Auto Accidents Newsletters
Auto Insurance Coverage for Nonowned Vehicles
At times a driver may have permission to use an automobile that he or she does not own. If a driver is in an accident while driving a non-owned car, the driver's insurance policy will generally cover the non-owned vehicle.
Mediation of Coverage Disputes: Uninsured and Underinsured Motorist Insurance
Mediation is a form of alternative dispute resolution that can be used by an insurance company and an insured to settle a dispute between themselves regarding uninsured or underinsured motorist coverage as well as other disputes. The alternative to mediation would be a lawsuit. In mediation, a third person, who has experience with insurance disputes, meets with the insurance company and the insured to try to work out a solution on which both parties can agree.
Medical Payments Coverage in Auto Insurance
Physical injuries requiring varying degrees of medical attention that range from the superficial to the extensive are a common consequence of motor vehicle accidents. Medical payments provisions have been included in auto insurance policies in order to provide insured persons and occupants of covered vehicles reimbursement of payments made in obtaining such medical treatment after an accident.
Role of Auto Accident Reconstruction Experts
Automobile accidents can be very messy. In order to determine what led to an accident, an automobile accident reconstruction expert can be employed. The expert will try to determine the most probable reason for the accident. Automobile accident reconstruction experts use information from the accident scene, witnesses, the damaged vehicles, and other sources to make conclusions about how the accident happened and, sometimes, why it happened. The expert can be called to testify at a trial on his or her conclusions in an effort to help the jury.
Violation of Traffic Laws as Proof of Negligence
In an automobile accident action against a driver for damages suffered in a car collision, the driver's violation of a traffic law can be evidence of his or her negligence. The law calls negligence based upon the violation of a specific requirement of law "negligence per se." Negligence per se means that as a matter of law negligence existed. While the violation of a traffic law is negligence as a matter of law, the violation does not mean that the driver is liable unless the negligence was the proximate cause of the plaintiff's injury. Negligence is ordinarily a question for a jury. It only becomes a question of law when a court determines that only one conclusion can reasonably be drawn from the evidence. If the violation of the traffic law is treated as negligence per se, the question of negligence will not be given to the jury.
