I read the opinion piece printed in the November 27th edition of the Santa Monica Daily Press. The piece was written by the former wife of a recent bike accident victim who was rear-ended by a car on Pico Blvd and the author made some very good points. The piece caught my attention for two reasons: (1) my law firm happens to represent the injured bicyclist and (2) is everyone seeing what I’m seeing — an uptick in bicycle accidents in Santa Monica?
I want to point out something not mentioned in the story: the driver who rear-ended the bicyclist was uninsured. My client, who suffered very serious injuries, was fortunate to have uninsured motorist coverage on his own auto insurance policy. Had he not had this coverage, he would have no recourse for his injuries.
The important takeaway for everyone out there: I recommend that you have uninsured motorist (“UM”) coverage on your auto insurance policy. I recommend UM coverage of at least $100,000 per person/$300,000 per accident. I implore you: stop what you’re doing. Go check your auto insurance coverages right now, before you forget. And check the coverages of your parents, your children, your siblings — anyone you care about. If you don’t have this coverage, call your insurance carrier right now and get it.
Why is uninsured motorist coverage so critically important? Because most accidents are caused by drivers who have no auto insurance, not enough auto insurance, or involve hit-and-run accidents in which the other party is never identified. Having uninsured motorist coverage is the only way to protect yourself. Most people don’t realize that uninsured motorist coverage applies not to just car v. car accidents, but also to bike accidents. As long as a motor vehicle was involved in the accident, whether you were a bicyclist, pedestrian, or driving a car, your UM coverage may apply.
My second piece of advice for bicyclists out there: wear a helmet. My client, thank goodness, was wearing a helmet. It cracked on impact and he sustained a brain injury. But his brain injury would have been much worse had he not been wearing a helmet.
Catherine Lerer, McGee, Lerer & Associates
