A careless driver hits your car and injures you and your family. Your children will take months to fully recover. But neither you nor your family can collect for your pain and suffering. Why? Because you didn't have a Full Tort auto insurance policy.
In 1990, the Pennsylvania Legislature enacted a law that created two separate "classes" of auto insurance - Full Tort and Limited Tort. This new law allows policy owners to choose the "class" of insurance they desire to buy. Although there is only a slight cost difference between a Full Tort policy and a Limited Tort policy, the difference in coverage is quite substantial.
A Full Tort policy gives you the right to file suit to receive compensation for the pain, suffering and inconvenience that you sustain in an auto accident that is caused by someone else. A Limited Tort policy, on the other hand, may prevent you from seeking compensation for your losses unless your injuries are serious and permanent.
If you select a Limited Tort policy, that selection will prevent you and your family from being able to collect for pain and suffering, even when they're in a car driven by someone who has a Full Tort policy.
A Limited Tort policy provides you and your family with limited coverage. A Limited Tort policy closes the courthouse for you and your family because by selecting a Limited Tort policy, you have selected a lesser form of coverage that will prevent you from seeking compensation from the person who caused your injuries.
What an insurance agent calls "full coverage" is not always full protection. Insist on a Full Tort auto insurance policy. You and your family deserve the right to seek compensation from someone who causes you to suffer.
Understanding the ins and outs of auto insurance is complicated and time consuming. At Silberblatt Mermelstein, we spend a lot of time reading and reviewing different types of insurance policies. We make it our policy to understand the insurance coverages at issue in our cases. Sorting out the applicable insurance coverages is our first step in representing our clients who have been involved in automobile accidents.
If you have questions about your auto insurance, please feel free to call us.