A 15-year-old child is walking to school. She is crossing the street in a crosswalk when she’s struck by a car. The driver was obviously careless — he failed to see children gathering for school and failed to see our 15-year-old in a crosswalk. The driver was also irresponsible — he carried a low-end $15,000 insurance policy — the cheapest insurance legally allowable in California.
Mom didn’t know what to do — the medical bills would eat up every penny of the $15,000. She called an attorney-friend who then asked if I could help. I explained to the mom that although her daughter is too young to drive, although her daughter was a pedestrian and not riding in a vehicle, and although neither mom nor daughter is at-fault, that mom’s $100,000 automobile insurance policy would provide coverage.
RESULT: $100,000 ($15,000 plus $85,000).
