Visitor Question

Passenger Injured When Driver Hit a Tree…

Submitted By: Josh (Mcleod, TX, USA)

On Friday January 13, 2012, I was riding with a buddy of mine in his car. Just he and I were in the car and no other cars were involved in the accident. My buddy went into a curve and lost control, hit the ditch and then a pine tree head on.

We both were hurt, but my buddy (the driver) was injured very badly. He broke a lot of bones and isn’t expected to walk again for a year. He was not wearing his seat belt. I on the other hand had my seat belt on, but managed to bump my head and was knocked unconscious for roughly 10 minutes.

I woke up outside of the car in the ditch. I don’t know if I was thrown from the vehicle or pulled out by someone, I had my seat belt on but no one recalls pulling me out of the car. My knee was busted open and was bleeding everywhere. The worst pain of all was the burning/pinching pain in my lower back, which I found out was a torn lower back muscle.

My medical bills have reached just over $6K so far, including CT and Full body scans, shots, stitches, prescription medications and the ambulance ride. I’m almost fully healed now and can get around. My shoulders are still sore and my knee gives me problems (and probably will for the rest of my life I’m told). But it’s nothing compared to my buddy who’s cleared over 100k in med bills, and his costs will continue to climb.

Okay, here’s the thing… this is my best friend. I know relationships and business should be kept separate, and I think he understands that. He has liability insurance but it is “Limited/Minimum” or something like that. I have sought counsel and was told that because his insurance is Limited/Minimum I’ll receive hardly anything at all, even though I was the passenger.

That just doesn’t seem right to me. I’ve read that most Minimum coverages are around 10 to 15k, average around 30k, and there is a separate amount for passengers.

If my medical bills are just over 6k, why would I be told that nothing will come of it?

I cannot afford these bills myself nor can I seek help from my own insurance because I don’t have any. I don’t have a vehicle to cover and I’ve been unemployed for a while now. I’m not unable to work but still laid off and very stressed over the situation. I walk with a slight limp now and I’m not sure if potential employers will frown on that or not.

I believe being passenger I should be compensated for my injuries and bills. At this point in my life I’d be lying if I said I’m not a money hungry person, because we all are. But I am not a thief trying to take advantage of the situation. I’d be happy if my medical bills were paid and I received a little extra for all the trouble I’ve been through.

I’ve read also that theoretically a good settlement offer should be at least 3x the amount of the medical bills. So I’m not sure or why I’m being lowballed and being told I may not receive anything.

Any thoughts? Thanks for any info you can give.

Disclaimer: Our response is not formal legal advice and does not create an attorney-client relationship. It is generic legal information based on the very limited information provided. Do not rely upon the information in our response, or anywhere else on this site, when deciding the proper course of a legal matter. Always get a personalized case review from a local attorney.

Answer

Dear Josh,

Unfortunately, in the State of Texas the minimum insurance liability limits are 30/60/25. That’s $30,000 in liability insurance for the first, or only injured person, $60,000 in liability insurance for more than one injured party, and $25,000 for property damage.

That means for more than one injured person the maximum amount of liability insurance available is $60,000 dollars. Unfortunately that is the amount which will apply to you.

If, as you say, your friend had the state minimum liability insurance the amount of insurance available is $60,000 dollars, and no more. As a result, you are constrained to that amount unless you want to consider another avenue.

That avenue will be the one which will move you past the $60,000 dollars. It will involve pursuing a legal action against your good friend. As difficult as that might be it may be your only alternative, especially as there weren’t any other vehicles involved in the collision.

Whether you want to sue him personally or not will be entirely up to you.

Learn more here: Texas Car Accident Guide

The above is general information. Laws change frequently, and across jurisdictions. You should get a personalized case evaluation from a licensed attorney.

Find a local attorney to give you a free case review here, or call 888-972-0892.

We wish you the best with your claim,

Published:

One comment on “Passenger Injured When Driver Hit a Tree…

  1. Josh says:

    60k is way over what I’m asking/expecting for the insurance. My debt for medical bills isn’t over 7k. I’m only asking for around 10k in compensation to pay off my debt and a little for the time away from work.

    Is that not reasonable even by the insurance companies? Being that there was coverage, and I was an innocent passenger, why am I to receive nothing?

Leave a Comment

Don’t ask a personal injury question here – comments are not reviewed by an attorney. Ask your question on this page. Required fields are marked *