What Is Tort Law?

 

October 17, 2007 by · Leave a Comment
Filed under: Insurance Laws 

Reader question:

What is tort law?

Abram

Thank you for asking, Abram.

Tort is related to lawsuits in the legal system, and when it comes to cheap California car insurance there are two different levels of tort that you can subscribe to. If you choose one level, you will get cheap California car insurance rates, and if you choose the higher level, then you will have to pay a little more.

The difference between the two choices is defined by when you are allowed to sue after you have gotten into a car accident which was not your fault.

  • Full tort.

Cheap California car insurance will be a little more difficult to get with the full tort option. This option allows you allows you to sue for pain and suffering after you are injured in an accident which is the fault of the other driver. This option is the one that I would suggest, because if you don’t choose it, and you should end up with some very bad injury with no recourse, then the other driver’s car insurance often won’t take care of things such as wage loss or other types of pain and suffering.

  • Limited tort.

This is the cheap California car insurance tort, but it might cost you more in the long run. Not in premium payments, but in losses if you get into a car accident. This option reduces your ability to file a lawsuit to very rare circumstances, such as:

  • If your injury from the collision is permanent
  • If someone dies
  • If you are permanently disfigured
  • If the other driver was DUI
  • If the other driver comes from another state

Whether you choose full or limited tort is obviously your decision, and if you happen to never get into a serious accident, then you’ll probably wish you had gone with limited tort. However, many people get into a bad accident at least once in their lives, so it doesn’t hurt to be prepared.

Cheers,

Fashun Guadarrama.

Types of California Car Insurance – Which is Best?

 

October 17, 2007 by · Leave a Comment
Filed under: California Car Insurance 

There are several types of car insurance that you will need in California, an at-fault, tort car insurance law state. While not all are necessary, in order to abide by California car insurance law, you must have at least the three basic types of liability coverage, which can be bought either at the state minimum or at a number above this. California car insurance law requires you to have a minimum of five thousand dollars of property damage liability for when you get into an at fault accident. It isn’t much, and most California car insurance companies suggest that you get at least fifty thousand to prevent problems with being underinsured.

What is California car insurance property damage liability?

When you get to into a car accident that is caused by your own negligence or intent, most of the time this accident will involve someone else. Unless you get into the accident on your own driveway, your California car insurance company will probably have to pay out a property damage liability claim. What this type of coverage takes care of is the damage done to whatever you hit–be it a house, a mailbox, or even, most commonly, another car entirely. There is a separate type of coverage for injuries to another person.

What property damage California car insurance coverage does not take care of is any damage inflicted on your vehicle, even if you crash your vehicle into some part of your own property, such as another vehicle of yours. If this happens, you will have to depend on collision car insurance.