Bill’s Saturday drive to the mall
Bill was doing what any parent in South Louisiana does on a weekend: giving his daughter and her friends a ride to the shopping mall.
The weather turned bad fast — one of those sudden downpours where water sheets across the road. Bill wasn’t speeding, but the standing water caused the car to hydroplane. In a split second, he lost control and hit a telephone pole.
Bill and his daughter were in the front seat — shaken up, but okay. In the back seat, his daughter’s friend Emma said her ankle hurt. At the scene it looked like a bad sprain, and everyone was just thankful it wasn’t worse.
When a sprain turns into a $1,000,000 judgment
Weeks later, Emma’s ankle still wasn’t right. She needed surgery.
Her recovery didn’t go as it should, and she needed a second surgery. Emma was on the track team, but she never ran again. She was left walking with a limp.
Emma’s family sued. Between two surgeries, therapy, pain and suffering, and a lifetime of impairment, the judgment against Bill came in at over $1,000,000.
In Louisiana, your home is not protected from a judgment
Bill thought “full coverage” meant he was protected. But once his auto policy paid its liability limit, the rest was on him.
Here’s what most Louisiana families don’t learn until it’s too late: your checking account, your savings and your home are not protected from a judgment. Bill was facing financial ruin over a five-minute drive in the rain.
How a $400 umbrella protects your family
This was preventable with two simple steps:
1. Carry at least $250,000 in auto liability.
2. Add a personal umbrella policy — for as low as $400 a year.
If Bill had this coverage, his auto policy would have paid the first $250,000 and the umbrella would have paid the rest of the judgment, plus his legal defense. Insurance would have paid the judgment — not his checking account.