For many people who drive vehicles every day for a commute, motor vehicle insurance is just another expense. After all, it’s required by the state if you want to register and legally drive your vehicle. You hope that you’ll never have any need to use it. It’s only natural to do everything you can to minimize the expenses involved in carrying motor vehicle insurance. Doing so could end up being a very expensive mistake for you. If you are in an accident and you are found to be at fault, your insurance policy could be responsible for covering a lot of injuries and property damage.
Illinois has fault-based insurance for motor vehicles. Unlike no-fault, where each driver uses his or her own policy to cover any losses, fault-based motor vehicle insurance pays out when you’re the one who is found to be legally responsible for a crash. Your policy determines what gets covered. The less you’re paying for insurance, the more likely it is that there are serious gaps in your coverage. If you’re ever found to be at fault for an accident with serious property damages or injuries, those minimal savings on your monthly premium could end up costing you a lot more.
Illinois requirements can leave gaps in coverage
In order to legally operate a vehicle on Illinois roads, you need to have certain insurance in place. Your policy’s coverage gets broken down based on the nature of the damages. The minimum amount of liability coverage you can obtain for property damage is $20,000. When it comes to bodily injury, the lowest amount of coverage you can have is $25,000 for a single person hurt and $50,000 total medical coverage for accidents with more than one injured person. You are also required to carry additional coverage, up to $25,000 per person and $50,000, to protect against accidents with uninsured drivers.
On the surface, that may seem like a lot of coverage. In reality, repairs to one vehicle could easily consume all of the property damage coverage. If there were valuable assets inside the vehicle or a building was damaged, your property coverage may not be enough. Similarly, it doesn’t take long for serious medical bills to build up after a car accident. A single surgery and few days in rehabilitative care can easily cost more than $25,000. If you don’t have enough coverage, you could find yourself the defendant in a civil lawsuit if the injured parties need compensation for those expenses.
An attorney can help you with insurance and after an accident
If you’re concerned about your insurance coverage, having a personal injury attorney you trust review your policies can help. Your attorney can warn you about gaps in your coverage. If you’ve been in an accident, whether you were at fault or hurt by someone else, an attorney can help you review your legal options and work for the best possible outcome.
Amoni Law Offices, P.C. is located in Aurora, IL and serves clients in and around Aurora, Sugar Grove, Batavia, Elburn, North Aurora, Mooseheart, Bristol, Big Rock, Kane County and Kendall County.
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