Practice Areas

Pennsylvania Auto Insurance Law

Auto Insurance Requirements in Pennsylvania:

Have you identified all auto insurance benefits you are entitled to?
Pennsylvania auto insurance law requires only minimal coverage – an amount that often will not compensate the insured person adequately for their loss following a car wreck or collision with a truck. However, several sources of benefits may be available for a single accident.

If you would like to discuss possible sources of compensation for injuries suffered in an auto accident, contact my office in Pittsburgh and make arrangements for a free consultation. It is always important to seek legal counsel before talking with the insurance company or signing a settlement offer.

Is your insurance coverage adequate?
Few drivers fully understand the options outlined in Pennsylvania auto insurance law. You need to choose a tort option, the amounts of three types of mandatory coverage, and whether to purchase optional coverage.

Do you want full tort or limited tort?
Limited tort insurance limits your right to claims against your insurer to cases involving “serious injuries.” Courts have actually ruled that having a jaw wired shut for three months or undergoing back surgery did not significantly impact a person’s life and so the injury was not “serious.”

I suggest my clients purchase full tort insurance. If you were injured and an insurance company is denying your claim for a serious injury because of your limited tort policy, contact my Pittsburgh law office to arrange for a case evaluation.

Should you purchase minimum coverage or more coverage?
You are required to carry coverage of $15,ooo per person and $30,ooo per occurrence to pay for injuries of other people if you are at fault; I recommend at least double those amounts, to protect you from lawsuits.

You are required to carry $5000 in coverage for your family’s medical expenses; I recommend twice that amount.

You may also want to purchase uninsured motorist and underinsured motorist coverage. This protects you and your family members from drivers who do not have any insurance and drivers who do not have enough insurance. If you have several vehicles insured in your household, “stacking” is an economical way to increase your benefit ceiling, by combining the benefits from several automobiles to cover one accident.

Jim Belliveau, Pittsburgh personal injury attorney, serves clients in Erie, Butler, Cranberry Township, Monroeville, Mars, Altoona, Johnstown, Waynesburg, Indiana, Meadville, and throughout Allegheny County, Indiana County, and western Pennsylvania with claims under the confusing Pennsylvania auto insurance law.

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