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Understanding Nevada Car Insurance

CPK LAW • Oct 08, 2018

You have just been in an auto accident. Your car is damaged and you are injured. Who is going to pay for your damages? What kind of auto insurance do you have? Do you know? It is very helpful to us, as lawyers, to be able to review your auto insurance policy during the initial free consultation after an accident. I ask my clients, “Have you reviewed your auto insurance policy? Do you know what type of coverage you have? Do you know what your coverage means?” More often than not my client responds that he or she really does not know the answers to these questions and asks for advice.

Understanding car insurance is important. The best way to make sure you are getting the right amount of coverage (and not overpaying for it) is to have a thorough understanding of the various types of coverage that are available. It is important to remember that, if you or someone you know was  injured in a car accident , it is imperative that you call the best car accident attorney Las Vegas has to offer.

In this article, we will discuss the ins and outs of Nevada Car Insurance. There are two types of coverage available to motorists:

Liability Insurance Coverage is coverage for damages you (or in some cases your vehicle while being operated by others) cause to others (and the property of others). This is the one type of auto insurance that you are generally required by law to purchase. Under NRS 485.185, the State of Nevada requires every owner of a motor vehicle which is registered in the State to provide insurance:

1. In the amount of $25,000 for bodily injury to or death of one person in any one accident;
2. Subject to the limit for one person, in the amount of $50,000 for bodily injury to or death of two or more persons in any one accident; and
3. In the amount of $20,000 for injury to or destruction of property of others in any one accident, for the payment of tort liabilities arising from the maintenance or use of the motor vehicle.

However, we recommend that you have what is known as Full Coverage. This means that your policy will also have Uninsured and Under-Insured Motorist coverage. If your vehicle is struck by a driver with no insurance, this coverage pays for damages to your person or the other people in your vehicle. If the driver who struck your car has insurance, but it isn’t sufficient to pay for all the damages, this insurance will also take over and pay the remainder.

We strongly recommend you add Medical Payments Coverage to your current auto insurance policy if you do not already have it. Medical Payments Coverage can help cover the medical or funeral expenses of covered drivers and passengers after an accident, regardless of fault. In Nevada, it’s an optional addition to your car insurance policy. If you don’t have a health plan, your plan won’t cover car accidents, or if your plan has low limits, you may want to add medical payments coverage. In some cases, this car insurance coverage can actually help cover your health plan’s deductible. There is no right of subrogation as there is with most health insurance plans, which means Medical Payments Coverage pays for your accident related medical bills and you don’t have to pay the plan back at all. Most health insurance plans require you to pay them back out of any settlement you get from the at-fault driver’s insurance.

There are many other types of coverage that may be beneficial to you such a Comprehensive, Collision, Rental Car, Towing and Emergency Roadside Service. Please contact our office and ask to speak to one of our attorneys if you want a free review of your auto insurance policies to determine if your coverage is adequate. We hope that you never get into an accident, but if you or someone you know does become injured in a car accident, please call Craig P. Kenny & Associates today for a completely free case review!

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By Hayley N. Price, Esq. 06 Sep, 2023
If you are someone who was around between 1994 and 2022, you may remember the popular sitcom Friends, which included a good-natured but somewhat unsophisticated character named Joey who famously said. “It’s like a cow’s opinion, it doesn’t matter. It’s Moo”. Although something being “Moo” is clearly not correct legalese, it is actually more common than most people realize to misuse, mispronounce, or misunderstand legal words and concepts. Here is a list of some of the most commonly misused, mispronounced, and misunderstood legal concepts and phrases: 1). ATTORNEY VS. LAWYER : These two words are commonly used interchangeably. However, they actually technically have different meanings. While all attorneys are lawyers, not all lawyers are attorneys. The word lawyer can describe anyone who has completed a law degree while an attorney refers to someone who has passed the bar exam, is eligible to be licensed, and can represent clients in a courtroom. 2). HEARSAY VS. WHAT YOU HEARD SOMEONE SAY : The word hearsay is so commonly used to describe gossip or to describe unverified statements made by someone other than the person repeating them. The correct use of the word hearsay is used to describe a type of testimony (someone speaking under oath). When a person speaking under oath repeats what someone else said or wrote down, this is hearsay. Technically, hearsay is inadmissible in a court hearing because of its unreliable character. However, there are types of speech that have earned enough credibility to qualify as an exception to hearsay which qualifies the speech as an exception to hearsay allowing it to be included as evidence. These types of speech include dying declarations, statements against the interest of the person speaking, business records, etc. 3). NEGLIGENCE VS. RECKLESSNESS : Commonly used similarly in conversation, these two words are actually technical opposites. When someone acts recklessly, that person is said to have known or should have known the risk or danger in what they are doing before continuing to do it. Oppositely, acting negligently refers to someone who simply fails to comply with the standards that a reasonable person would have under the same circumstances whether they acted deliberately with that knowledge or not. 4). SQUASH VS. QUASH : While someone can squash a bug or eat a squash with their meal, the word squash is not the correct phrase to use when attempting to clear a warrant. Rather, the correct phrase is to “quash a warrant”. 5). PAROLE VS. PROBATION : Both terms are used to refer to supervision for someone following a criminal conviction. Probation refers to out of custody supervision granted to someone in lieu of prison time, whereas parole can be granted to someone following the completion of at least some of the prison sentence with the promise that the released will maintain good behavior while free of custody. 6.) ASSAULT VS. BATTERY : Assault and Battery are two separate crimes that are often associated with one another and are often used incorrectly. It is not uncommon to hear someone say, “I was assaulted” meaning they were attacked. However this is an incorrect use of this word. While the crime of battery refers to the crime of actually physically harming someone, assault is the crime of causing someone to have a reasonable fear that they will be harmed imminently. In legal settings, knowing the correct meaning of words is important to ensure accurate communication and understanding. If you have any questions regarding the forgoing or need representations following an accident, injury, or arrest, please feel free to contact me directly at hprice@cpklaw.com.
By Bradley L. Kenny, Esq. 02 Aug, 2023
Maybe...I’ll go into the details so that you can have a better understanding. First, I want to tell you about how you can end up in a situation where you think you’re doing the easy thing, but later on, you realize that you made a mistake. In my experience, insurance adjusters are like car salespeople. If you equate an open file to a car on the lot, you have a better understanding. An adjuster always told me that a happy file is a closed file. And for car sales, a happy situation is a signed contract. Someone injured in a car accident may accept a settlement from an adjuster at the accident scene. Have you ever seen a car that has the insurance company logo all over it on the highway? Some of those vehicles are known as “IRVs” (Immediate Response Vehicles). Like someone selling a car, the adjuster happens upon an accident scene after being called in from the branch office to speak with the injured victim. They promise the moon but deliver next to nothing. Insurance companies encourage their adjusters to settle claims quickly because they know that the longer the claim is open, the more exposure the company faces. The insurance companies start telling accident victims that they are entitled to money (“cash-out” is a term used by the insurance industry). Insurance companies settle cases quickly because the bottom line is that they are trying to save as much money as possible. Insurance companies also offer “open medical” which means they say they will pay for future treatment. However, many times the treatment you may receive might not be deemed “reasonable or necessary” by the insurance company. In which case, you will be on the hook for the medical bills. Here is an actual email that was received recently: The accident only happened a week ago. However, she signed an early offer from the liability carrier saying they will pay for up to $6,000.00 in treatment and then paid her about $2,500.00 on top of that. She signed it, sent it in and then deposited the money. Can this be withdrawn or at this point is she locked in to this deal since she has already agreed to it? Our legislature has tried to put an end to these insurance company tactics. NRS 10.185 provides as follows: 1. A release of liability given in connection with any claim for personal injury sustained by a releasor is voidable by a releasor within 60 days after its signing by the releasor, if the releasor signed the release: (a) Within 30 days after the event that initially caused his or her injury; and (b) Without the assistance or guidance of an attorney. 2. To void the release of liability pursuant to subsection 1, the releasor shall: (a) Sign a written notice disclosing the election of the releasor to void the release; and (b) Within 10 days after signing the notice (1) Send the original notice or a signed copy of the notice to the releasee; and (2) Return any consideration paid by the releasee. 3. A release of liability is void on the date that the notice and any consideration described in subsection 2 are received by the releasee. 4. As used in this section: (a) “Personal injury” means any mental or physical injury. The term does not include property damage. (b) “Release of liability” means an agreement executed between a releasor and releasee. (c) “Releasee” means a party who is being released by the releasor from any claim described in subsection 1. (d) “Releasor” means a party who agrees to release the releasee from any claim described in subsection 1. A release can be set aside under the law if it was signed within 30 days after an accident and the injured person signed it without the help of an attorney. You must send a written notice to the insurance company within 60 days after signing the release. Additionally, the injured party must return any money you received from the company. You have a limited time-frame to do this. Please do not be a victim twice.
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