Unfortunately car accidents happen. At some point most of us at some point will have the misfortune of experiencing a car accident. The majority of people will have more than one. Regardless if the accident was your fault, or the fault of the other driver, you want to make sure you are properly insured. But how much car insurance should you buy?

Bodily Injury Insurance

Massachusetts law requires you to have at least $20,000/$40,000 in liability insurance that will cover any personal injuries you negligently cause to someone in a motor vehicle accident. This applies to car accidents, as well as if you strike a bicyclist, or pedestrian. For example, if someone negligently causes you to be injured in an auto accident, you would be entitled to file a claim for bodily injuries against that person’s auto insurance policy. However, in order to pursue a bodily injury claim for pain and suffering, you need to have at least $ 2000 in medical bills. This is called the tort threshold. If you sustain a broken bone in a car wreck, and have less than $ 2000 in medical bills from the accident, then you can still file a claim for bodily injury coverage.

I would suggest purchasing at least $250,000/$500,000 in bodily injury insurance. That way, if you seriously injure someone, you will likely have enough insurance. However, if you can afford it, I would suggest purchasing as much insurance as you can reasonably afford.

Uninsured/Underinsured Motorist Coverage

As with bodily injury coverage, Massachusetts law requires all motor vehicle owners to purchase uninsured coverage of at least $20,000/$40,000. This coverage is triggered if you are involved in a hit and run, or if the other driver does not have insurance. Like with bodily injury coverage, I would suggest purchasing at least $ 250,000/$500,000 in this coverage.

Underinsured motorist coverage on the other hand is not required, but this is critical insurance to have. This insurance is triggered in the event the person who hits you does not have enough bodily injury coverage on their own policy. This insurance is generally looked to when the injuries are very serious and the bodily injury coverage is too limited. This is a claim made with you own insurance company.  In this situation, you may collect underinsured benefits to the extent they exceed the limits of the at-fault driver’s bodily injury coverage.
For example, let’s say you are injured in a car accident and you sustained a broken wrist. The other driver is clearly at fault for causing the accident. However, the other driver only has the state-required $ 20,000 in bodily injury coverage. If you have $100,00 in underinsured coverage, the most you can receive in underinsured coverage would be $ 80,000.

Boston Car Accident Attorney

Whatever type of motor vehicle accident case you have, if you sustained injuries, it is best to have representation on your side. Contact us if we can help you with your case.