Protect yourself with insurance

A few days ago in a jury trial a man was found guilty of causing an accident that resulted in serious injuries to a motorcyclist. The jury awarded the injured driver 21.5 million dollars!
Here's how we got to the trial and the huge award. On a February day in 2018 a motorcyclist was riding his bike in the HOV lane on the 405 in Los Angeles, Ca. As the motorcyclist tried to pass the Kia on its passenger side the Kia attempted to exit the lane. The car clipped the motorcycle and sent the bike and the driver across multiple lanes where the motorcyclist attempted to regain control. Unfortunately, he was unable to get control before hitting the side of a flatbed truck. The impact sent the driver flying off the bike and onto the freeway pavement.
The driver's injuries were very serious but not fatal. He spent several weeks in the hospital recovering. 
The reason this driver most likely survived the accident was because he was wearing full leathers and a helmet. The entire accident was caught on a camera by another motorcycle driver.
At the end of the day yes the driver of the Kia did make some errors. He was driving in the HOV lane alone, he exited the lane without signaling and he exited where there were double lines which is a violation.  If you drive around southern California you probably see people doing similar things on a daily basis. But, fortunately most of these infractions go without incident.
The judgement in this case is astronomical. One of the reasons the amount was so large was because the driver of the car was on the "job". He worked for a Kia dealership and he was taking the car out for a test drive after a recent repair. The attorneys in the trial were able to use the video footage and they had a large corporation to go after. That is a perfect mix for an injury attorney. 
Now how can an average person protect themselves? The number one thing you need to do is have proper auto insurance coverage to protect what you own. Have a policy large enough for a worst case accident. Liability coverage is not that expensive and for a few hundred dollars a year you can increase your limits substantially. It's an important reminder that you don't plan for accidents. And, if you do have an accident you need to protect yourself. Call 951-395-0754 to review your auto coverage limits.