dad. The passenger with my son left in the ambulance. Five months later we received a subpoena for pain, suffering and lost wages as well as medical bills in the total of 500,000.00.

What will happen since my son's insurance covers up to 20,000.00 and my 16 year old was not ticketed just found at fault.

Answer:


Hello Teresa,

It's very hard to tell you what will happen, We do not know for sure.

Your son appears to be at least partially at fault for the accident. He was making a left and carries a heavy burden when doing so. Your insurance company is going to have to hire a lawyer and furnish a defense for him.

He is probably liable to the passenger also. The limits may or may not be enough to cover this, in which case, he could be liable for the excess should a judge/jury award those damages. Since he is 16, and probably living at home, you may be responsible for the excess.

Now, $500,000 is a lot, and sometimes, attorneys use big numbers to make the insurance company respond and put pressure on you (in some states, this is not allowed, but in some this is). This may be one of those situations. Your insurance company will fight to see if you can get this settled within the limits. For more, contact an attorney.



Good Luck,
Auto Insurance Claim Advice
Spokane Washington