Umbrella insurance provides you with
an extra layer of liability protection should you be found liable
for causing bodily injury to someone else or damaging their
property. Because the average size of jury awards has increased
dramatically in the last few years, umbrella insurance has become
more important, particularly for people who have numerous assets.
The following are a few examples of situations where umbrella
insurance is needed.
- One evening while on the way
home, a driver doesn't see a stop sign and broadsides a city bus.
Several of the occupants are injured, resulting in a large
lawsuit.
- A family dog bites a child.
Although the child is not seriously injured physically, there are
some resulting psychological problems. The dog's owner is sued for
a substantial sum.
- A man on vacation rents a boat.
He runs into a water-skier, severely injuring the skier's legs. A
lawsuit ensues.
- A homeowner is responsible for a
fire that sweeps through his condominium complex, causing millions
of dollars in damage and resulting in several lawsuits.
If any of these happened to you,
there's a good chance your liability limits in your Auto or Home
policy would not be adequate. You could be sued for all your
possessions, and most of your future earnings.
Umbrella insurance also helps you
with your legal fees. Even if the verdict is in your favor, your
legal fees may be extremely high. If you have a personal umbrella
policy, you won't need to pay thousands of dollars out-of-pocket for
legal fees.
To get Safeco's superior umbrella
protection, you need to have your Auto insurance with Safeco with
liability limits of $500,000. If you have Home or Boat policies,
these limits of liability would have to be at the maximum limits
allowed. Safeco's umbrella limits start at $1,000,000 but higher
limits are also available. Your agent can help you select the
appropriate amount.
The best part of Umbrella insurance
may be this – although your protection is substantially increased,
the cost is very reasonable. Your cost will depend on limits
selected, number of autos, residences, boats, etc., and the area of
the country where you live.
Your agent can give you a quote. |