Bodily Injury - A Minefield
Bodily injury liability coverage is an element of many different
types of insurance policies (auto, homeowner's and business
insurance) and is meant to protect an individual should physical
harm come to him or her through the action or inaction of
another. Liability for physical harm or death of a person caused
by negligent or intentional acts or omissions of an insured. It
includes sickness or disease contracted by the injured person as
a result of an injury.
Auto Insurance and Bodily Injury Coverage
There are generally six parts to an all-inclusive auto insurance
policy: personal property liability, personal injury protection
(PIP), uninsured motorist coverage, comprehensive coverage,
collision and bodily injury liability. Personal property
liability covers the policyholder against property damage he or
she causes in the event of an accident; PIP covers the
policyholder and his or her passengers in case of injury;
uninsured motorist coverage protects the driver in the event
that he or she is involved in an accident with another driver
who is uninsured; comprehensive coverage protects the car owner
against theft and natural disasters; and, collision coverage
pays for repairs to the policyholder's vehicle should it be
involved in accident. The bodily injury portion of the coverage
is designed to protect the policyholder in the event that he or
she causes physical injury to another person while operating a
vehicle.
Every U.S. state requires that drivers in their jurisdictions
include a set minimum amount of bodily injury coverage as part
of the auto insurance policy. These state-mandated limits,
however, are generally not enough to cover a very serious
accident and most insurance experts suggest purchasing more than
the legal minimum. In the event of a serious bodily injury claim
and subsequent lawsuit, a policyholder could be in jeopardy of
losing his or her home and property. Those who have substantial
assets to protect might also want to consider purchasing an
umbrella policy that provides supplemental coverage to the
existing ones.
Homeowner's Insurance and Bodily Injury Coverage
One of the most nightmarish scenarios any homeowner can imagine
is one in which a visitor to the home is seriously injured in
some way. Friendships and family ties have been broken over such
circumstances and finances have been left in ruin. Every
responsible homeowner should review his or her existing
homeowner's policy and determine what sorts of accidents or
injuries are the responsibilities of the homeowner and which are
not.
All homeowner's policies offer some sort of bodily injury
liability coverage for both visitors and residents. This
coverage protects against just about every possible circumstance
that could lead to physical injury in the home and includes
injuries caused by the homeowner and anyone residing within the
home. Any injuries caused by household pets are also covered.
There are some situations, however, in which bodily injury that
occurs on a homeowner's premises is not covered by the
homeowner's insurance policy. If the homeowner runs a business
from the home and the injury sustained relates to the business
in any way, there is no coverage. If the injury occurs in a
rented property, then the homeowner's insurance will not cover
it