Third-party insurance is just another name for what most people know as normal liability insurance. Car accident insurance is a good example. If you have this insurance, it covers a third party (the other driver and passengers) when victims are hurt by your mistakes on the road.
After a California accident, the question of who is to blame becomes very important. If you were to blame, your third-party insurer would need to offer compensation for any victims’ injury costs, missed time at work, and other damages. If the other driver caused the collision, that driver’s third-party insurance should cover you.
Of course, car insurance companies are giant businesses that don’t want to cover any damages if they can find a way to escape liability. If you’ve suffered a serious injury due to a careless driver’s mistake, you may need the help of a skilled California car accident lawyer. Contact Maison Law for a free, no-obligation case consultation to find out how to hold an insurer 100% accountable.
Third-Party Coverage for California Drivers
All California drivers must carry third-party car insurance protection. Many drivers choose a policy that is the cheapest and carries the bare minimum in coverage.
In California, the minimum in third-party coverage is currently (per the California DMV):
- $30,000 for injury/death to one person
- $60,000 for injury/death to more than one person
- $15,000 for damage to property
What Third-Party Car Insurance Covers
If you were to cause an accident on a freeway or boulevard, your third-party insurance would usually cover the repair costs for any vehicle you damaged. If a car were “totaled,” money would be provided to replace the vehicle.
Beyond vehicle fixes, victims could also receive third-party support for these hardships:
- All medical costs
- All income lost while in recovery
- Support for physical pain experienced
- Support for emotional trauma caused
- Wrongful death support for families if you cause a deadly collision
If you only have third-party coverage, your own medical costs aren’t covered in an accident you caused. Your lost time at work wouldn’t be reimbursed. The cost of car repairs would be dropped in your lap.
There are insurance add-ons for car insurance policies that cover you beyond third-party protections. In California, you can pay more for Med-Pay coverage. It pays for your medical bills after a crash, no matter who was to blame. It’s the same for collision coverage that covers your vehicle damage.
Third-Party Coverage If You Are Hit By a California Uninsured Driver
Your third-party policy generally doesn’t offer support to you in an accident. The only exception would be if you were struck by an uninsured driver or a hit-and-run driver.
Most third-party policies do come with uninsured driver coverage (unless the driver has it removed). This protection allows you to seek coverage from your own insurance if another driver can’t provide support after an accident. That can include a driver who is traveling without third-party coverage or strikes you and takes off, never to be identified.
What Does Third-Party Insurance Cover If I’m Only Partially to Blame for an Accident?
In California, drivers involved in accidents can sometimes share blame for a crash. Drivers get a percentage of blame if more than one motorist contributed to the cause of a collision.
One driver might be assigned 75% of the blame for not yielding the right of way. You might receive 25% of the fault for going a bit too fast.
If this is the case, the other driver could earn an award from your third-party car insurance. However, it would be reduced by whatever share of the blame was assigned to them. If they won $10,000 for their injuries, your insurer would only have to provide 25% (minus the 75% of blame) of that in a settlement.
If you were hurt, you could also demand help with medical bills. You could get a substantial reward even though it would be reduced by 25%.
If you have Maison Law working for you. That percentage would be fought over, and if you really deserved zero percent of the blame, we would demand that your liability be thrown out.
Contact a California Car Accident Attorney
After suffering a serious injury due to a reckless driver’s mistake, you should discuss your case with Maison Law in a free case consultation. Contact us to set up a meeting with a real lawyer to go over your options. A lawyer can protect your innocence in the accident and make sure insurers don’t shortchange you in a settlement.
If you need a lawyer to help you bring home more in support, you don’t have to stress about how you’ll afford to pay a lawyer. Maison Law isn’t paid unless the case is won. Then our fee comes out of the settlement check that a car insurer is forced to write for you.
