Tuesday, July 2, 2013

Are My Pets Covered By My Insurance In A Car Accident?

By Leigh Jackson


When I get in a car accident and my pets are riding with me, if they get hurt will my auto insurance cover their injuries? Or, will my insurance company be responsible for my pets injuries, or will the other drivers? If you are a pet lover, you need to know how to deal with pet injuries in the event of an auto accident.

If another driver is at fault, then, yes, typically their property damage liability coverage will pay for damages done to your pet -- if the car owner's liability limits are high enough to cover both the damage to your vehicle and pet.

When pets are injured in a car accident, they are covered under property insurance for their medical expenses. When you are injured in a car accident, you are covered under personal or bodily injury liability coverage. These are different coverages because pets are considered your property, not a part of your person.

There is a chance that the damages to your car and property would be so extreme that the other drivers coverage would be maxed out and you would not be able to collect the extra money to help pay for your pets medical expenses. When this happens, there is no recourse to help you deal with those expenses, no extra insurance that the other driver has or has to be responsible for.

If you're the driver at fault, then your property damage liability insurance coverage would not cover your vehicle or your own damaged property, such as an injured pet. You could file a claim for your car's damages under your collision coverage, but there is only one insurer that we currently know of that covers pet injuries under collision coverage.

Most insurance companies on the other hand, do not cover pet damages, this specific expense is not included in your personal injury protection coverage or even in your broader collision coverage when you are the driver at fault in a car wreck.

If you do go with the insurance company that includes coverage for your pets and their injuries, you will find that they have a $1000 coverage limit which helps with pet medical expenses and does not cost anything to add to your collision coverage.

Right now pet coverage only covers cats and dogs, the most common types of pets, and not pigs, ferrets or other exotic pets. To make a claim for your pet's injuries, the pet must have been injured inside the vehicle during an auto accident.




About the Author:



No comments:

Post a Comment