Every driver in Georgia needs to prove financial responsibility by carrying certain amounts of car insurance. These requirements exist to help cover others’ injuries and damage if you cause a crash.
Georgia law requires every driver to have at least $25,000 in bodily injury liability per person and $50,000 per accident. There is also a $25,000 minimum for property damage liability per incident. This helps injured drivers recover compensation for their losses, like medical expenses and lost wages. However, the reality is that these minimum amounts often don’t cover a person’s full losses.
Optional Insurance Coverage in Georgia
You can go beyond state minimums with optional coverages. These additional options provide greater protection for you, your passengers, and even your vehicle itself.
Physical Damage Insurance
Physical damage coverage helps pay to fix or replace your vehicle if it is in a crash or suffers something unexpected.
- Comprehensive insurance pays for losses from theft, vandalism, fire, and weather – anything not resulting from a collision.
- Collision insurance covers repairs when your vehicle is damaged by hitting something, such as another car or a road hazard.
Physical damage policies are not required in Georgia, but if you lease or finance your car, your lender will usually require both comprehensive and collision insurance.
Uninsured Motorist Insurance
Not all drivers follow insurance laws. Uninsured motorist coverage helps if you’re in an accident with someone who does not have insurance or doesn’t carry enough to cover your losses. This type of insurance pays for your damage and medical bills when another driver’s policy is not enough.
How Insurance Minimums Affect Car Accident Claims
Insurance minimums in Georgia shape how much money is available to cover losses when a car accident happens. If someone only carries the minimum required coverage, their insurance will pay up to $25,000 for a single person’s injuries and $50,000 total for everyone hurt in one crash. Property damage will be covered up to $25,000 per incident.
Any damages above those limits become the driver’s personal responsibility. This can leave accident victims struggling to cover lost wages, medical care, or repair costs if expenses go higher than the insurance will pay.
Other Ways to Obtain Compensation For Your Losses
If the driver who caused your accident only has the minimum required insurance, you might find that their coverage doesn’t pay for everything you need. Medical bills, lost wages, car repairs, or even long-term care can quickly go beyond insurance limits. When this happens, you have other options to pursue the support you deserve – one of the main ways is through a personal injury lawsuit.
A personal injury lawsuit lets you seek additional compensation directly from the at-fault driver rather than relying only on their insurance coverage. You can work with a lawyer who will file a lawsuit against them to prove the driver’s responsibility for your injuries and outline the full impact the accident has had on your life.
This can include the costs of continuing treatment, physical pain and suffering, emotional distress, missed time at work, and lost future income as well. Going through a lawsuit adds another path for you to recover your losses when insurance falls short.
If you’ve been involved in an accident and are worried that the other driver doesn’t have enough insurance coverage to cover your losses, it’s a good idea to seek legal help as soon as possible. Contact our team today to schedule a free consultation with our Alpharetta car accident lawyer.