Purchasing Auto Insurance: Most Common Questions

Purchasing auto insurance seems easy enough just sign on the dotted line, start paying premiums, and hit the road! It’s more complicated than that. When the time comes to file claim, many drivers are surprised to find that they are not protected as they thought. When making a decision on a new policy or a renewal, knowing the answers to the following common questions will help you make the best choice.

What is liability coverage?
Liability coverage protects you if you are at fault in an accident. The injured party will not be able to come after your house, car or other property.  Your insurance company will pay damages up to the limits of your policy.

What is Uninsured Motorist coverage?
Uninsured Motorist (UIM) coverage protects you when the other party in an accident is at fault and they are uninsured. Even though it is required by law to carry insurance, many drivers do not. If one of these uninsured drivers causes an accident that you are involved in, the UIM coverage will protect you. Your insurer will pay up to the limits of your policy (see more on this below)

What does $50,000/$100,000 mean?
Two dollar amounts expressed like this ($50,000/100,000) tell you the limits of your policy. The first number is how much coverage you have for each person in the vehicle. The second number is how much coverage you have in total for the accident. For example, using limits, if you are in an accident and there are three of you in the vehicle, each person would be covered up to $ 50,000, but all three would have to share a total of $100,000. There can be different amounts for different types of coverage, such as liability and uninsured motorist .

How much coverage should I buy?
Buy as much as your insurance company will sell you or that you can afford. If you ever need it, you don’t want to be in a situation where the insurance payout isn’t enough to cover the costs of the accident. It is generally not much more expensive to add more coverage. While the difference varies from company to company, you will not, for example pay twice as much for twice the coverage. Ask your agent how much it would be to add coverage. You may be surprised at how little it is!

List Of The Most Dangerous Dogs: Insurance Dog Breed Blacklist

More than one third of all homeowner's insurance liability claims paid out in 2013 were related to dog bites.  The average claim was about $30,000, adding up to about $490 million for the year.  Insurance companies are concerned about these costs, so it has become common for them to blacklist certain breeds of dog.  While each company has a different list, the following fourteen breeds were the most common to be excluded from coverage:

1. Pit Bull Terriers
2. Staffordshire Terriers
3. Rottweilers
4. German Shepherds
5. Presa Canarios
6. Chows Chows
7. Doberman Pinschers
8. Akitas
9. Wolf-Hydribs
10. Mastiffs
11. Can Corsos
12. Great Danes
13. Alaskan Malamutes
14. Siberian Huskies 

If you or someone you know has been seriously injured by a dog call the experienced Dog Bite attorneys at Buttafuoco & Associates 1-800-669-4878.

Is it a concussion? Learn how to determine the severity of your Brain Injury...

Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) is the leading cause of disability and death among those ages 1-44.  While the severity of TBIs varies from mild to moderate to severe, every victim of TBI should be evaluated by a physician.

The most common type of TBI is a concussion.  The most common symptoms of concussion are attention and memory problems, headaches, and fatigue.  Other symptoms include dizziness, vomiting/nausea, and trouble balancing.

To find out if a patient has a concussion, a doctor will ask about these symptoms and evaluate the patient's alertness, attention, speech, memory, and reaction time.  A CT Scan or MRI may also be ordered.

In most cases, the prescription is rest, both physical and cognitive.  Generally, recovery times vary from a few days to a few months.