Practice Areas

Legal News

Library

Questions You Should Ask About Your Insurance Policy

Breit, Drescher and Imprevento is an injury law firm based in Norfolk, Virginia. We have dedicated our practice to helping those who have been injured in accidents due to no fault of their own. We help victims of car, truck and motorcycle accidents, as well as those who have been injured due to medical malpractice or the use of faulty products. If you or a loved one has been hurt in an accident in the Norfolk, Virginia Beach or Tidewater area, contact Breit, Drescher and Imprevento for a free legal consultation today.

There are many reasons for an insurance company to deny your claim, but the most obvious reason for a claim denial is money. Frankly, insurance companies don’t like to write checks. They have no problems receiving your money every month, but sending money out is not something that they are very good at.

One scenario that almost always ends with some sort of claim denial is an accident that ends with the hospitalization of one or more of the drivers or passengers. If the medical bills are substantial, the insurers almost always find one or more aspects of the treatment to deny, regardless of whether or not these denials are valid or not.

But believe it or not, there are quite a few valid reasons for insurers to deny your claim, and the majority of these denials are the result of actions that you, the policyholder, did or did not take. Here are a few questions that you should ask yourself well before you get into an accident, and if the questions are not answered to your satisfaction, take the necessary steps with your insurance provider.

What sort of coverage do I have?

Lots of claims get denied because the policyholder doesn’t have the right sort of policy. For instance, if all you have is liability insurance, you can’t file a claim to have your car repaired or replaced. The only thing that the insurance will pay for is the damage to the other car.

Do I have enough coverage?

Every state has a bare minimum of what the insurance companies are supposed to cover on their policies. In Virginia, the minimum is $25,000 for bodily injury of one person, $50,000 for bodily injury of two or more people, and $20,000 for property damage. If you get into an accident and you are at fault, your insurance company is obligated to pay exactly the amount of money that your policy is worth and not a penny more. If the damage in the accident costs more than what the policy will pay, they can and will deny any claims over the coverage amount. You will be on the hook for anything else. You should be sure that your policy has broad coverage that is over the minimum. Remember, $25,000 goes pretty fast in the emergency room.

Does your policy cover everyone in your family?

Don’t just assume that your teenagers are automatically put on the policy of your car. They aren’t. You have to let the insurance company know exactly what car they will be driving. If your teens or spouse aren’t included on the insurance policy of your car, then you should not allow them to drive it.

Did the Driver Actually Have Insurance?

Believe it or not, some people act less then ethical when they get into accidents. This happens a lot in fender benders or cases where there is minimal damage. They will simply claim to not have insurance and leave the repair up to you. But insurance companies are pretty good at investigating, and if they find out that the other driver had insurance, your claim officially becomes somebody else’s problem. Yours, to be specific.

Is your policy still valid?

This might seem blatantly obvious, but people forget to pay their bills every day. And a lot of insurance companies require you to pay quarterly, so you only get an invoice every three months. It is very easy to have your policy lapse and not even be aware of it. In Virginia, the DMV will actually send you a bill for an uninsured driver’s fee if your insurance lapses, but this can take weeks or even months after the policy has lapsed. You can avoid this and complete financial calamity that will come your way by making sure that your insurance premiums are paid regularly.

If you have followed all of the regulations to the letter and are still receiving delays and denials from insurance companies, contact the Norfolk and Virginia Beach law offices of Breit, Drescher and Imprevento for a free legal consultation today.

Quick Contact

Videos

Case Results

Resources