Lizards are uninsured

Here’s a 99% Kelly rule. If you buy your insurance through a large multi-state insurer that uses rodents, insects, lizards, or has-been actors, you are underinsured. True, if you have a full-service insurance agent, you might also be underinsured, but that is most likely your fault. Agents want your business, and underselling you for your needs is bad business. They make more on you by selling you actual things you need, which you agree to. If you under buy, that is on you and I promise you signed something to that effect.

Example from this week in my life: 

“Hey Mr. Burke, can an insurance company just deny my claim?” Sure, it happens every day. 

“But the lady that hit me had a policy! They say they might invalidate it.” Yep, she might have lied to get the policy. 

“But that’s not my fault!” Nope, but it doesn’t mean she didn’t lie, and ultimately, that just makes it a UM claim. 

“What is that?” (I now know I’m speaking with a novice.) A UM claim is an uninsured motorist claim. You have UM coverage, right?

“No.” Who is your insurer? 

“The Lizard company.”

And there you have it. I am not against people buying insurance through some unhelpful conglomerate website. Get your brain imaging done that way when you are feeling dizzy if you want. Matters not to me, there are 8 billion of us and we don’t lose enough people to stupidity as it is. But if you don’t understand car insurance, why do you buy the cheapest product out there? I digress. I’m supposed to be helpful, not sarcastic.

UM coverage is the insurance that covers you when the other bloke doesn’t have, or doesn’t have enough, insurance to pay your claim when you were done wrong.

You drive a new 2024 Cadillac Escalade, $125,000, fully equipped with no financing. Why does that matter? No bank is going to let you be underinsured as to replacement value.

The guy who T-boned you because he ran a Watson red light had insurance, thankfully! But it was $25/50 with $25 property, meaning his insurance only covers $25,000 in medical bills up to $50,000 for the entire vehicle, regardless of how many passengers were hurt. And they only cover up to $25,000 in property damage. If you had Lizard basic insurance and had turned down the uninsured (underinsured) coverage because you thought you’d save $45 a month, you are in a lot of trouble unless you operate a printing press in your basement.

No insurance agent concerned about you or your family would ever let you decline UM coverage. You want to save $8 a month against a $200 tow bill risk. No problem, turn down towing reimbursement. But it is idiotic to turn down UM coverage against the terrific losses that could happen. The Lizard doesn’t care. You should. A caveat: Even the Lizard has agents. It’s online sales that are the problem.

Are there consequences to the uninsured person for hitting you? Yes. But who cares? It’s not going to get your medical bills paid or your car fixed.

Do full-service insurers do dumb stuff? Every day. But having an agent minimizes that. And if you end up needing a lawyer, you won’t be arguing over not having coverage.

Just buy the right insurance for your situation. And how much is that, Kelly? What? Am I a lizard? If you don’t KNOW that you have good coverage, ask your friends for recommendations. Then take my column with you and tell them that Kelly said you should be smarter than you’ve been, so here you are. You’ll thank me later.

Kelly Burke, attorney, former district attorney, and magistrate judge, writes about the law, rock’n’roll, and politics or anything that strikes him. Contact Kelly at dakellyburke@gmail.com to comment on this article or suggest articles that you’d like to see, and visit his website at www.kellyrburke.com.