People often have several different types of insurance. These may include health insurance, life insurance, property insurance, and liability insurance on motor vehicles. This means that when you pay your premium, your insurance company has various legal obligations to you. In the case of motor vehicle accident insurance, your insurance company has a responsibility and duty to ensure that you are not destroyed financially if you are in an accident. Your Pocatello bad faith insurance attorneys at Racine Olson in Pocatello, Boise, Twin Falls, and Idaho Falls can help you avoid disaster if your insurance company puts you and your assets at risk.
Bad Faith Insurance ActivitiesLet’s assume for a moment that you are in your vehicle and accidentally pull out in front of another car. The accident is severe and the injuries traumatic. Let’s further assume that the police come to the scene of the accident and determine that you are, in fact, at fault. The injured parties then make a demand on your insurance company for the policy limits of your liability insurance. For the sake of this example we will assume that you have $100,000 limit, but that the medical bills for the claimants total $250,000. When the injured party makes their claim, they demand the policy limits of $100,000. It is, of course, in your best interest that your insurance company immediately pays the $100,000 to the injured party. If this is not done, then the injured party can bring a lawsuit and seek damages which are far more than the $100,000. This puts your personal assets at risk.
The Supreme Court of Idaho has stated that where an insurance company fails to communicate with its insured, fails to inform the insured of any compromise offers by the injured party, and either negligently or intentionally delays paying the insurance claim to the insured, the tort of bad faith can be brought against the insurance company for the failure to protect the insured party. McKinley v. Guarantee National Insurance Company, 144 Idaho 247, 159 P.3d 884 (2007). Simply put, if your insurance company fails to protect you the way it should, you have a mechanism under Idaho Law to protect you and your assets.
The insurance bad faith attorneys at Racine Olson in Pocatello understand what needs to be shown to the court and a jury in order to protect your assets in case of an unfortunate accident. We will stand by you regardless of where you are. Whether you are in Boise, Twin Falls, Pocatello, or Idaho Falls.
Don’t be Intimidated by Your Insurance CompanyIt is easy to be intimidated by an insurance company. People pay their premiums, but then they get a form letter that simply states that their claim is not being covered or that the insurance company failed to defend you properly in the case. Cases are often complicated. Insurance companies are large; it seems an unending search to find the right person to talk to, and then you can never get that same person on the phone again. What you need to know is that in court, everyone is treated equally. It doesn’t matter how many attorneys the insurance company has, only one can stand up at a time. Furthermore, we’ll be there with you.
The insurance bad faith attorneys at Racine Olson in Pocatello understand these claims and know how to help you with them. We’ll be happy to help you with any problem that you have encountered. Problem solved.