Several pedestrians were struck by a car in a Galveston cruise terminal on the morning of Saturday, December 2nd. According to the Port of Galveston Police Department, the incident occurred at Cruise Terminal 28, 2702 Harborside Drive. The family had just debarked from their 6-day cruise on the Carnival Dream ship when a driver ran through the terminal gate and struck four of the six family members. The driver had accelerated through a metal fence blocking off the terminal after trying to reverse his vehicle. All four pedestrians injured in the auto-pedestrian accident were taken to the University of Texas Medical Branch Hospital for observation following the accident.
This accident demonstrates the need for the right car insurance coverage as medical bills for the pedestrians involved may rack up a large fee. If the driver’s car insurance does not cover the full cost of the pedestrians’ medical fees, they may have to turn to their own car insurance to cover the rest of the bill.
Driving at Cruise Terminals
Driving at Cruise TerminalsBetween the foot traffic and cars coming through, cruise terminals can be a chaotic place to navigate. While there are many safety measures in place to keep vehicles away from pedestrians trying to board or debark from their cruise, it is very easy for a vehicle to take a wrong turn and end up somewhere it shouldn’t be. In this instance, the driver ended up at a metal fence that was meant to protect the people getting to and leaving from their cruise. Although the driver meant to put his car in reverse, he ended up accelerating through the gate and hitting four people, sending them to the hospital. While injuries aboard a cruise ship are fairly common due to a variety of issues that arise when a thousand inexperienced sea passengers board a cruise ship,
Car Insurance Requirements in Texas
As written in by the Texas Department of Insurance, every driver is required to have a minimum of $30,000 of liability insurance coverage for injuries per person and a total of $60,000 per accident, and $25,000 in property damage coverage. This coverage is meant to pay for the damage to another person’s car and their as well as their passenger’s medical bills. However, this minimum coverage becomes an issue if you get into a wreck involving multiple cars or multiple people. In the state of Texas, this coverage applies when someone strikes another vehicle or strikes pedestrians outside of their vehicle. In this instance, if the driver involved only has the minimum coverage requirements, he only has $60,000 to spread across four people’s medical bills.
What happens if the Driver only has the Minimum Coverage?
If the driver only has the minimum coverage requirement in Texas, they only have $60,000 to spread across all people injured. So, if two of the injured pedestrians come to the driver seeking $30,000 each for their medical bills, he would have used up all of his coverage. This would leave the other two pedestrians with nothing. Often, it is a footrace to get the insurance benefits when many people are injured in a single auto accident. If this were to occur, they could file under underinsured insurance coverage–if they have it.
What is Uninsured and Underinsured Insurance Coverage?
In the instance that the driver responsible for the accident has no insurance or not enough coverage, you can turn to uninsured/ underinsured motorist coverage. In Texas, the two are usually sold as one policy. Just as it sounds, uninsured coverage is meant to pay in instances where the at-fault driver does not have insurance, and underinsured coverage is meant to pay when the at-fault driver has insurance but does not have enough to cover your damages. It is a smart thing to carry uninsured/underinsured motorist coverage because many drivers in Texas only carry the minimum amount that they are required to carry in coverage.
When Should I Seek a UM/UIM Attorney?
It is important to have the uninsured/underinsured motor coverage policy because if you are struck by a driver who has no insurance coverage or not enough insurance coverage to take care of your medical bills, this policy will help you pay off the remainder of your medical fees. You don’t want to be stuck paying out of pocket for expensive doctor’s fees because another driver didn’t have anything to give you. However, just because you have the coverage does not mean they will not fight you over your injury claim. The reality is, that your own UIM/UM coverage does not want to pay you any more than they can get away without paying. When you have substantial injuries, you are entitled to be compensated for your pain, suffering, lost wages, disfigurement, past medical bills, and future medical bills anticipated. If your underinsured motorist insurance adjuster is not treating you fairly, call an underinsured motorist insurance lawyer to fight for your rights.
If you believe you have been in an accident where the responsible driver did not have any or enough coverage and you want help making sure you have looked at all possible avenues of recovery for your damages, talk to a Galveston car accident lawyer who knows how to deal with uninsured/underinsured motor accidents. Simmons and Fletcher, P.C. have been handling cases of uninsured/underinsured car accidents since 1979.
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