Simply put, liability insurance protects against the risk of being sued. If you are ever held responsible (or liable) for damages, negligence, or the like, liability insurance can help.
The good news—liability insurance coverage is a part of almost all standard (auto, home, business, etc.) policies.
The bad news—most standard insurance policies do not have enough liability insurance coverage. What’s worse is most people carry low liability insurance coverage to try and save money. This is a bad idea. Here are a few examples of real-life scenarios some people have found themselves in. In these cases, having adequate liability insurance would come in handy. Some were sued because:
- Their dog bit someone. The total of the lawsuit was $5.3 million.
- They said something negative about someone online. The lawsuit was for $11.3 million.
- They were at-fault in a car accident. Total lawsuit damages were $49 million.
Most people don’t have that kind of money. As a result, on the wrong end of a lawsuit, it can mean financial ruin. Liability insurance helps protect against this.
You don’t own a dog, don’t drive a car, and never say anything about anyone on the internet. That means you aren’t at risk of getting sued, right? Wrong. Sadly, lawsuits happen far too often in our country and the list of things people can be sued for increases daily. And lawyers know it. Over 80% of the world’s attorneys practice law in the United States. Not driving or refraining from social media does not remove your risk, it only limits it. The reality is, one in 12 Americans are sued at least once in their lifetime.
To protect your finances, get insurance that protects against the risk of being sued. Call your insurance agent and:
- Ensure all your insurance policies have the maximum liability limits.
- Buy an umbrella policy for added liability coverage.
- If you already have an umbrella policy, increase the coverage.
Liability insurance is inexpensive. You can get millions of dollars in liability coverage for just a few hundred bucks a year.
Schedule an appointment with our insurance agent, Brandon Ream. He would be happy to help you review your liability coverage and discuss how you can properly protect yourself from being sued.
