Ten people were injured in a suspected DUI crash on Sunday.
The accident involved a two-car collision that happened at the intersection of Downey Ave. and Imperial Highway at about 7:30 p.m. According to the Downey Fire Department, ten people were injured and transported to a local hospital.
One of the drivers involved in the crash was arrested on suspicion of drunk driving.
Will the Drunk Driver have Enough Insurance?
When an accident injures many victims, and only one driver was at fault for the crash, there is a likelihood that the at-fault driver won't have enough insurance to pay everyone's injury claims. What is an injury victim's recourse if the at-fault driver doesn't have enough insurance?
When there is not enough insurance to pay all injury claims, the insurance company will generally tender the at-fault driver's policy limit, to be divided between all injury claimants pro-rata. The insurance company will not pay out to any one injury claimant until all injury claimants have agreed on division of the policy limit, and signed a release.
What if your injury claim is worth more than the pro-rata offer that the insurance company is making to you? If you own a car and have uninsured motorist coverage on that car, and your policy limit is greater than the at-fault driver's policy limit, then you may be able to make an underinsured motorist claim under your own policy. Making such a claim will not affect your rates whatsoever.
Read more about uninsured and underinsured motorist claims here.
McGee, Lerer & Associats is a personal injury law firm that specializes in serious injury accidents. We have five office locations: Santa Monica, Long Beach, Los Angeles and Pasadena. Our car accident lawyers are available 2/7 for a free consultation.