A few years ago, I almost lost my Aunt and Uncle in a horrible car accident. I talk to clients all of the time about the importance of carrying the proper liability limits, and how important umbrella policies are. I make sure I talk to ANYONE that has a Motorhome about liability.
I get excuses all of the time from people who own motorhomes. “We don’t drive it that much”. “It is old and not worth that much”. “We don’t usually take it very far”. None of that matters. It is a house on wheels that can go 70 miles per hour. Do you know what happens when that hits an object? Do you know what happens when that hits the car at the end of a traffic jam going 70 MPH? My Aunt and Uncle do. I asked my Uncle Don to write a little about their experience. Following is an account of what happened:
Here’s what happened. One lovely Sunday afternoon, we were returning home, driving on a major Interstate highway. It was a very busy day, and traffic was unusually heavy. Up ahead, traffic came to a total halt, and we were at the back of the line. The next thing I remembered was being in an ambulance heading for a local hospital. I had no idea where my wife was. I came to find out that she was on a Flight For Life helicopter to the closest trauma hospital. My wife suffered a fractured C2 vertebrae as well as many somewhat less serious injuries. She was in the hospital for 30 days, in a halo for 3 months, and spent the next several years making a miraculous recovery. I, on the other hand, suffered only a concussion and a nasty cut over my eye. We had just been hit by an RV which was later estimated to be going at least 70 MPH, while we were at a total stop. As things turned out, the person who ran in to us had the absolute minimum amount of insurance coverage. That fact made it extremely difficult for us to receive compensation over the ensuing several years. Our automobile insurance policy afforded us adequate coverage for most of our massive medical expenses. And, fortunately, we did have underinsured/uninsured coverage. Ultimately, we were able to cover the many tens of thousands of dollars of non-reimbursible medical expenses. The bottom line is that having the correct insurance in force made all the difference in the world.
I am so thankful and grateful that they survived. They are some of the strongest people that I know and this event changed their lives.
The person driving that motorhome, their life changed too. When you carry minimum liability insurance, and cause an accident where the costs supersedes $1,000,000, your life will change. It is your responsibility to pay for those damages. If you run out of insurance, you will have lawyers asking you how you are going to pay.
Read about Umbrella policies here- You don’t have to be a Millionaire to be sued like one.
Again, an umbrella policy that offers an extra $1,000,000 worth of liability can run about $15-$20 a month, and to go from minimum liability coverage to the highest available, can run $5 month per vehicle. I’ll bet it would’ve raised the insurance on that motorhome, $30 a year.
If you have a motorhome, call your agent. If you know someone who owns a motorhome, please share this with them and encourage them to do the same.
Or you can call me. My Website
