Can You Lose Your House From a Car Accident?

Being named in any type of civil lawsuit raises questions about your financial future. One of those may be, “Can you lose your house from a car accident?” If you are named as an at-fault party in a vehicle accident, there are many potential consequences that could follow you from that situation, including owing the victim financial compensation. It is very important to have a supportive and experienced and qualified lawyer to help you if you are being accused of causing or mostly contributing to a car accident.

If you’re worried about losing access to your assets because of a vehicle accident, you need to take anything to do with your insurance company or your liability case very seriously, including even hiring a lawyer to help you.

What Do You Need to Know About Your Insurance Carrier's Liability Coverage?

Many people underestimate the potential advantages of liability coverage. However, depending on your policy, this coverage can protect at-fault drivers and accident victims by giving additional liability protection beyond what your primary car insurance would cover. 

An accident victim is able to file a lawsuit against the negligent party individually if that person does not have enough insurance protection to cover damages. Having additional liability coverage, however, can provide substantial damage protection by the at-fault person's insurance companies for a victim. This is extremely valuable if you are concerned about being sued and experiencing financial repercussions, such as losing your house. 

Carrying additional liability coverage can act as a shield for such situations. This means that by having additional support and coverage available through your policy, the victim in an accident in which you've been named at fault is eligible to use your car insurance carrier's payments to cover their bills and other damages from the accident rather than coming after you personally in civil court.

Is Liability Coverage Enough to Cover Me in a Car Accident?

It does not matter to a victim whether or not you have liability for insurance coverage when they decide to file a civil lawsuit against you for an accident. An auto insurance policy can help pay for damages up to the policy limits mentioned in your insurance policy, so it is a good idea not only to inform your insurance carrier about the accident immediately after it happens but to review the specifics of your policy to determine the limits of your coverage. This can help you determine whether or not there will be enough in your auto accident policy to pay for the person's damages or whether they may come after you personally as well. 

There are some situations in which your car insurance liability protection may not go far enough to protect an accident victim and the accident victim may instead come after your assets. One of those assets may be your home, which means the answer to “Can you lose your home due to a car accident?” may be “yes,” depending on the extent of the other party's damages and your liability coverage.

Do We Have to Go to Court?

If your car insurance payout and policy limit is not high enough to pay for the victim's damages, you can expect that you may be named in a lawsuit. At this point, you would need an experienced defense personal injury lawyer to help tell your side of the story. Hiring the right defense personal injury lawyer, such as the attorneys working at Morgan & Morgan, is extremely important if the question of fault is up for debate. 

If you live in a comparative fault state, for example, and you're able to show that the other person was the primary contributor to the accident, then you may not be held responsible for their damages. If they are even partially at fault for the accident, their damages are reduced accordingly if you live in a comparative fault state. For example, if the other person is found to be 25% at fault for the accident, they may still be entitled to damages, but depending on the scope of their injuries and your car insurance policy coverage, this can greatly reduce the total payout owed to that victim. 

This may help you avoid facing any personal asset loss, such as your home, in a lawsuit. A plaintiff may choose to take you to court if they have substantial damages, but it is still their responsibility to show that you are responsible for the accident and that their damages are directly related to injuries sustained in that accident. 

Hiring the right personal injury attorney to represent you, especially in those cases where fault is in question, is vitally important for making a strong claim. You may need to show that the other party's injuries are not as severe or that they have preexisting conditions that are the root cause of their pain rather than the accident itself. All of these are complex issues that play out in personal injury lawsuits and retaining the right lawyer is of utmost importance.

What to Look for in a Defense Personal Injury Lawyer?

After you've notified your car insurance company about the accident, gotten an estimate for damages to your own vehicle, and been screened for any medical conditions from the crash yourself, it is time to talk to a personal injury lawyer. This is extremely critical if you've already been named in a personal injury lawsuit or been contacted by the other party or their insurance company about the accident. If you learn that the other person in the accident has substantial injuries or damages, this is a clue that you need to get your own legal representation. The right lawyer can make a big difference in the outcome of your case in a personal injury claim, so you should only retain an attorney who has a strong track record of personal injury representation in your area. 

Hiring an experienced and qualified lawyer will give you peace of mind about what to expect going forward and can help you to minimize the potential payout in a damage case. Your lawyer should also have a strong network and access to other resources, such as accident reconstruction experts who can tell how the accident really happened. If the other party is in control of the narrative surrounding the accident and is not telling this story accurately, you need to make sure there's an advocate in your corner protecting your rights as well. Contact the qualified legal team at Morgan & Morgan to learn more about how we can help you if you have been named in an accident lawsuit but are not responsible for the injuries or if you believe the other party at least contributed to these injuries.

Why You Need to Get Legal Help Fast

If you are named in a lawsuit that is coming after your personal assets including your home, and other property you own, time is of the essence. You need the right lawyers in your corner to start crafting a compelling defense strategy as quickly as possible. Do not hesitate to get help as this may be your only chance to protect your personal assets and to get a clear idea of what is involved in moving forward with the case. The legal team at Morgan & Morgan knows many of the most complex issues involved in filing lawsuits and works as hard as possible to protect the rights of our clients. Contact our law firm today to learn more about how we can help.

At Morgan & Morgan, we know it can be hard to proceed when it feels like your future is uncertain. Our lawyers are here to answer your questions and to make sure you know what's involved in defending your rights in a case like this. If you can't remember how the accident happened, we may need to reconstruct the scene or involve outside experts to help tell your side of the story. If you live in a comparative fault state, you need to be ready to show how the accident happened and, if possible, to minimize your level of fault. We use many resources to help our clients do this and to ensure that the court hears your side of the story. In some cases, we may be able to resolve your claim outside of court so that you can put this incident behind you. 

You should never have to worry about your own financial future, but this is especially true if someone else is accusing you of causing the accident when you are not responsible. Don't wait to let someone else tell the story of what happened if this is not the truth and if you may lose personal assets because of this person's narrative. Let a lawyer help you push back against unfair claims. 

When you need legal support for all aspects of a claim, including if you're being wrongly accused of fault in an accident, you need to share your concerns with a dedicated personal injury lawyer. The team at Morgan & Morgan is here to support you and help you ensure that you gather evidence to support your next steps. Don't hesitate to contact us today for more information, starting with a free case evaluation.