LAST EDITED ON 05-03-13 AT 04:27 PM (EST)

I believer Michigan is the last no-fault state in the Union, which means we pay the highest rates in the US, that has an unlimited medical benefit for life but the Legislature is moving quickly to end that and put a $1 million cap on it.

Quick overview of MI no-fault: MI no-fault

One of the many things people for state is if 49 other states don't have this who can they be all wrong?

It's been stated that NY is the next closest at $50k so I'm wondering what happens when someone in your state has a catastrophic accident and needs care for the rest of their life?

I have a renter now who was T-bones 3 yrs ago and he finally came home after two years in the hospital and rehab place. It's not much of a life as he is mainly bedridden and has two or one full time nurses with him. It took a year to get his lost wages from the insurance company thus they were foreclosed on and why they are renting.

With No-fault you don't have lawsuits either (mini-torts up to $1000) which seems to be all that I'm finding when I search is lawyers to help sue. What happens if the person who hit you don't have anything to sue for? What about lost wages and permanent disabilities? What are your rates and can you buy extra protection if you want?

Thanks.

sig Syren, bouncy by IceCat, bobble head by Tribephyl, and snoglobe by agman

• RE: Auto insurance and catastrophic accidents,kingfish, 09:32 AM, 05-06-13
  • RE: Auto insurance and catastrophic accidents,HobbsofMI, 11:36 AM, 05-06-13
• RE: Auto insurance and catastrophic accidents,cqvenus, 08:13 AM, 05-08-13
  • RE: Auto insurance and catastrophic accidents,kingfish, 08:38 AM, 05-08-13
  • RE: Auto insurance and catastrophic accidents,HobbsofMI, 10:48 AM, 05-09-13

LAST EDITED ON 05-06-13 AT 09:32 AM (EST)

No strong feelings one way or the other in regard to no-fault insurance (automobile I presume) thru shear ignorance.

Why did it take so long for the insurance company to pay off? Are all civil lawsuits avoided? Why does no fault insurance cost more?

LAST EDITED ON 05-06-13 AT 11:36 AM (EST)

With no-fault there are basically no suits thus why we were to save money but in the end we ended up with the highest rates in the US "due to" medical cost.

Talking to the renter the insurance company didn't want to pay and wanted more W-2's, tips, etc. data before they would pay. It was only after filing a law suit that they ponied up.

I'm more interested in how other states handle catastrophic accident victims.

sig Syren, bouncy by IceCat, bobble head by Tribephyl, and snoglobe by agman

judging from the barrage of daytime TV advertisements, in NY you call a lawyer. when i lived in WNY (buffalo, rochester), one attorney's slogan was "hurt in a car? call william mattar!"

as for expense of insurance rates, my understanding is that NJ is the highest in the country. which makes sense to me bc they are the worst drivers. if we were including canadians, though, les quebecois are the absolute worst. but anyway... back to your question.

here, if the person doesn't have anything you can get from suing them, you still sue them, and they're personally (civilly) responsible. so you may never get any money, but they owe it to you and if they ever do get anything, it's yours.

we are able to purchase additional insurance here beyond our liability requirements. for example, i am not sure about the exact amounts, but i think liability covers like $25,000 for injury or damage to property. but, my insurance agent friend pointed out, what if you hit a mercedes? or a house? 25K is not going to cut it. so i have upped mine to 100K/300K just in case. it doesn't cost that much more per month, and this way i feel safer that my insurance will cover before they start taking away my meager assets. (right now i own two cars with a combined value of less than $5,000. that's about it. but that's not the point! what if i win the lottery tomorrow?)

sorry, i'm sure this post wasn't helpful to you very much. but if it makes you feel better, it was very helpful to me. gave me more time to drink my coffee before doing schoolwork.

cq

quasi unrelated facts: i visited MI in 2010. i really and truly hated it. sorry.