I had to turn down a very serious motorcycle injury case the other day. The reason? The guy was hit by an uninsured motorist, but he (the prospective client) had not purchased uninsured motorist (UM) coverage on his motorcycle.
As he was riding his Harley, a car pulled out in front of him. He braked suddenly, and had to lay the bike on the road. Unfortunately, the motorcyclist still hit the front fender of the car. This catapulted him over the vehicle at least 50 feet in the air. He landed on his head and shoulder. He suffered multiple fractures to his legs, pelvis, arm, low back, shoulder dislocation, and a traumatic brain injury. The guy was lucky to be alive.
It turned out that the driver was 19 years old and unemployed. He had no insurance on the car.
In Washington, there is a type of auto insurance called Uninsured or Underinsured Motorist coverage. This is coverage that will protect you if you’re hit by an uninsured driver. In Washington, UM/UIM coverage must be offered on your vehicle unless you reject it in writing.
Unfortunately, the mandatory UM/UIM coverage does not apply to motorcycles. This means you must specifically request UM/UIM coverage on your bike, or it will not be offered. Most motorcycle riders are not aware of this. They think if they get “full coverage” it means they are fully protected. Not so.
The most important type of insurance coverage a motorcycle rider can get is UM/UIM. This is because more often than not the other driver either does not have insurance, or does not have enough insurance. The injuries to motorcycle riders are usually much more serious (for obvious reasons). That means the medical bills are usually a lot higher – sometimes several hundreds of thousands of dollars.
The guy who was seriously injured on his bike was understandably upset. Without insurance, there was nothing I could do for him. Unfortunately, I get similar calls from other motorcycle riders at least a handful of times each year.
If you are a motorcycle rider, please, please, please…. Call your insurance agent right now and ask for UM/UIM coverage with the highest limits you can afford. You will be doing yourself, and your family, a very big favor.
Its a very impressive blog..I\’m sure like-minded visitors would be greatly benefited properly…