Getting the Other Party's Insurance Information
If the police are present, they will know to obtain your insurance information and the insurance information of the party at fault. This includes the name of the insurance company and the policy number. This information will later be used to file a claim.
My clients normally have severe injuries, and I want to find out as soon as possible whether the other party has insurance policy limits that are sufficient to cover the full value of our case. When I open a claim with the other driver's insurance company, I usually request them to divulge the policy limits. They are dutibound to get their insured's permission before doing so. If they refuse to divulge the policy limits, we sometimes find the information through investigation. In many instances, we'll file a lawsuit and require the defense to produce a complete copy of their insurance policy, and to declare under penalty of perjury that they've given us all applicable insurance information including liability and any umbrella or excess coverage.
If the defendant has no insurance coverage or if the coverage is insufficient to pay the value ofyour case, we thoroughly investigate his/her financial condition, and/or turn to your Uninsured/Underinsured Motorist Coverage. This is exceptionally important and often overlooked. We will discuss this concept in detail later.
