Many people do not understand the insurance coverages available to them and as a result they frequently do not obtain all of the insurance they need. We will review some of the abbreviations used by insurance companies to eliminate the confusion. “BI” stands for “bodily injury.” Bodily injury coverage provides insurance in the event that you are at fault and cause bodily injury. It is the amount that the insurance company will pay to somebody else for injuries you caused due to your carelessness. Bodily injury coverage is usually written in amounts of “$25,000/$50,000, $50,000/$100,000, or $100,000/$300,000”. These numbers mean that no one person can collect more than the first number ($25,000, $50,000 or $100,000) and no group of people can collect more than the second number $50,000, $100,000, or $300,000. So, the first number indicates the most that any one person can collect. and the second number represents the total amount the entire group of injured people can collect. Occasionally, insurance companies write “single limit” bodily injury coverage. In that circumstance your insurance coverage would be, for instance, $300,000 or $500,000. In that circumstance an individual or a group could collect no more than the “single limit” amount of coverage e.g. $300,000.

Another available automobile insurance is uninsured motorist coverage (“UM”) and underinsured motorist coverage (“UIM”). Let’s take them one at a time. Uninsured motorist coverage is insurance coverage purchased to protect you or a member of your household in the if you are hurt by the carelessness of a totally uninsured driver. An uninsured individual is generally defined not only as somebody who does not have any insurance, but also a hit-and-run driver or somebody that does not hit you but causes a collision by, for example, forcing you off the road.

Underinsured motorist coverage is insurance coverage purchased in the event that somebody has less insurance than you do. For instance, if you had underinsured motorist coverage in the amount of $50,000/$100,000 but the person that caused an accident resulting in injury to you has $25,000/$50,000 insurance coverage, then the wrongdoer’s insurance company would pay you the $20,000 insurance, and your insurance company would be obliged to pay up to another $30,000 (a total of $50,000) in underinsured motorist benefits.

2. How much automobile insurance should I get?

Automobile insurance serves many purposes. One of those purposes is to protect your assets in the event you inadvertently cause an accident and injury to another person. The amount of the insurance that you should purchase is related to the amount that you can afford and the amount of the assets that you want to protect in the event that you cause an accident causing injury to another person. There is another reason to purchase as much insurance as you can possible afford. In the event that you are struck by an uninsured motorist, or somebody that has less insurance than your own, then you would look to the amount of uninsured/underinsured motorist coverage you purchased from your own insurance company to pay you for the injuries to you or a family member injured as a result of the carelessness of a uninsured or underinsured motorist. Therefore, when purchasing automobile insurance it is important to keep in mind that it is the uninsured and underinsured motorist coverage that you purchase that protects you and your family members in the event you are struck by another individual and that individual that has less insurance that your driver. Accordingly, you should take the highest amount of uninsured and underinsured motorist coverage you can possibly afford.

3. What is an umbrella policy?

An umbrella policy is insurance purchased that is in addition to the primary insurance available to you under your automobile or homeowner’s insurance policy. In other words, an umbrella policy covers and insures you in the event you cause a catastrophic injury to others. Umbrella policies usually require a primary insurance of $300,000 or $500,000. The umbrella insurance protects from the $300,000 or $500,000 up to $1,000,000, $2,000,000, or $3,000,000 in total coverage, depending on how much insurance you purchase. Umbrella policies are useful for individuals who have significant assets at risk. Only you can determine if umbrella coverage is desirable for you. Umbrella coverage can be a very valuable protection for those people who need it.

4. What is “Medpay” and Personal Injury Protection (“PIP”) Coverage?

“Medpay” coverage is short for medical payments coverage. Insurance companies that write policies for citizens of the Commonwealth of Virginia, and other jurisdictions, frequently offer medical pay coverage as part of an automobile insurance contract. Medical pay coverage permits an individual to have medical bills paid up to the amount of the coverage, which is frequently $5,000 or $10,000, irrespective of who caused the accident. The benefit of purchasing this coverage is that in the event an automobile collision an individual need not worry whether they have health insurance because, so long as the bills are fair and reasonable and related to the automobile collision, your own automobile insurance company will pay all of your medical bills up to the amount of the coverage purchased.

Personal injury protection “PIP”, available in Maryland the District of Columbia, provides for the payment of medical bills and/or loss of wages up to the amount of the coverage purchased.

Maryland allows the payment of personal injury protection benefits from your own insurance carrier, without any impairment on the ability to sue the individual that was the cause of the collision. The law is very different in the District of Columbia.

One must be very careful in the District of Columbia because if you accept the benefit of personal injury protection coverage, you may not be able to file a lawsuit against the wrongdoer. Determining whether to accept PIP coverage in the District of Columbia requires careful consideration, frequently with the counsel of an attorney experienced in personal injury litigation and, in particular, automobile accident cases, before determining whether to accept those benefits.

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Use the District of Columbia Consumer Protection Act When You Feel You Were Treated Unfairly In Any Consumer Transaction.

April 9th, 2012

The District of Columbia has a very broad and comprehensive statute permitting recovery by consumers for every consumer transaction including leases and other real estate transactions. A consumer is defined as any person who purchases leases or receives consumer goods or services including mortgages or other debts. The goods and services covered by the Consumer Protection Act include “any and all parts of the economic output of society at any stage or related or necessary point in the economic process”. This includes consumer credit, franchises, real estate transactions and consumer services “of all types”. Any time there is any act which does create or would create, alter, repair, furnish, make available, provide information about, directly or indirectly, solicit or offer a consumer good for sale, lease or transfer, there is a potential for using the consumer protection act if you have been treated unfairly.

If you, a family member or someone you love has been treated unfairly please contact the Consumer Fraud attorneys at the law firm of Chaikin, Sherman, Cammarata & Siegel, P.C. for a free consultation.

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The District of Columbia Consumer Protection Act Has A Very Broad Remedial Purpose.

April 2nd, 2012

The District of Columbia Consumer Protection Act is intended to assure that there is a remedy for any and all improper trade practices and deter them from continuing to take place. The District of Columbia seeks to promote effective enforcement of fair business practices throughout the community and to educate consumers to demand high standards and to seek redress of grievances. The District of Columbia law states that it is encouraging its citizens, or individuals who do business in the District of Columbia, to demand high standards, and if they do not get it, to seek a remedy under the District of Columbia Consumer Protection Act. Moreover, the District of Columbia Consumer Protection Act states that it is to be construed “liberally” to promote the purposes of the Act.

For a free consultation about Consumer Fraud please contact the attorneys at the law firm of Chaikin, Sherman, Cammarata & Siegel, P.C.

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Examples of the District of Columbia Consumer Act Violations

March 26th, 2012

The District of Columbia Consumer Protection Act lists 36 examples of violations of the act. The lawyers at the law firm of Chaikin, Sherman, Cammarata, & Siegel, P.C., know and understand the types of transactions that violate the District of Columbia Consumer Protection Act. The District of Columbia Consumer Protection Act lists 36 examples of how one can utilize it and does not depend on whether the consumer was in fact, misled, deceived or damaged. In fact, it is a violation of the District of Columbia Consumer Protection Act “whether or not any consumer is in fact misled, deceived, or damaged”. Therefore if the consumer observes a violation he or she need not have been damaged by it to file a lawsuit and seek relief. Examples of violations of the Consumer Protection Act include representations that goods or services were approved or certified or contain certain ingredients or characteristics that they, in fact, do not have. Additionally, if there is a false representation a product or service has a benefit or is of a certain quantity or may be used for certain purposes, that too would be a violation of the District of Columbia Consumer Protection Act.

If you, a family member, or someone you love has been a victim of Consumer Fraud please contact the Consumer Fraud attorneys at Chaikin, Sherman, Cammarata & Siegel, P.C. for a free consultation.

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Chantix: Suicide Risk Higher Than Expected

March 19th, 2012

A new study has found that Chantix is eight time more likely to result in reports of suicidal behavior or depression compared to nicotine-replacement products.

The findings contradict those of the FDA that found Chantix did not increase the risk of being hospitalized for psychiatric problems such as depression.

The authors of this new study stated that the FDA hospitalization studies were flawed because they could not capture most of the serious psychiatric side effects, including suicide, depression, aggression, and assaults.

Another reason FDA failed to ascertain the magnitude of the problem with Chantix is they omitted suicidal and depression events that did not lead to hospitalization. These can be catastrophic events but do not normally result in hospitalization.

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Warning to Parents if Your Child is on Antidepressant Medications

March 12th, 2012

The Food and Drug Administration, in response to increased suicides in children and adults, that have been prescribed antidepressant drugs require that warnings be issued.

Contact your doctor if your child experiences any of the following while taking antidepressants: