09 Apr Are You or Your Spouse a Bad Driver?
Do you often drive your spouse around? Perhaps your spouse usually chauffeurs you instead? If you answered yes to either question, you need to be aware of Supplemental Spousal Liability Insurance Coverage for your automobile insurance policy.
Supplemental Spousal Liability Insurance is defined as: Bodily Injury Liability Coverage under a motor vehicle insurance policy to cover the liability of an insured spouse because of the death of or injury to his or her spouse, even where the injured spouse must prove the culpable conduct of the insured spouse.
Well, what does THAT mean?
If you were injured in a motor vehicle accident when your spouse was driving and your spouse was at fault, you still need to be compensated for your injuries, right? This is where Supplemental Spousal Liability Insurance comes in handy! Your own automobile insurance company may compensate you for the injuries that you sustained even if they were caused by your spouse’s negligence. In New York State, if you do not have this Supplemental Spousal Liablity Insurance Coverage on your policy, the insurance company does not have to pay the claim for your injuries.
This coverage is not typically added to your insurance policy automatically. It is something that you may need to specifically ask. Most insurance companies require a written request from the insured as well as a small additional premium for the coverage. The additional premium charged is usually nominal (mine is $25). It would be a very good idea to contact your insurance company to find out more about Supplemental Spousal Liability Coverage. The small additional premium could help protect you in the future!
Imagine that you are taking a trip to the grocery store with your spouse. He is driving you down the same street you have traveled hundreds of times. He stops at a stop sign and proceeds to make a left turn when an oncoming vehicle that was traveling straight strikes your vehicle. As a result, you break your ankle and must undergo a painful surgery, taking you out of work for a total of 3 months. Legally, you find out that your spouse was at-fault for the collision.
What are you supposed to do?!
Well, thankfully you and your spouse added Supplemental Spousal Liability Coverage to your automobile insurance policy. Your policy limit is $250,000. You contact Gulotta & Gulotta, PLLC and we successfully recover money from your own insurance company to compensate you for your injuries and time out of work.
You have insurance to protect others who you may injure in a collision, shouldn’t you have the Supplemental Spousal Liability Insurance Coverage to protect you and your spouse?
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