“Don’t worry, I have Full Coverage” is what many new clients tell me when I ask them to show me their Pennsylvania Car Insurance Declarations.

I hate to break it to you, but, there really is no such thing as “Full Coverage.”

It’s mandatory to have Car Insurance Coverage in Pennsylvania, so everyone has to have Coverage. Some Coverages are mandatory and others are optional.

The choices you have regarding Coverages and amounts is literally limitless and there is no such “standard package” that is titled “Full Coverage.”

What Coverage is Mandatory?

All Pennsylvania vehicle owners must carry Liability Coverage which pays for property damage and injuries they may cause while driving. The minimum Liability Coverage Limits are $5,000 for property damage and $15,000 per person and $30,000 per accident for bodily injury. However, you can carry much much more Liability Coverage (and probably should in case you cause a major accident).

Medical Coverage of at least $5,000 is also required which will pay your medical bills from any vehicle related accident, as well as the medical bills for anyone else covered by the Policy usually including relatives who live with you.

What Coverage is Optional?

There are many types of Car Insurance Coverages that are useful, but optional in Pennsylvania including:

• Collision – Coverage that pays to fix or replace your care when it is damaged in an accident that was your fault.
• Lost Income, Funeral and Burial, Accidental Death – Additional Coverages that pay for losses regardless of who was at fault for the accident.
• Uninsured and Underinsured Coverage – Coverage that you purchase on your policy to pay compensation if you are injured by an accident caused by someone else who has no insurance or not enough insurance to fully compensate you.

Full Tort versus Limited Tort Choice

In Pennsylvania, you must also choose whether you want Full Tort or Limited Tort on your Policy.

Full Tort is more expensive but preserves the rights of you and your family covered by the policy to be fully compensated after a car accident caused by someone else.

Limited Tort is less expensive coverage but it limits your rights to compensation. With Limited Tort, unless an Exception applies, people covered by the policy cannot recover for Non-Economic Damages, like Pain and Suffering, unless they suffer a Serious Injury (Death, Serious and Permanent Disfigurement or Serious Impairment of Body Function.)

Tips for Your Car Insurance Choices

I recommend that you think about the following for your Pennsylvania Car Insurance:

• High Liability Limits and also consider an Umbrella/Excess Liability Policy
• Lots of Optional Coverages – Collision, Lost Wage, Funeral and Accidental Death
• Very High Uninsured/Underinsured Limits ($1 Million or more) to ensure Full Compensation even in a Death or Serious Injury case
• Full Tort not Limited Tort

MacElree Harvey, Ltd is proud to announce that partner Tim Rayne, who focuses his practice in Personal Injury Law, has been named to the Super Lawyer List and has also been honored as one of the Top 100 Super Lawyers in both Pennsylvania and Philadelphia.

“It’s an honor to be named as a Super Lawyer and to be listed on the Top 100 designations for both Philadelphia and Pennsylvania. I’m also thrilled that my Business Law partner, Harry DiDonato, appears on the Top 100 lists and that over a dozen MacElree Harvey lawyers are recognized as Super Lawyers or Rising Stars” saidTim Rayne.

”I’m also incredibly fortunate to work in a practice area that I love where I get to fight for fair treatment for injured accident victims by telling their stories to insurance companies and juries. I enjoy going to work each day and feel lucky to have spent my whole legal career at a great law firm like MacElree Harvey.”

Super Lawyers, part of Thomson Reuters, is a rating service of outstanding lawyers from more than 70 practice areas who have attained a high degree of peer recognition and professional achievement. Each year, Super Lawyers recognizes the top lawyers in the country with a patented multiphase selection process involving peer nomination, independent research and peer evaluation.The result of the annual selection process is a credible, comprehensive and diverse listing of exceptional attorneys. The Super Lawyers lists are published nationwide in Super Lawyers Magazines and in leading city and regional magazines and newspapers across the country.

Tim Rayne has been practicing Personal Injury Law for nearly 30 years, helping injured accident victims understand their legal rights and receive fair treatment from insurance companies. Tim handles a wide variety of cases including Car, Bike, Motorcyle, Truck, Bicycle and Pedestrian Accidents, Slip and Falls, Medical Malpractice and Abuse Cases. Tim can be reached at 610-840-0124 or trayne@macelree.com or you can check out his website at www.TimRayneLaw.com.

Most Personal Injury and Wrongful Death Cases in Pennsylvania arise out of unintentional Negligent conduct. However, a wrongdoer can also be held legally liable for compensating an injury victim even if the conduct was Intentional or Criminal. The bad actor is liable for the harm caused by an Intentional or Criminal act, but the challenge is collecting the damages since insurance usually will not cover Intentional or Criminal conduct.

Legal Liability for Intentional Torts

A “Tort” is a wrongful act or omission that leads to legal liability for resulting harm (medical bills, lost income, pain and suffering, disability). A Tort can arise out of Negligence – a careless act or omission, Or it can arise out of an Intentional Act like Murder, Assault or Rape.

Intentional Torts are arguably much worse than Negligence. Such wrongs result from someone who intends to cause the harm, rather than someone who was just careless. Common Intentional Torts include Murder (intentional killing) Assault (intentional harmful touching) or even Sex Crimes like Rape.

In addition to deserving Compensatory Damages to make up for the Physical and Emotional Harm (medical bills, lost income, pain and suffering), victims of Intentional Torts can also seek Punitive Damages to punish Outrageous behavior and deter the Defendant from repeating the act.

Collection Challenges from Insurance Exclusions for Intentional or Criminal Acts

Despite Intentional Torts being strong cases, it’s often impractical to pursue them in Court because Liability Insurance Policies often exclude insurance coverage for Intentional or Criminal Acts.

If there is no Insurance, then the only way it makes sense to pursue an Intentional Tort is if the Defendant has Assets that can be pursued after the case is won or if someone else is jointly liable with the Defendant. If the Defendant has no assets, and no one else was culpable (like his employer or someone else responsible for preventing the harm), then pursuing a Lawsuit would be like trying to get blood from a stone.

The Importance of Experienced Legal Counsel

Since pursuing Intentional Torts can be fruitful because of serious injuries and egregious facts, but challenging because of Insurance Exclusions, it’s important to have your case thoroughly examined by an Experienced Personal Injury Lawyer who regularly pursues Intentional Tort cases.

You need to have a lawyer who will investigate all possible sources of insurance and assets to make sure that the victims of the Intentional Act or Crime receives Justice.

Tim Rayne is a Personal Injury Lawyer with the Chester County based Pennsylvania law firm MacElree Harvey. For nearly 30 years, Tim has been helping victims of Negligence and Intentional Torts understand their legal rights and receive fair compensation. Tim has law offices in West Chester and Kennett Square Pennsylvania and can be reached at 610-840-0124 or trayne@macelree.com or you can check out his website at www.TimRayneLaw.com.

Tim Rayne has experience helping victims of Intentional Torts including Murder, Assault, Theft and Sex Crimes.