Imagine a child and his friends playing with the family puppy in the back yard.  Suddenly, the dog bites one of his friends in the face causing permanent disfigurement.  The owners of the puppy are legally liable for the loss, but the limits on their Homeowners Policy aren’t enough to cover the damages.

Now imagine a family heading to its favorite restaurant for dinner on a rainy night.  Slippery conditions cause the car to slide off the pavement onto the shoulder.  The driver over-corrects, sending the family car straight into the path of an oncoming vehicle.  The family’s automobile liability coverage isn’t enough to pay for the injuries to the other car’s occupants.

Think it couldn’t happen to you?  The stark reality is that accidents such as these happen nearly every day.  Fortunately, protection is available should the unthinkable occur with a Personal Umbrella Policy.

While it’s easy to assume that a Personal Umbrella policy is only for people with substantial assets, the truth is anyone is at risk of being held liable for an accident.  Settlements of $1 million or more have become commonplace and if you don’t have an Umbrella policy, you may have to pay whatever costs exceed your primary insurance policy directly out of your own pocket.  Where will you find the money?  Your children’s college tuition savings?  Your retirement savings?  Your home?

A Personal Umbrella policy offers you an unbeatable layer of protection – you can select limits of $1 million up to $10 million in coverage—over the coverage limits you already have from your automobile, homeowners, or other personal policies.  In the examples above, the Personal Umbrella policy would pay the difference between the primary policy coverage limits and the damages amount, up to the limits of the Personal Umbrella policy.

While the odds are more likely you’ll need the protection of a Personal Umbrella policy for liability from an accident, you’ll also receive coverages not usually included in your basic policies such as libel, slander, false arrest, false imprisonment, wrongful eviction, violation of privacy rights, and wrongful detention. An added feature of the Personal Umbrella is the policy will also pay your defense costs, even on covered losses where you’re found not legally liable.  This additional coverage could save you thousands of dollars in legal defense fees.

For more information or to get a quote, please call Cleo, Kathy or Nancy at 757-562-6131.