Underinsured/Uninsured Coverage – What Is It and Why Should You Give It Some Thought?
January 12, 2011 | Barna, Guzy & Steffen, Ltd.Most people do not understand it and fail to appreciate its importance to them and their family. Underinsured motorist’s coverage insures you and your resident family members if you or they are injured in a motor vehicle collision and the other driver does not have sufficient liability coverage to adequately compensate you for your injuries – medical bills, wage loss, physical disability, and pain and suffering. Uninsured coverage protects you and your resident family members from situations where you are injured by another driver who does not have any liability coverage on his or her automobile. Unfortunately, in this day and age a surprising number of people do not carry any insurance or only carry the statutory minimum. Under Minnesota law, that statutory minimum is $30,000.00 for liability coverage and $25,000.00 for underinsured and uninsured coverage. It doesn’t take much for an injury to create damages that far exceed these minimal coverages. You should look at your policy to see what type of coverage you currently have to determine if you believe the coverage you are carrying is adequate. If you are not sure what amount of coverage you should carry, you can always consult with your insurance agent and/or also talk to your attorney. Obviously, any decision on the amount of coverage…
Read MoreCar Accidents and Unintended Consequences
January 4, 2011 | Jon P. EricksonSome times when a person is involved in a motor vehicle accident they end up getting a traffic ticket such as a careless driving ticket. This can happen even if a police officer didn’t witness the accident. They might give you a ticket there at the scene of the accident, or send you one in the mail. A careless driving ticket or other misdemeanor moving traffic violation is a crime with a statutory maximum of 90 days in jail and/or a $1,000 fine. The potential biggest problem from a conviction for such an offense is probably the collateral consequence of its effect on your motor vehicle insurance rates. It may make sense financially to hire a lawyer to fight this charge to try and prevent such a conviction. There may also be problems should you be sued civilly by the driver(s) of the other motor vehicles involved. We at BGS recommend you talk to our lawyers about this to help you make a decision on what to do. There are even potential felony charges from being involved in a motor vehicle accident such as Criminal Vehicular Homicide or Injury charges. One should always hire a lawyer in these types of cases. We have the legal expertise to handle both your motor vehicle accident…
Read MoreThe Diaper Drive & BGS
January 4, 2011 | Barna, Guzy & Steffen, Ltd.Barna, Guzy & Steffen law firm has made a strong commitment to serving worthy pro bono clients. Among the firm’s active pro bono attorneys is Kip Peterson, whose practice focuses on corporate law and business transactions. One of the non-profit corporations Kip has worked with is The Diaper Drive. This organization supports families in need in our community and BGS considers it a privilege to represent this cause. The Diaper Drive began when Kristen Grode was cleaning out a closet at home and found several packages of disposable diapers her children had outgrown. Kristen set out to research where she could donate the diapers and discovered that there was a tremendous need for such items but no organization existed to fill the need. Just as the recession has increased the demand on food shelves for things to eat, the need for diapers has also grown. In fact, statistics show that 1 in 3 American mothers struggle to provide diapers for their children. However, diapers are not covered by WIC or food stamps. As the mother of two young children, Kristen recognized the need and began calling friends and family for donations. Before long The Diaper Drive was born. The Diaper Drive collects disposable diapers, sanitary wipes, and other toiletries and distributes them to…
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