Auto Insurance: Coverage for Pets in Auto Accidents

Pets ride in auto all the time, but what if they're injured in a auto accident? Whose auto insurance company pays to treat their injuries? The answer .... hopefully you will remember the tips that we provided. Check with your car insurance company to determine if your pet is covered by your car insurance policy.

Auto Insurance: Coverage for Pets in Auto Accidents

Pets ride in cars all the time, but what if they're injured in an auto accident? Whose car insurance company pays to treat their injuries? The answer depends on the cause of the accident.

Riding in cars can be dangerous for pets (as well as distracting to the driver), especially because they ride without the benefit of seat belts. If someone crashes into you and causes injuries to your pet, you're entitled to make a "third-party claim" with their car insurance company for your pet's medical bills. That's because their liability car insurance policy must put you "back where you were" before the accident.

If you are at-fault in a car accident in which your pet is injured, you'll want to check your auto insurance policy for exclusions. Say you crash into another car or a fence: Collision insurance pays for the repairs to your own vehicle. But you may have an exclusion on your collision insurance coverage for damage to personal property that you are transporting, whether it's your antique vase or your pet. If your car insurance policy has such exclusions, you won't have a valid claim. For example, State Farm says that its policies don't provide coverage for pet injuries. Car insurance coverage may vary depending on the car insurance company, so be sure to carefully check your policy. In this scenario, if you don't carry collision coverage at all, you must pay for all damage from the accident, including your car and pet.

Perhaps someone comes to visit you and your dog goes to lie down under their car. Then, unknowingly, the visitor backs over your pet. Is the visitor liable for your dog's injuries? Yes, he is, but not under the bodily injury section of his car insurance policy. Bodily injury pays out for injuries sustained by any "one person" in an accident. Your pet doesn't qualify as a person so he's not covered by this portion of the car insurance policy.

However, for car insurance purposes, your pet qualifies as your "personal property," and you have the right to be "put back where you were" before the accident — in this case, meaning having a healthy dog. You'd have the right to make a claim on your visitor's car insurance policy for your dog's medical bills, just as you would have the right to make a claim if the driver backed over your lawnmower.

The death of a pet

Certainly pets are part of the "family," and the death of a beloved pet can lead to extreme grief. But your pet's status as your "personal property" may limit your options for compensation if someone causes an accident that kills your pet. State laws do not recognize the loss of personal property as valid claims for "loss of companionship" compensation, unlike the loss of a spouse. In the event your pet is killed in an accident, you can likely make a claim only for the "market value" of your pet.

Some courts have allowed damages for deceased pets to go beyond "market value" by applying "pecuniary value" or "special value," which applies to personal property that has no ascertainable market value.

Ranci Endo: The Inside track on Pet Health Insurance, you'll find useful tools, news, features, hot tips, and crucial advices –Blog: ReiVRE-Money Talk: Pet Insurance review
today’s guest contributor -Amy Danise an editor for http://www.insure.com

How to find Pet Insurance Policy that is right for you !

There's always a first time for everything, and getting Pet Insurance is not exceptional. The question in today's ReiVRE: Money Talk-Pet Insurance is – "Do you really need it?"

We all know that pets can be expensive. RSPCA figures suggest that an average dog costs you just under £10,000 over the course of its life; and the average cat isn't much cheaper, coming in at just under £9,500.

If you're on a tight budget, ‘helpful' acquaintances may already have pointed out that getting rid of Rover or Tiddles would save you a packet.

But for many people, this simply isn't an option. Millions of pet owners see their furry (or scaly) friends as part of the family, and would just as soon kick out their partner or children.

So in this two-part series, I'm going to look at how you can spend less on your pets - without their welfare being affected.

In this article, I'll focus on pet insurance.

Do you need it?

The opposition: Those against pet insurance say it's overpriced, with some policies packed full of exclusions that prevent you from claiming.

It can cost £30 a month, or even more - so if you never make a claim, it's certainly a lot of money out the cat flap.

Self-insurance: There are other ways of providing for your pet. Some people choose ‘self-insurance'; putting money into a saving account each month to provide for pet emergencies.

On the plus side, you'll be earning some interest this way, and if no problems occur, you've built up a nice little fund.

However, problems could arise if you haven't built up enough cash when an emergency happens.

A good bet? Champions of pet insurance point out that you can get suitable, affordable cover for £10 a month or less.

And imagine the worst-case scenario: you've got no savings, and your pet suddenly needs emergency treatment costing hundreds or even thousands of pounds.

£120 in payments over the course of a year seems a lot more reasonable when it covers £2000 of treatment.

Finally, it's worth remembering that pet insurance doesn't just cover illness and injury.

Many policies also provide for theft of your pet, and some even cover more obscure eventualities, like the cost of a cancelled holiday if you need to nurse a sick pet at home.

What's it all about?

If you do decide to take out pet insurance, it's important to understand that it operates on a different basis to most other personal insurance.

Unlike home and motor insurance - which can be changed annually - pet insurance is likely to be taken out for the life of the pet.

This is because if pets are treated under one policy and then - at renewal - a new one is taken out, the new insurer generally will not cover any ‘pre-existing' conditions.

Which means the pet owner will then have to fork out for treatment of these him or herself. So, it's vital you choose the right policy from the start.

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NB: For more valuable information and guideline visit: Pet Insurance

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