Insurance companies play a crucial role in ensuring that Maryland car victims are not left destitute after a disastrous accident. Although insurance companies boast the benefits of their policies, their interests lie in preserving their financial standing. As such, many insurance companies engage in bad faith practices to avoid paying out rightful claims to policyholders. When this occurs, injury victims should contact an attorney to discuss their rights and remedies.
Many car insurance disputes stem from an insurance company’s wrongful denial or failure to adequately settle a claim. Car insurance companies may offer several types of coverage to policyholders. This includes bodily injury protection, property damage liability coverage, uninsured motorist bodily injury coverage, uninsured motorist property damage coverage, and personal injury protection. Before purchasing vehicle insurance, consumers should consult with multiple insurance companies, ask for price quotes, and ask about deductibles and discounts. However, most importantly, motorists should review their policy and fully understand the terms before purchasing the policy.
What Is an Insurance Dispute?
Insurance disputes often arise because of an unclear or ambiguous term in the policy. This can present injury victims and their loved ones with significant issues while trying to medically and financially heal from an accident. Generally ambiguous terms are liberally construed against an insurer. However, the result of this analysis may still lead to unfavorable results for a plaintiff. For example, a court recently issued an opinion in a case stemming from a dispute between the family of a woman killed in a car accident and an insurance company. The woman died from injuries in a car accident with an employee driving a vehicle for a not-for-profit corporation.
An insurance company provided personal vehicle insurance coverage to the employee for bodily injury. After that company paid-outs its policy limit, the victim’s estate obtained an additional judgment against the corporation. The corporation had an additional corporate insurance policy, and the plaintiff sought coverage through that policy. The corporate insurance company denied coverage, citing a term in their policy. The term allowed the corporate insurance company to avoid liability if another policy was available and afforded “same or similar coverage.” The parties contested whether both insurance companies provided “same or similar coverage”. The court construed “similar coverage” to mean that which refers to similar risk types. They reasoned that both of the policies would provide the not-for-profit with similar coverage for this accident. Ultimately, they affirmed the trial court’s ruling in favor of the insurance company.
Have You Been Involved in a Maryland Car Accident?
If you or someone you love has suffered injuries or died in a Maryland car accident, contact Lebowitz & Mzhen for assistance. Our attorneys have extensive experience successfully representing Maryland injury victims in their claims against at-fault motorists and adversarial insurance companies. We handle accident cases stemming from car, truck, motorcycle accidents, premises liability, product liability, and medical malpractice. Through our zealous representation, our clients have recovered significant amounts of compensation for their injuries and damages. Contact our office at 800-654-1949 to schedule a free initial consultation with an attorney on our legal team.